LET THE TRUTH SPEAK

I've been listening to this album for months. It has haunted my mind and convinced me that Earthside have managed to win the title of "Album of the year" (2023). This album has a rare combination of super-imaginitive arrangements, breathtaking vocal performances ("Tyranny", "Pattern of Rebirth", "Denial's Aria") and exquisite instrumental work ("Watching the world sink") and the integration of both ("We Who Lament").

Even compared with Earthside's amazing debut from 2015, this is still superior work. The variety of musical landscapes is overwhelming. This masterpiece is its own mini-world, and needs to be listened to many times until it is full absorbed and assimmilated into your blood stream.

One of the most courageous tracks, "The Lesser Evil", features a horn section to its funk-djent arrangement, which is a very original choice, and produces an overall sound that is rare in the prog-rock genre. Special praise should be given to Ben Shanbrom for his sensitive and intelligent drumming skills. This doesn't mean that Jamie van Dyck's name can be ignored, since his contributions to the end-product are numerous.

This symphonic mega-work concludes with yet-another climax called "All We Knew and Ever Loved", which features some kind of church organ and has a minimalist (soundtrack-ish) feel to it. The bombastic ending fits this one-of-a-kind album, which is a huge achievement for the band, and also for the entire prog-rock genre in the 21st century.

In short, LTTS by Earthside is an essential masterpiece for 2023. Its generous duration (77 minutes) adds value to the package. Blessed are the creators and fortunate are its many new listeners, around the progressive world.