TERRAPATH

First of all, really incredible vibes with this one, it's very space sounding and I really loved hearing a female vocalist, which is a very uncommon ocurrence in prog music unfortunetly. The songs flow seemlessly between heavier and softer sounds and both sound amazing. The percussions and odd time signatures (in "It's not Real" for example) really caught my attention and made the listening experience even more engaging and surprising. I didn't know what to really expect from this album, but the cover art and the name sugested a potential alien or Sci-fi theme and I wasn't wrong, the synths and overall atmosphere really add to that idea of space, alien life and the unkowns of the universe. The effects in the vocals, the riffs and harmonies are amazing, it feels like going to another world and exploring a variety of different soundscapes and combination, to the beautifully sorrow, dissonant and intense and calming. I was also blown away by how groovy and catchy a lot of the songs are.

1- Is That You? (6:01): The initial riff instantly hooked me, it's so mysterious, surreal and it builds so many pictures in my mind. It sounds like something you'd hear exploring a barren wasteland, fighting for survival, struggling with your own emotions and trying to move on without the company of those who once stood by your side. It's such a complex soundscape that creates multiple layers of emotions and interpretations. As the voice slowly starts to come in, it seems like you're finally getting somewhere, you found strenth and meaning inside yourself, it's such an emotional song that strikes a lot deep emotions on the listener.

Aside from being extremely groovy and engaging with very intrieging and moving rhythms, it starts to show a more intense sound, as it becomes more and more melodic and expansive, it suddenly delves into silence. Suddenly a very distorted guitar plays an intense riff as the other instruments come in and the drums get louder and more exciting. The ending is absolutely beautiful with the voices and the guitar creating a beautiful contrast, also the solo at the end is simply marvelous. The song ends in a quieter tone as the guitar slowly fades. It's a masterfully composed song and a very strong opener. (9.4/10)

2- Pressure (3:08): This one starts very powerful, the timbre of the guitar is similar to the ending of "Is That You?", it plays the initial chords setting the structure for the rest to come. A stunning drumfill plays and the energetic groove comes in, it's one of the best parts of this song, it's a joy to listen to specially with the heavy guitars accompaning it. As the introduction comes to an end the vocals come in, a beatiful arpeggio plays in the guitar, the voice seems distant and distorted, the bassline is fantastic and the amazing groove continuous. I love the falsetto and the intensity of the vocals following the intensity and dirtyness of the riffs.

The song brillantly changes from chaotic sounds to a more structured and elegant sound and both sound fantastic and complement each other in a very unique way. This is one of the most psychodelic songs in the album, and it has some breath-taking moments: specially when the backing vocals come in and the guitar solo that follows. This one has my favorite percussion out of all of the songs, the drum solo really caught me off guard, I was blown away by it's beauty and how seemlessly all the intruments followed it's flow right after. Amazing composition and very memorable riffs. (8.6/10)

3- Modulator (5:43): This one has a similar vibe to "Insomniac (Don't Worry)" with it's chill guitar groovy rhythms, although it feels softer and more melodic. I listened to this album during a period of a couple of days and this was the last song I listened before I finished the rest later. It was the first that really made me think that this was going to be an increadible album. The first song of the album takes a little longer to appretiate and the second ends pretty fast and didn't impact me as much in my first listen, it takes more time to digest and appretiate, but this instantly hits and gets in your head. The keyboard and guitars are so soft, the echoes add a surreal, ambigous and melancolic tone to the song. It seems like the instruments are asking questions to the listener.

This song makes me feel like I am floating in space seeing the wonderful lifeforms all across the universe, it's contemplative and peaceful. I specially love the part in 3:09 with the little guitar squeak and the surreal and atmospheric section that follows. This song is filled to the brim with brillant melodies and vibes, it keeps surprising more and more throughout the song. As the guitars stops for a while a beautiful ambient synth bleeds through silence in a moment of peace and reflection as the bombastic guitars come back and are immediately followed by another thrilling guitar solo. The melodies develop more and more as we reach the ending where only a few notes in the keyboards are left. Writing this review has been a huge challenge because it's so hard to express how I feel towards this songs that made me feel so much. I was blown away by their deepth, array of different emotions, complexity and pure beauty. This song is no exception, another masterpiece from this guys. (9.8/10)

4- It's not Real (2:00): This is more of an ambient track but that doesn't make it less interesting, even if it's more on the simpler side, the odd time signature, unique rhythms, achoing voices, brillant use of synths, moving bassline and guitar melody makes this a joy to listen. But it's overall pretty short and it works best as only a transition from the third to the fifth song, but it still got those surreal psychodelic vibes I love in this album. (7.5/10)

5- Dog's Life (3:58): Absolute perfection, I can't really express how much I was blown away when I first heard this. I'm sure that even if I tried I couldn't make this song's justice with just my words, I listened to it multiple times and every time I get overwhelmed by how good it is and how much it makes me feel. The initial riff got immediately stuck in my head and I was blown away by how seemlessly this song frows from intense to haunting to gorgeous in a few moments.

The atmosphere is impecable, the mecanic sounding synths, the flowing melody and rhythm, the amazing vocal harmonies in contrast with the constantly changing lines in the intruments. The soft guitars, the intense guitars, it all communicates so well and again Chloe Coney sang absolutely fantastically in this song, translating the intensity of each part through her voice in ingenious ways. I absolutely love the synths that start playing around 2:33, those are the sounds I mentioned in the beginning that give off a very strong alien vibe. The comunication between the intruments is impeccable, it's all such a joy all the way, the drumfills alongside the intense guitar lines are just absolutely phenomenal. The ending is perfect aswell, all the intruments fade leaving the song floating in these breath-taking chords as Chloe Coyne's voice is sang as if her voice is echoing throughout the cosmos, it's all very emotional. The best in this album. So much depth and memorable moments. (10/10)

6- Only When I'm Thinking (2:30): Delicate and soft but I don't think I have a lot to talk about this one, it's the most forgettable track in the album for me, but it surely can impact people in a lot of different ways. What immediately caught my atention were the atmospheric synths, haunting and ethereal vocals and relaxing percussion, but it all ends so fast before I can really get the vibe of the song. (6.4/10)

7- Wander/Wonder (6:04): Another one of my favorites. It's starts off very jazzy, it sounds like bossa nova, with it's tropical feel and increadibly soft guitars and percussion. The vocals are tasteful, specially accompanied by the backing vocals. It feels like I'm running on a field of flowers, feeling completely free, looking at the bright blue sky, amazed by the sea of colors around me. It's one of those songs that makes you feels so good. But when you least expect the soft guitars stop and a rough riff starts playing in a lower tone, then comes the high-hat on drums and a higher guitar as the snare comes in. It builds up really slowly but it's so groovy all the way through and as it develops it gets more and more exciting and crazier as the main riff desapears and the guitars get crazy playing chord and riffs interleaved. The bass is absolutely fantastic in the next part, the guitar gets funky and the percussion is very nice to listen to. The solo that proceeds is very reminicent of songs from Lee Ritenour: very funky, moving, interesting and not afraid to experiment with complex and unique melodies. Wonderful to listen and it's up there with my favorites from this album. (9.6/10)

8- Insomniac (Don't Worry) (4:02): The guitar is an absolute joy to listen to. This song has such an increadible groove and moving percussion and melodies, it's so good to listen to and what caught my attention the most aside from the amazing guitar was the vocal harmonies and just the vocals in general. Chloe Coyne has an amazing voice, it has so much energy and it fits so well with the rest of all the instruments. Her voice adds to the surreal vibe of the songs, it's so melodic and sometimes haunting, specially with the effect that starts in 3:15. Amazing song, it flows so well and is such a joy all the way through, but it isn't as impacful as the others. (8.2/10)

9- G.Y. Drift (2:09): Was blown away by the guitar and bass, this song starts off intense but it quickly gets extremely fun and funky. Absolutely amazing song, I love the effects used in the guitar, the rhythm and percussion are impecable. It's kinda sad that it's so short, but the riffs and harmonies are amazing, it's extremely well composed. It's kinda surreal that such a short song has so many memorable and fun parts, it doesn't stop delievering and surprising. (9.5/10)

10- Softly Speaking (3:41): This is a very calming and melodic song, with a moving piano melody and emotional vocals. It's one of the most ethereal songs in the album and as always the vocals are amazing and I love how much emotion her voice carries, how seemslessly she changes the tone of her voice, I can't really explain exactly what her voice makes me feel but it's deeply touching, and the calming synths and chords makes this an absolute joy to listen to. This one fits in the "beautifully sorrow" cathegory I described in the beginning. But, it's still less impactful then the other songs, although I see myself hearing to this one from time to time, it feels safe, it feels comforting like a warm blanket and sometimes that is exactly what you need. In conclusion, even if it's not as elaborate and intriguing as the others, it has a very unique and graceful aura. (7.2/10)

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