BINARY DREAMS

TURBULENCE has made the most impact as a progressive metal band simply by coming from a nation that isn't usually associated with the extreme side of Western extreme music. The band formed in 2013 in Lebanon riding in the wake of bands like Myrath who were putting the Middle Eastern nations on the map for metal music. The band released its debut "Disequilibrium" in 2015 but mostly went unheard and it would be six more long years before the band released its second album "Frontal."

This is where i and many others finally heard about this band and experienced its Dream Theater inspired proggy metal for the first time. I was impressed. While not exactly charting unexplored territory in the vast world of prog metal, TURBULENCE crafted an excellent album that sounded part Dream Theater, part Leprous, part Haken and a whole slew of similar sounding bands. The band was dripping with confidence and the ability to pull off its chameleonesque music magic guaranteed "Frontal" picked up more than a few fans.

Fast forward four years and TURBULENCE is back with its third slab of polyrhythmic prog with the title BINARY DREAMS that implements crunchy djent riffing, rhythmic complexities and touches of jazz fusion all dressed up in molten metal ferocity. The band retained the same lineup with the exception of keyboardist Mood Yassin who replaces Mahamoud Yasine. Featuring six vocal tracks and three instrumentals, BINARY DREAMS runs about 49 minutes and once again delivers a veritable hybrid effect of Dream Theater, Leprous and even a bit of Riverside and Shadow Gallery this time around.

A concept album that tells the tale of a robot at the center of an experiment called "Binary Dreaming," the saga results in the android entity achieving self-awareness and becomes sentient, a possible warning of the worries of the rampant development of the artificial intelligence technologies sweeping the planet in the 21st century. BINARY DREAMS pretty much carries on as the logical next step of "Frontal" without changing the game plan. Once again this is progressive metal in the traditional 90s sense with alternating clean guitar mellow motifs that give way to knotty guitar riff dominance that allows the groovy bass and drumming technicalities to unleash their full potential.

Once again the star of the show is lead vocalist Omar El Hage who really does have the perfect vocal ability for this style of prog metal that demands a firm control and an even more demanding range. Sounding just a tad like Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, El Hage's lyrical deliveries align perfectly with the soft and soothing quieter aspects of the album as well as they do with the more boisterous metal moments. While the band does weave in its indigenous Arabic folk music into the mix, it's actually very subtle and to my ears at least virtually undetectable. While not as rowdy or symphonically based as guitarist Alain Ibrihim's other band Ostura, the band delivers a great mix of the more intricate and tender aspects of prog metal with the perfect appropriation of the heavy metal.

Not much really to set this one apart from the last. If the previous "Frontal" appealed to you then you will find a lot to love here. Same deal really. Not reinventing the wheel but certainly crafting an above average slice of traditional prog metal in a style that many claim has been oversaturated. For me these types of bands are hit and miss and it really boils down to the performances and in the end it's really both the strong compositions and the vocals that win me over. While a few more faster tempos segments would've been appreciated, as it stands it's a really great album for what it delivers. This is the dreamier side of prog metal so it helps if you can appreciate soft tones and lush atmospheric backdrops.

Here's an excellent Progressive Metal album that, personally, I didn't see coming. Turbulence is a group from Lebanon formed around ten years ago, and which published its third opus 'B1nary Dream'. This concept album tells the story of the transformation of a robot named "8b+1" through an experimental process called "Binary Dreaming". This allows it to evolve from an inanimate machine to a creature endowed with sensitivity. This is of course a metaphorical interpretation of the internal questions of the human being, the search for one's own path and the confrontation with the social environment. Musically, the group is clearly anchored in Progressive Metal, endowed with a technical level required for this genre, but which comes to surprise via emotional elements, Djent, Fusion or oriental influences.

The first five tracks follow one another, constituting a kind of suite which begins with "Static Mind", a short introduction to refined instrumentation including some oriental elements and which gains in intensity before tumbling into "Theta". There we go, complex Djent rhythm (the bass-drums work is just crazy), lively vocals with the addition of a few welcome second voices, guitar solo which combines shredding and melody. Then, a very marked breakdown deliberately breaks the dynamic before starting again with a very heavy rhythmic finale. The little ending motif of the previous song is repeated on the short instrumental that follows "Time Bridge": complex rhythmic montage, killer riff, airy keyboards, totally my thing! And we continue without weakening on a second instrumental of the same ilk, "Manifestations", which exceeds 6 minutes. Lovers of Dream Theater, you will feel very comfortable in this pure Prog Metal madness, where the musicians give a fiery demonstration of their talent. This first part ends with "Ternary" marking the return of singing in a peaceful atmosphere. Note the choirs, very beautiful, and this little guitar solo by Alain Ibrahim with such a silky sound. The track gradually increases in intensity allowing drummer Morgan Berthet (Myrath) to express himself in the most beautiful way.

"Binary Dream" is the album's standout track. This 14-minute epic contains absolutely everything one could expect from this type of format. A mid-tempo start (that bass sound!) on which an extremely rich build-up develops, then there is a series of breaks, effective choruses, instrumental demonstrations,? Note the superb oriental passage played by an instrument that I couldn't recognize around the 8 minute mark, as well as the vocal/organ passage around the 10 minute mark. Difficult to continue after such a piece of bravery. However, this is what the energetic "Hybrid" manages to do, which clearly leans towards Heavy Metal. It includes a break with quite unexpected sounds as well as a guitar solo with a volatile melody. "Corrosion" is the ballad of the record, the guitar arpeggio is very beautiful with always a slight oriental touch, and the singing is moving, in particular when Omar El Hage goes up to the high notes. The album ends with a new instrumental "Deerosion", which is a great success, managing to convey beautiful emotion despite the absence of singing.

This 'B1nary Dream' is clearly a high-class Progressive Metal album which easily competes with the behemoths of the genre. It is clear that the album was greatly worked on, particularly in terms of its construction, the dramatic development of the story and, of course, the writing and interpretation of the members of the group. I compare it, perhaps because of the similarity of the singers' voices, to the TEMIC album published a few weeks ago in its style and its emotional charge. With the highly anticipated return of the Masters of Dream Theater, this year could be a great year for Progressive Metal.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

Turbulence with a very good 3rd album.

'Static Mind' minimalist intro, Leprousian synth, oriental air, a little electronic to set the stage with a refined vocal before 'Theta' tumbles in, yes that's the word with a djent riff; Omar's haunting vocals and nervous shredding paired with the complex melody; this mixture of softness and brutality is stunning, the ambient break before the return of synths and guitars which squirt, which swell; the slap launching 'Time Bridge' and its provided instrumental, between djent riff and violins; the suite fusing metal with oriental sounds is pure joy; 'Manifestations' follows with Alain and Mood setting fire to the guitar and keyboard in staggered fashion; complex, varied, energetic piece between Dream Theater and Haken for a modern prog metal full of musical amphetamines including a dreamlike jazz-metal sequence; airy, robotic, aggressive final break before starting again with captivating choirs and letting 'Ternary' close this Dantesque introduction in 5 phases; Omar returns smoothly on soothing crystalline guitar; warm choirs, pleasant guitar solo and the final crescendo on Morgan's pads which take it to a stunning musical level.

'Binary Dream' eponymous title in memory of a musical theater; heavy sound, heavy bass in mid-tempo, Hakenian air, we hear Woody; fresh, young, captivating piece, smelling of oriental, powerful djent; the stacked breaks give a swirling synth solo before another oriental full of sensitivity, on the Balkans; a jazzy moment then the sound returns to the intimate vocal-keyboard climate, it regains strength with a velvety Floydian sound before the finale, slap. 'Hybrid' modern electro intro, bass, energetic drums and shredding for a nervous, heavy track; ambient break and his guitar solo from 1001 nights. 'Corrosion' for the ballad of the album, orientalized acoustic guitar with moving spleen; reminiscence of a slow Scorpions, an Eagles intro; Omar takes it up a notch by offering a Purplenian hard rock mantra. 'De Erosion' for the happy ending instrumental, crystal clear sound of an Oceansize to settle down.(4.5)