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AVADANTE

Kettlespider

Heavy Prog


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Kettlespider Avadante album cover
3.89 | 95 ratings | 10 reviews | 20% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2012

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Introduction (0:37)
2. Discovery (4:38)
3. Avadante (4:52)
4. Comatose (5.55)
5. Revelations (6:32)
6. New Eyes (1:36)
7. Reflections (8:46)

Total Time 32:56

Line-up / Musicians

- Scott Ashburn / guitars
- Haris Boyd-Gerny / guitars
- Geoffrey Fyfe / keyboards, production & mixing
- Colin Andrews / bass
- Simon Wood / drums, percussion


Note : The actual instrumentation could not be fully confirmed at this moment

Releases information

Artwork: Breana Johnston

CD Kettlespider ‎- KS 001 (2012, Australia)

Thanks to simonwood44 for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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KETTLESPIDER Avadante ratings distribution


3.89
(95 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(20%)
20%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(38%)
38%
Good, but non-essential (30%)
30%
Collectors/fans only (9%)
9%
Poor. Only for completionists (3%)
3%

KETTLESPIDER Avadante reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Andy Webb
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Retired Admin
4 stars Recently a number of bands have emerged that fuse a 'light' progressive metal tone with an overtly hard rock styling with neo-progish overtones to create an incredible dense, lush sound. Bands like Haken, Sylvan, and Disperse have been gathering large followings due to their potent tone, infectious use of potent melody, and a creative use of classic progressive rock stylings mixed with modern technique. A new face to come to this scene is the Aussie group Kettlespider, who utilize many of the same approach to craft their debut album Avadante. The album, while short, contains numerous moments of wonderfully crafted melodies, deep and dense instrumentation, and enjoyable compositions.

Avadante is truly an epic album, although more in the style of its music than the length of the album or breadth in scope. The instrumentation is designed in a complex, thick, and almost lush way, mixing heavy guitar riffs with viscous synth tones to make an incredibly powerful medley of sound. However, the band not only masters the mélange of heavy and thick but also the harmony of dual guitars playing a slightly gentler melodic riff over lighter keyboard lines. The album is full of memorable melodies played effectively by the band's five instrumentalists that make this album shine with musical light.

Instrumentally, the band scores yet again. Each of the guys quite obviously knows what they're doing, as every part is played to its full potential so that the entire arrangement expresses its best qualities. The intense, heavy sections have their necessary degree of punch; the gentle sections have their tender need for emotion; the airy moments have their required space. To top it off, the production of the album is perfect for every song that's presented on the album: clean, transparent, and natural to give each song room to explore its sonic ability rather than confining a song's potential due to technical difficulties.

However, while the album is obviously full of great musical moments, excellent musicianship, well-crafted compositions and more, I feel like something is missing from the otherwise complete album. Other than the fact that I think it's quite a short album, I feel that either vocals or a similar texture such as a wind instrument would have added a supreme color to the otherwise wonderful aural painting. Another aspect is the fact that the lack of lyrical value leaves a lack of creative expression for the album, especially because the album is in fact a concept album. While the journey of our nameless protagonist can be seen through the excellent progression of musical themes - there is a clear, although it sounds cliché, beginning, middle, and end - I feel as though a vocal exploration of themes would add a fantastic new element to be considered to this album and leaves a bit of a gap in the album's whole.

Overall, though, this album leaves little to be desired. The album has what most fans of heavy progressive rock want - great riffs, an excellent utilization of melody, strong keyboards, and great musicianship. While the compositions can border on 'standard' or, dare I say, cheesy at a few brief moments during the album and the album lacks a vocal element, the album still is incredibly strong in its musical direction, execution, and creativity. The album is a must for those who like either like their progressive metal to be on the light side or their progressive rock to be on the heavy side, as it's a great rendezvous in the middle ground of the two. The band shows quite clearly they have an incredible ability to make great music, and this album shows that they have the potential to do even greater work, and I look forward to it. 4- stars.

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Okay you saw the picture of the band beside their bio here ? They look a little too happy don't you think ? Especially the bass player. Not sure what he's up to. Anyway these young Australians have really come up with a gem on this their first release called "Avadante", in fact the only negative I can come up with is the cover art. Not that I mind it of course but to me it doesn't suit them or the music they created. A minor complaint. The music is all instrumental and clocks in at a tidy 33 minutes. Man I have to tell you, there were times when I was moved by what I was hearing and also the sound quality could not be any better.

"Introduction" is just that as we get some atmosphere and spoken words before "Discovery" kicks in with a vengence. It does settle back with some nice souinding guitar. Everything sounds so good here. Very uplifting. Emotion 4 minutes in. "Avadante" is powerful and crisp sounding as the guitar comes in playing over top around 2 minutes. Great sound here with that powerful under-current. Kicking ass before 4 minutes then a calm descends. Love the synths here. It kicks back in to end it. "Comatose" is laid back with a Post- Rock vibe. It turns fuller 2 1/2 minutes in with the guitar outfront soloing tastefully. It then calms right down before 4 minutes with piano to end it.

"Revelations" features a nice heavy drum led section early on. The bass joins in and now I know why he's smiling. This guy can dig deep man. Amazing sound here. It kicks in after a minute. A calm before 2 1/2 minutes then it builds quickly to a heavy sound. The organ comes in late with some nasty runs. "New Eyes" is so uplifting as they just let it fly in a repetitive manner. "Reflections" starts with relaxed guitar as liquid keys join in. Drums arrive and it all kicks in after 2 minutes. A calm 4 minutes in with some drum outbursts then it turns heavy. It's almost dreamy before 6 1/2 minutes. A calm with nature sounds ends it and we can hear someone walking and taking it all in.

Just a fantastic recording that pushes all the right buttons for me.

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Kettlespider are a 5 piece prog metal group hailing from Melbourne, Australia. Their debut album "Avadante" shows clear signs that the band will be enjoying worldwide success in no time at all as it captures beautifully the 70s prog vibe while remaining true to the sound of prog metal legends Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment and Opeth. The band focus primarily on the music as the album is predominantly instrumental, and the music moves seamlessly from upbeat melodic metal riffs, such as on the title track, to ambient tranquillity, such as the dreamscape beauty heard on 'Comatose'. The diversity in musical styles is a drawcard as is the virtuosic musicianship from Colin Andrews, bass guitar, Scott Ashburn, guitars, Haris Boyd-Gerny, guitars, Geoffrey Fyfe, keyboards, and Simon Wood, drums and percussion.

The album has a conceptual framework right down to the album cover artwork by Breana Johnston, a gorgeous illustration of a man lying on his death bed in a darkened hospital, with a devil standing in the shadows behind him, and an angel behind the window, who is punching a hole into the real world to awaken the sleeper and take him by the hand into eternal rest. The liner artwork opens up to reveal a sumptuous landscape of trees and purple mountains silhouetted with an azure starry sky. The enigmatic symbols of hot air balloons may represent floating into new horizons, and the elephant curled up under a tree may have some religious significance. The back cover is the moon rising above the horizons as darkness closes in. These images conjure up ideas of spiritual realms and the struggle against good and evil, which may be highlighted in the music that has shades of light and darkness, from peaceful passages of keyboards to outbursts of guitar metal rage.

It begins after an introduction, that sounds like someone left a recorder in a hospital corridor, with a beautiful guitar sound that is crisp and clean, locking into riffing elegance that drives it headlong. 'Discovery' is a great way to launch the album and the musicianship is high quality. The bright uplifting sound is refreshing and sanguine continuing into the melodies of 'Avadante', with more soaring lead work.

The heavier sounds calm down considerably on the haunting 'Comatose' that has a dreamy texture like drifting into deep sleep as the title suggests. At this stage the music begins to make sense for me as a conceptual framework for someone who has experienced a dramatic event and is in a coma in hospital. When the patient awakes he is able to see through new eyes, as if a new perspective has presented itself upon the awakened protagonist.

'Revelations' powers out with tribal drum rhythms and sustained synthesizer notes. The heavy distortion returns like a machine switched back on and the music sounds darker. There are passages of dark and light with intense angular guitar flourishes and softer keyboard ambience as if the patient is experiencing anxiety in his newly awakened state. The shimmering Hammond sound is glorious, reviving the golden sounds of the 70s, and ends this piece on an epic note.

'New Eyes' is a short sharp shock of prog guitar riffs and heavier layered keys, leading to the conclusion 'Reflections', clocking 8.46. This begins with a hypnotic clean guitar picking motif, spacey cosmic chimes, and soft guitar embellishments. A heavier riff locks in, ascending and descending, and then is joined by very accomplished lead guitar. The music breaks into a gentler passage with some chilling atmospherics, and a sporadic percussion explosion inflicting chaos over the structured chords. There are some odd time sig changes drawing it to a conclusion, and finally it ends with bird calls and nature's voice signifying the beginning of a new life. Perhaps the outtake of breath is breathing new life into the lungs of the protagonist who has escaped certain death.

Overall Kettlespider's new album is a wonderful excursion into some virtuosic instrumental musicianship with a relentless rhythmic pace, pentatonic scales, mystical atmospheres and blazing lead attacks. It would have been nice to hear some vocals to tell the story, but musically it is headphone bliss. The music is relaxing without too much aggressive distortion, yet there is enough guitar here to enjoy for those who enjoy the sounds of prog metal. "Avadante" is a high quality musical journey and hopefully will catapult Kettlespider into deserved worldwide recognition.

Review by Conor Fynes
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars 'Avadante' - Kettlespider (8/10)

On a surface level, Kettlespider plays a sort of music that's all-too familiar to my ears. It's a style of progressive rock that flirts with metal without being metal. It dabbles in post-rock without losing its sense of concise songwriting. I could throw out meaningless pseudo- labels to help describe the band's sound, but emotional descriptions may do it a better justice. For a concept album about a man in terminal comatose, "Avadante" manages to create a remarkable atmosphere of life-affirmation and hope. It's proof that you don't need a singer to make emotionally stirring music, really. Suffice to say, Kettlespider leaves an excellent impression from the first listen onwards; it's accessible and effortless to get into, but the atmosphere and musicianship makes for a rewarding experience many times over.

Although Dream Theater at their most symphonic often comes to mind, the best parallel I could draw for Kettlespider would be Mogwai- specifically their recent material. Although Kettlespider is much closer to the typical 'prog rock' sound palette than something out of the post-rock handbook, there's the sense that this is intrinsically atmosphere-based music, filtered through a relatively accessible set of song structures. The rock-edge in their sound is certainly there, but "Avadante" feels most defined by Kettlespider's ability to create an epic mood in half the time one might expect. Especially given the album's relatively brief half hour span, Kettlespider takes the listener on a fairly diverse adventure. "Discovery" is a wonderful, soaring prog metal tune that sets up the sincerely optimistic tone of the album. Taking things in a less energetic direction is the appropriately titled "Comatose". Although the album's protagonist is essentially facing his physical death, there is no sense of anger or tension here- moreso a nostalgic calm and the kind of 'romantic peace' I usually associate with Explosions in the Sky's music. "Revelations" later takes the album to its heaviest and darkest- not particularly extreme in either regard, but well-indicative of the emotional dynamism Kettlespider brings forth in their music.

The compositions are memorable, perhaps most for the melodies that drive them. "Avadante" is certainly accessible, but not necessarily catchy- I do not imagine to see a pre- teen humming along to these tunes (and if I did, I would be inclined to compliment them). It's more of a sonic accessibility really, the sort of beauty you would often find in effective film score music. Kettlespider's heaviest tracks ironically are the ones to bring the most emotionally stirring melodies.

"Avadante" enjoys a stellar sense of production. While some of their heavier instrumentation feels a bit dry as a result of the studio sheen, there is no loss of atmosphere. Kettlespider do not explicitly attempt to wow audiences with their musical skills. Particularly in regards to the effective keyboard work and cinematic drumwork, the musicianship is beautifully woven into the songwriting. At only half an hour, I am certainly left wanting more from Kettlespider. Some of their more mellowed stuff lacks the emotional 'punch' of their heavy material, but "Avadante" comes across as a remarkably consistent and solid album, especially considering that this is their debut. I hope to hear more from these guys in the future!

Latest members reviews

4 stars The distance from Australia makes that sometimes we don't get much of what it's been happening there musically. The progressive rock field is not an exception although it's seems to be changing thank's to the internet. One of the things that has arrived to Europe from kangaroo land is this ta ... (read more)

Report this review (#839666) | Posted by jordicostaro | Wednesday, October 17, 2012 | Review Permanlink

3 stars Ah Australia, the land of wide open spaces and sandy beaches, where General Motors sell strange cars called Holdens and innocent looking little spiders can drop you with one bite. But to dispense with the cliches for a moment there also seems to be a burgeoning prog movement in the antipodean ... (read more)

Report this review (#833838) | Posted by menawati | Saturday, October 6, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars The debut album from Kettlespider simply needs to be heard by every serious prog fan. One will experience a journey of light and crushing darkness with seamless transitions. This album, whilst short in length. says everything that needs to be said from a debut release. Dazzling but controlled mu ... (read more)

Report this review (#812339) | Posted by HarryLikesProg | Wednesday, August 29, 2012 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Hailing from the land down under in Melbourne, Australia, comes Heavy Prog/Prog Metal band Kettlespider. Kettlespider was formed in 2011, and released their instrumental debut, Avadante, in 2012. This album adds a light touch to the Progressive Metal riffs, giving it an almost Neo Prog feel, and ... (read more)

Report this review (#802172) | Posted by dtguitarfan | Wednesday, August 8, 2012 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Burke and Hare's Backyard I heartily loathe what I call parochial aesthetics i.e. proximity to the source as a measure of artistic worth. Where does this skew-whiff madness end? Citizens of London are expected to bask in the reflected glory of their adopted sons William Blake, Bobby Moore, Chri ... (read more)

Report this review (#778785) | Posted by ExittheLemming | Thursday, June 28, 2012 | Review Permanlink

5 stars So apparently Facebook's "targeted ad" campaign actually works.. This band was brought to me by advertising. And I am thanking them as we speak (via one-way text). This band is exactly what my taste dictates. It's instrumental, progressive, heavy at times, and just oozes atmosphere. Some of the ... (read more)

Report this review (#775312) | Posted by simonwood44 | Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | Review Permanlink

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