TETRAFUSION

The intense piano and guitar-driven track "Gravity" is in my opinion one of the best songs on the album. Fast-paced trade-offs between guitar and piano solos with funky and jazzy passages and varied mood progression. So many styles are filled into a near five minute song. With the perfect ending I daresay it's a perfect instrumental.

Other notable mentions are "Inertia" and "Momentum" as I stated above. Some of the riffs seem to have been taken out of the DREAM THEATER book ("Sacrificed Sons" is very similar to "Momentum"), however that's not to say it's bad; they fit the song structures nicely and are impressive.

For a purely instrumental album, I'm thoroughly impressed. To write material that solely focuses on instrumentation requires the level of musicianship and composition to be exceptional; otherwise the music would be mundane and stale after a few listens without vocals to complement the mix. This is an excellent album and I highly recommend this to fans of experimental/progressive metal.

A year later, Tetrafusion returned with a follow-up, and this time, they came with something a bit more interesting ? a vocalist. Altered State was a definite improvement, the vocals got rid of many of the boring and long-winded passages on the debut, but the band found that many had already boxed them into "uninteresting instrumental prog metal". No matter how many albums they put out, that was where they would sit, and it sure would be hard to create a new, interesting sound, if everyone was judging for your early albums.

Horizons is honestly the perfect restart. The EP was released on bandcamp for free download in early 2012, and I, like many who downloaded it, assumed it was a debut. Neither of the full-lengths are mentioned on the bandcamp page, and it wasn't until much later that I realised this wasn't their first. Tetrafusion managed to leap onto the upcoming trend, jumping in with fellow prog metal bands like Aetherfallen, Lithium Dawn and Noctis, who all released stunning debuts for free.

But as much as Tetrafusion nailed this release from a marketing perspective, we all know that it wouldn't have worked without a significant improvement in the music. And boy, it really has. Musically, Tetrafusion have struck the middle ground of progressive rock and metal, a combination guaranteed to get me excited, but this release strikes this riff and atmosphere-based progressive metal of Porcupine Tree and Riverside as opposed to the virtuosic and wank-driven material of the classic prog metal bands, a sound which has become increasingly dry as the years take their toll.

The EP is long, nearly an album length at 31 minutes, but the EP title helps, to make the listener realise the transitional nature of this release. It's a continuous concept release, and although I have no desire to know the exact story of the EP, it brings a very 'new frontier' sort of sci-fi vibe. The continuous music also helps to keep the music interesting, although I still wish some of the wankier sections were kept a bit shorter, the vocal melodies and memorable riffs throughout counter them well enough to be forgiven.

The riffs here definitely sound like they're straight from an album like In Absentia, but the slightly more virtuosic side (which I am admittedly not a fan of) draws toward Riverside and Dream Theater, although without the organs of the former or the massive solos of the latter. A lot of this EP, in terms of atmospheres and vocals, reminds me a bit of the first Disperse record, Journey Through the Hidden Gardens, with its spiraling guitar lines and layered vocals, especially moments like the start of "Spider Silk". And like that Disperse record, the vocals are definitely the binding here, keeping the music cohesive, with some great and memorable lines throughout, like the choruses on "Impetus" and "Cloudless", which both have a fantastic catchiness to them that keeps you listening.

I have to give a moment to commend the bass and drums on this EP. Although I'm not a big fan of the djenty bass tone used on the intro of "Cloudless" or the kick drum here, the majority of the basslines are fantastically interesting, and completely audible, and the snare drum is absolutely glorious, reminding me back to that awesome snare on Dream Theater's Images and Words album, but with a bit of a stickier and punchier feel.

I have to admit, there are a few parts that don't click with me at all on this EP. My dislike of the messy and wank-driven guitar lines that many prog metal bands use means that moments of this record have me cringing a bit, and "No One Sleeps" borders on bad, reminding me of the horrible and embarrassing second album from Disperse, Living Mirrors, but there are enough good lines in here to excuse the excessive vocoder/autotune and djent tone, and the dual finale of "Look Away" is easily enough to ignore it.

I await the follow-up to Horizons impatiently. With this release, Tetrafusion have gained a whole new fanbase, and with it, spread this new and more interesting sound to the world. A fantastic release, easily their best to date, and easily one of the best EP releases of 2012.

7.8

Originally written for my Facebook page/blog: www.facebook.com/neoprogisbestprog

There are a variety of different styles present on this album. The obvious first choice is progressive metal, as the majority of the album's sound is obtained through heavy guitar riffs. There is also a slight jazz fusion feel especially in the bass and in the use of keys, like in the song 'Gravity.' In some other parts they just have a simple progressive rock feel.

As far as the individual songs go it is hard to explain them on a track to track basis because they flow so well. I prefer to think of the whole album as one 57-minute epic.

Overall, Absolute Zero by Tetrafusion is nothing you haven't probably already heard, but it is played so well there are no dull moments at all. I wish there was an easier way to go about discovering this kind of stuff because it's so buried and unknown.

9/10

When an established and successful instrumental act decides to add vocals into the mix, there are usually two possible options: a great new sound or a painful identity crisis. More often than not, the latter is the ultimate outcome. Fortunately, Louisiana-based prog metal act Tetrafusion has successfully made this transition without ever sacrificing the complexity and technicality that made them recognized in the first place. Altered State is an excellent slab of music that doesn't suffer from any of the genre clich's, but instead pushes the boundaries of what can be considered progressive metal. This album isn't perfect, but it has more than enough worthwhile material to deserve a purchase from any prog metal fan. If you're sick of Dream Theater wannabes and Opeth look-alikes, Tetrafusion is the band for you!

The music on Altered State is pretty difficult. Although their general tag is prog metal, that would be completely ignoring their copious influences from jazz rock, djent, and post rock/metal. Tetrafusion is an eclectic and one-of-a-kind act, and it's precisely this unique identity that makes Altered State such a joy for me to listen to. Imagine that Dream Theater got together with Radiohead and Muse to have a jam session with Between the Buried and Me and Meshuggah, and you've almost got an accurate description of Tetrafusion. Compositionally speaking, the album isn't perfect, but the band's adventurous attitude and breathtaking technical capabilities assure me that more strong compositions will only come in time. Even so, despite a few dull moments, the vast majority of Altered State is an excellent album. Songs like 'Collage of the Present', the slightly twisted 'Monologue', 'The Deserter' with its excellent organ solo, and the atmospheric 'Shadows' are some highlights, and the rest of the album is good as well. Aside from their unique sound, another major asset to Tetrafusion's music is the excellent musicianship. J.C. Bryant's drumming always stood out to me, though the other musicians are equally superb. Overall this is a very professional-sounding act that can handle incredibly difficult passages with ease.

The production is another great thing about Altered State. The clean, crisp, and modern sound is simply unbeatable.

Conclusion:

Although Altered State has a few kinks to smooth out in the songwriting department, there's more than enough excellent material here to keep me coming back for more and more. I have a great appreciation for young acts who have an adventurous attitude, and that is exactly what Tetrafusion has shown here. Fans of prog metal that want something that's not just a re-hash of something they've already heard will undoubtedly enjoy Altered State. I'm going to go with shiny 4 stars here. This excellent American band isn't one you want to miss out on!

With accent on mood, atmosphere and technical musicianship, this album wouldn't destroy your ears with tons of heavy stereotype noise. Even being real metal band, sound is elegant and acoustic. You will hear instruments, breaks, melodies, not overpower.

Musically strongly connected with acts as Derek Sherinian, LTE or some guitar-heroes as Joe Satriani, band 's music isn't stepped too far on post-metal territory. All-instrumental album, having some fresh sounds and musical constructions, in fact is modern version of progressive metal more than post-metal band. You will listen this collection of great compositions without being bored.

It's interesting, than the band announced they are recording new album with vocalist this time! Could be really interesting work. I would like to recommend this album for all fans of instrumental prog metal as one of the most interesting debuts and one of great new band's album, released in 2009.

The album is based on the concept of the universe starting with the "Big Bang" and finishing with the universe's demise, without a single word being uttered. The thing I love about this album is that it feels like an epic music journey from start to finish. Every song just flows.

For instance, the song "Dark Matter" begins with a cello and a piano playing together, and at 1:28 the cello disappears and a perfect transition to guitar begins without skipping a beat. Another great song on this album, and my personal favorite, is "The End." It's a 15-minute epic, and even if this were the only song on the album, it would still be worth $10.00.

There's only one problem with the whole album, and it's that at some points in the album the distorted guitar lacks tone; it's not that noticeable, and it rarely happens, but that's the only thing stopping this album from being a 10.

Despite the lack of any singing in Absolute Zero, Tetrafusion still does a great job telling a story. In the song "The End" the band has no problem expressing the feeling of inevitable doom and chaos. Even without lyrics, this song has epic written all over it. The thing that stands out on Absolute Zero is the amazing layering and transitions. I listen to a lot of music, but never have I heard a 15-minute instrumental song that kept my interest the entire time. Absolute Zero is definitely a modern masterpiece. Without a doubt, this is one of the top ten best albums of 2009.

If you don't get hooked within the first song, this album isn't for you. Absolute Zero is a definite buy for people who are into bands like: Dream Theater, Genesis, Between the Buried and Me, Yes, and King Crimson, or progressive rock in general.

Although Tetrafusion is amazingly talented, they have yet to have any real commercial success. That's the sad thing about music, the best bands are always in the shadows of bands like My Chemical Romance or The Jonas Brothers, so I ask that everyone help support Tetrafusion and buy Absolute Zero ? you won't be disappointed