RELOCATOR

This is the debut album from one extremelly talented band from the good old Germany-RELOCATOR!It was a huge surprise for me to discover such mature song writting and musicianship for a band that I've never heared about it!!Definitelly,a great musical discovery and something to dig deep in time!What I really like to this band is the fact that the accent is not put on the technical skills,which are already impressive,but it's on the composition and atmosphere!If we try to find a conection between RELOCATOR with LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT or PLANET X-that's useless,because the 2 American bands are more focused on the technical sparks and wizardries than on the composition!!RELOCATOR managed to get in work the keyboard wizard DEREK SHERINIAN himself to put his genius print on this wonderful album,ant that's a brilliant achievement !!The use of the violin is another excellent thing,and that makes the album even more spectacular,complete and complex!The timing of the tracks is quite long,2 of them are more then 10 minute and only one is a little longer then 5 minutes,so that's plenty of time to express generous musical ideas in long compositions,with an unique atmosphere and flavour!!There are many igreat ideas in RELOCATOR's music,the listener is invited to a wonderful musical journey,and even being instrumental,the album offers great audio landscapes and images to it's listeners!Wonderful booklet presentation too,with superbe photos!Excellent production aswell and nice sound for this marvelous music,an album of more than 1 hour playing time,but with no weak track or weak moments-that's trully rare!Congratulations for an outstanding album and the promise for more great music in the future,that's for sure-4.5 stars for me!

It takes quite a bit of talent and energy to win me over to an instrumental album. This is not because I'm close-minded or that I can't appreciate pure instrumentation. It's because most instrumental bands lack purpose, personality, and an interesting angle on music. I'm pleased to say, however, that Relocator's debut album "Relocator" (re-released by Generation Prog Records in 2013) is definitely not your normal instrumental album.

The reason for this is that the band has real personality. It comes through in their vibe, in their resistance to showboating, and in their focus on great layering. Right off the bat, "Red Vibes" gives us a hint about this with its pleasing keys, awesome bass, and its somehow "rockin" violin. You see, the band has a winning combination. The album features a real diversity of sound layers. Deep, dynamic bass combines with a folksy violin, unique and catchy keys, appropriately proficient drumming, and incredible guitar work. All of the instruments have various tones, from heavy and technical to light and melodic.

Yes, it's a real winner of a combination. It puts the band's funky personality on display rather well. Instead of boring, pretentious shows of skill, we get REAL songwriting that is executed with skill. Instead of a race to see how many beats per second can be accomplished, Relocator focuses more on the experience and a structure that works.

I'd say that their is definitely a 90's vibe to the music. There definitely is a Liquid Tension Experiment influence here, but all of this is okay with me. I'm a sucker for 90's-style keys (Frost*, anyone?), and I believe Relocator pulls it off with style and absolutely no cheese.

So, from the funk of "Red Vibes" and "Biosphere" to the slightly darker "Aavishkar" to the folksy "The Alchemist", Relocator has crafted a debut album full of twists and turns, personality and diversity, skill and funk. It's quite a trip, and it should definitely be on your list whether you prefer instrumental prog or not.

Relocator's self titled debut brims over with energy and innovation with 8 instrumental tracks showcasing the vibrant musicianship. Stefan Artwin moves from jazz fusion to metal vibes on guitars, and is joined by the rhythm section of bassist Michael Pruchnicki and drummer Frank Tinge. The jazz section is augmented with electric violinist Bartek Strycharski and keyboardist Derek Sherinian as a special guest, hailing from early Dream Theater and Planet X.

Each track provides layers of inventive instrumental segments veering from heavy riffs to ambient beauty. There are sections that could have used vocals quite easily as the riffs lock in and motor along. It is difficult to differentiate one track from another on instrumental albums but the first 3 songs are excellent, and I got into the lengthy tracks 'Aavishkar' (10:32), and 'The Alchemist' (11:32). The latter track has a mesmirising bass intro and jazzy guitar rhythm, and the keys provide a progressive signature. It builds into a heavy prog riff, and some Steve Vai style lead motifs. The keyboard soloing is exquisite and the lead break is frenetic and fast paced.

A word about the packaging of the CD. Each page is like a framed photo of some abstract and colourful fractal imagery. There is a photo of an open palm, a maze of squares, a spiral and a tunnel; all enigmatic and thought provoking. This was an album I also played on a long road trip and it certainly was uplifting and a pleasant musical journey. The meandering musical shapes, mood swings and tempo shifts were echoed by the long winding and twisting roads. I tend to prefer prog with vocals but this is still great to plunge into on occasions, and is a solid debut from Relocator.

I'll begin this review with a disclaimer: the kind of prog-metal fusion which Relocator plays is not a genre that I am in general extremely fond of. It often seems to me that the music can fall into a kind of comfortable homogeneity that is pleasant to listen to but not supremely memorable. However, while this self-titled release from Relocator does occasionally run into that problem, there are some very strong moments (both of the long tracks on the album are stellar) as well as some unexpected surprises, including the occasional inclusion of a violin. Of course, all the playing on the album is impeccable (Derek Sherinian guests on the album, and all of the other musicians are more than capable of keeping up), and I suspect that more die-hard fans of this kind of instrumental progressive metal will get even more from the album than I did.

"Red Vibes" starts the album off on a heavy note, with driving guitars and a variety of synths to create a kind of metal-tinged fusion sound. The mood quickly shifts however, and develops into a far more sedate sound, with some truly excellent bass work and more great ambiences courtesy of the synths. The track gets really interesting, however, with the introduction of a violin part, which gives the music a truly unique vibe that isn't heard too much in instrumental progressive metal. As a result, "Red Vibes" is far from standard prog- metal, carrying within it shades of symphonic prog and of course some touches of fusion. Rest assured, though, it's a rocker throughout, and a killer opener for the album.

"Biosphere" begins with some old-school synth sounds creating a very sci-fi atmosphere before the guitar is once again introduced, laying down some extremely heavy and precise riffing which is used just sparingly enough to give the track some extra bite without coming off as intrusive. The ease with which synth and guitar play off one another is very impressive, with melodies and solos trading back and forth and blending together with remarkable fluidity. The playing, of course, is impeccable as well-if I have one complaint, it's that the tracks seems just a smidge overlong: there are some truly excellent sections (there's a guitar solo at around the 6 minute mark that's simply amazing) but there's also some repetitive sections that I think I could have done without.

The title track, on the other hand, has no such problem. With a punchy, grooving bass-line and a perfect blend of jazzy tendencies and prog-metal technicality, "Relocator" is everything that heavy fusion should be. Sections are by turns crunchingly heavy and breezily deliberate-regardless, there's never a note out of place and the melodies around which the track is structured are very, very good. The end of the track is especially of note, with wailing guitar solos and increasingly impressive keyboards.

"Proxima" kicks off strongly as well, with complex rhythms from both guitar and synth. The guitar here is heavier than it has been in many places on the album, with quite a bit of harsh distortion; however, the clean synth sounds as well as multiple melodic solos prevent the track from coming off as too oppressively heavy. As with the title track before it, the latter half of the track is where the composition really seems to hit its stride, with near constant ambience from the synths serving as an excellent backdrop to the chugging riffs as well as the exquisite solos.

"Aavishkar" is the longest track on the album up until this point, and it begins quite mysteriously, with some faintly eastern-sounding motifs and a slower build than man of the previous tracks that hit the ground running. The violin makes a welcome return, lending its unique sound to the track, and to be honest I can't help but wish it had been used more. This is a small complaint, though, as "Aavishkar" is in my eyes one of the strongest tracks on the album, with huge amounts of variety between sections that range from standard prog-metal shredding to trance-like, almost folky themes. The slightly eastern vibe is, in my opinion, the track's strongest asset, and really helps to set it apart in a genre where sameness can be a fatal flaw. An excellent guitar solo at around the seven and a half minute mark is a highlight as well, with a perfect blend of emotive playing and perfectionist technicality strongly reminding me of fellow instrumental proggers Fromuz. Some stellar synth playing (though really, can you expect less from Derek Sherinian?) in the final minute helps bring the track to a strong close, and an understated guitar part finishes the track off on a tantalizingly mysterious note.

Unfortunately, the sameness that "Aavishkar" cleverly avoids is present in spades on "13 Reasons." While the performance is flawless as ever, it simply sounds too similar to the tracks that have come before it that it's simply not that memorable. Even the soloing is not enough to raise the song out of mediocrity, as it just comes off as more of the same. To be fair, the song ends on a better note than it started on, with the instrumentalists wailing away on their instruments like there's no tomorrow, but unfortunately it's "too little, too late" and "13 Reasons" ends up sounding, to me at least, rather forgettable.

"Urban Blue" begins as if it will have many of the same problems, with even the chord progressions beginning to sound familiar. Fortunately, it ends up being decidedly better than its predecessor, though I wish the synths were used a bit more sparingly, blasphemous as that might sound. The guitar ends up being the savior of the track, with several inspired riffs and fills that keep the track sounding compelling. A technically blistering solo dominates the middle of the track, and the track concludes with a fiery guitar part that leads into the final synth wash.

"The Alchemist," clocking it at a very respectable 11 and half minutes, starts off as compellingly as the album's other long track did. A bass/guitar duet creates an air of mystery and anticipation, such that when the heavy riffing comes crashing back, it's all the more powerful for it. This newfound intensity never lets up, either: the musicians sound like they're getting all they can from their instruments, but at the same time, the track never feels needlessly indulgent. As on "Aavishkar," the composition and playing seem to be at a peak here, with the perfect blend of feeling and precision. The melodies in the repeated motifs are excellent as well, lending a dramatic, climatic feel to the piece. Some softer sections break up the track as well, and with them comes the best use of the violin yet, with some parts that are genuinely and beautifully heartbreaking. Not to be left out, though, the guitar delivers a blistering performance as well, and the synths as well come through with an intensity that seemed to be lacking on some of the previous tracks. Overall, "The Alchemist" ends up being a killer closer and a solid addition to the annals of instrumental progressive rock.

All told then, this eponymous release is a mixed bag for me which nonetheless leans toward the positive. The highs are exceedingly high and the lows are never worse than "just ok," though the length and to some degree homogeneity of the album leave me with a slight feeling of impatience if I go at it all in one sitting. That said, the good parts of the album are very, very good, and if you simply can't get enough of virtuosic playing and mind-blowing technicality than this release will leave you far from wanting. Recommended for fans of Liquid Tension Experiment and especially Planet X, and perhaps even for fusion fans looking for a little more bite in their music.

3/5

This album was a real surprise for me. I thought I had these guys figured out somewhere in the middle of track one, and that's when the guessing began. I've seen people compare then to Planet X, and the comparison is unavoidable since the keyboardist is Derek Sherinian. The style comparison can be made, but this band defies comparison to any one band or sound. Each track of the CD I found myself saying "what are they going to do next?" The band manages to be very ecclectic and...FUN! Some tracks sounded like classic fusion, some more heavy sounding, and then there is the violinist who appears on some tracks, giving them a Kansas feel. I was incredibly entertained by the whole album, which never gets stale - a difficult task to accomplish for an all instrumental album.

'Relocator' - Relocator (7/10)

Meeting at a crossroads halfway between progressive metal and jazz fusion, it's virtually taken for granted that Relocator would have to be a technically proficient act in order to perform this style. Indeed, this German act has chops that put many even within the prog world to shame. Although this band had been around for several years before this, the self- titled debut is the only official output the band has released, and yet it still gives a very precise measurement of what these musicians are aiming for. Think Dream Theater if they took the advice of Pat Metheny or even Cynic, and you will have an approximation of what this band sounds like. Suffice to say, Relocator's sound may rest in the uncomfortable area that is too heavy for jazzmen and too light for metalheads, but for those unopposed to that midground, Relocator makes for an easy recommendation.

As a listener, I have always been more into metal than jazz, although I have had great respect in turn for jazz, even adoring a handful of jazz artists. Relocator leans somewhat to the jazz side of their sound, but there is a metallic, synth-laden edge to the fusion they play. Early Dream Theater is the go-to comparison here, and it's perhaps not a coincidence that ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian lends his talents here. Although Derek's appearance here may be Relocator's biggest selling point, the most impressive aspect of the sound is the acrobatic guitar work of Stefan Artwin. He provides both metal sweeps and dreamy jazz observations here, and executes both impressively. Frank Tinge's drums are perhaps lean more towards the metal side of things, although there's a nice range. Michael Pruchnicki's bass work on the other hand sticks to jazz, a mellow, but evident and present element to the band. Derek Sherinian and violinist Bartek Strycharski both give the jazz- metal fusion a new dimension. Sherinian sticks to prog metal keyboard proper, but Strycharski's electric violin the moments it's involved in an exotic vibe, as best demonstrated in the mini-epic 'Aavishkar'. The violin is the most surprising element of the band, and it would have been nice to hear a little more from it on 'Relocator', although its absence by no means detracts from the rest of the album.

Although its more a staple of the jazz fusion approach than Relocator themselves, the songwriting on this album is loose, and perhaps too much so for my tastes. Although the music is played with expertise, there is a lack of structure and proper hooks, aspects that I look for even in the most challenging music. Although the way the band plays as one clearly indicates that these compositions were carefully arranged, Relocator's focus on the virtuosic elements of progressive metal and jazz could have been nicely balanced off with more melodic passages to ground the listener down. That being said, the choice Relocator made for their work to be instrumental is all in their favour; their performances are able to run free without having to worry about dealing with a singer. Really, the bottom line here is that Relocator have crafted a fine album that impresses on many levels, but the lack of a distinct sound or signature style keeps this debut from reaching excellence or mastery. The performance art has been refined to a science, but it would be even more impressive still to hear this talented group find a unique blend of fusion to call their own.

This is an album very hard to classify as well as Derek Sherinian who guests on it or even the FromUz, a band originally included in PA as JR/F and now moved to progressive metal.

As many instrumental albums it needs some time and listens to be appreciated. It's what happens with bands like Ozric Tentacles or Niacin. And thinking of Niacin I have to say that "Urban Blue" is not too far from their style. However, initially I was thinking that the sentence "good BUT non essential" was too bad for an album tht's probably "non essential BUT good". The meaning of the sentence changes a bit isn't it?

Back to the album it comes with a very good package. The images in the booklet, amazing pictures and paintings, one for each track, are very nice and would have made a vinyl edition a collector's item.

As I said, Niacin are a good reference for this band. There is skillful playing, a lot of fusion, specially when the metal distortion is replaced by a clean funky guitar. The choice of sounds is perfect. Any solo seems to be "studied". I'm sure that there's a lot of improvisation, but as in the best jazz, it appears like every single note is planned, specially in the keyboard parts.

While drums and guitar (when distorted) sometimes justify the prog-metal classification, bass and keyboards are almost always funky. The result is very good, the only defect as it often happens with fusion is that the album is a bit "cold" and for this reason it takes a while to grow, but with a bit of patience you will enjoy an instrumental album heavy and clean at the same time.

I have really liked the keyboards. The sounds used in each track are probably the best possible, but this is valid for the guitar too.

A very technical ensemble for an impressive debut album. For fans of Niacin, Ozric Tentacles, and of course of Derek Sherinian. An album which grows slightly and requires headphones.

Non essential but good music (with highlights above the average lik ethe title track), but played so impressively that my rating has to be increased.

Right from the start this album just hasn't clicked with me. What is interesting (for me anyway) is that I also haven't been able to get too into PLANET X either which also features Derek Sherinian on keyboards like this album does. Mind you Derek's solo albums which are more in the "Rock" vein with lots of solos suits me just fine thankyou. This is still a very good debut from these young Germans and they should be proud.The electric violin gives it a different vibe too from a lot of the Fusion/metal albums I own.

"Red Vibes" has this good heavy sound with background synths. Pulsating synths before a minute then it settles in with violin before 2 minutes. "Biosphere" has this heaviness that comes and goes.There's a fair amount of keyboards too that don't do a lot for me. It settles after 5 1/2 minutes then the guitar, bass and drums start to lead. This is better. It kicks back in before 7 minutes with synths. "Relocator" has some good chunky bass when the song settles in.The guitar solos tastefully after 3 1/2 minutes as the bass and drums support in a fairly heavy manner. Nice.The tempo then picks back up. "Proxima" has a good heavy sound to it then it kicks in heavier with background synths. It settles before 2 1/2 minutes then builds back up again to a heavy rhythm.

"Aavishkar" is a little darker with some atmosphere.Violin before a minute as it turns heavy with synths. The tempo picks up but it doesn't sound as good. Keyboards 5 1/2 minutes in as it settles. It kicks back in at 8 1/2 minutes but not for long. "13 Reasons" kicks in heavily rather quickly. A barrage of drums 2 minutes in with lots of synths. Intense 5 1/2 minutes in. "Urban Blue" settles after 3 minutes and I like it. It picks up again then settles with synths as the tempo continues to shift. "The Alchemist" is my favourite track. Laid back bass to start as synths join in and gentle guitar. It kicks in at a minute. This is really good. Lots of tempo changes once again and the contrasts between the heavy and calm sections continue as well. An excellent way to end the album.

3.5 stars. If it ever clicks with me i'll bump it up to four stars but definitely not now because it leaves me cold.

Relocator is the name of this jazz-prog-metal project from Germany instigated by guitarist Stefan Artwin and bassist Michale Pruchnicki in the early years of the new millennium. Now, after a long recording process, 2010 has seen the reality of the band's debut album, Relocator being an ensamble of guitar, bass, drums and violin plus a special guest on keyboards named Derek Sherinian. His particular contributions on keyboard orchestrations, moods and solos enhance the already existing influences from Planet X for the band's basic sonic framework; other notable influences come from LTE, CAB and Tribal Tech. even though it is not the most featured instrument, Strycharski's violin input becomes very relevant for the overall sound whenever it appears, stating a tight closeness with Tsuboy's style (from KBB, Pochakaite Malko and others). The first 6 ¼ minutes in the album are occupied by 'Red Vibes', a vigorous exhibition of catchy musicality, not exempted of nuance and mood variations along the way. 'Biosphere' bears a typically Planet X-like swing, which supposedly helps to enhance the jazz tjing in the band's nuclear proposal. The eponymous third track sounds like a mixture of a tribute to CAB and a homage to Tribal Tech: basically, it retakes the catchy mood of track 1 and gives it a slightly heavier approach. On the other hand, the shift on a 5/4 tempo right after minute 2 brings a typically progressive interlude that most certainly spices things up for the track's melodic development. 'Aavishkar' honors its exotic title and displays effective Arabic moods: the fusion elements are now in full swing, with a particularly excited guitarist who delivers influences from Holdsworth, MacAlpine and Satriani in an elegant fashion. '13 Reasons' and 'Urban Blue' retake the central moods already provided by the first three pieces, even reinforcing the prog-metal stamina: some powerful allusions to LTE are thinly veiled in '13 Reasons'. By now, the band's architecture has become a common ground, so it is only convenient that the album should end on a epic note, which is where the closer 'The Alchemist' settles in. starting with a cosmic intro on bass, guitar and synth, soon the main body delivers a semi-slow heavy motif that states an atmosphere of dark solemnity. Little by little, things get more colorful, which boosts guests Sherinian into playing what is arguably his best solo in the album. A few second before the 4 minute mark, the piece enters a passage of warm nuances, a proper circumstance for the violin's evocative entry. Once the prog-metal factor reenters the scene, the track acquires its maximum epic splendor and is not willing to let go of it at all, not even during the eerie coda that fills the piece's last 2 ½ minutes. A very good album this is, and Relocator is a band to pay close attention to in forthcoming releases: even though the roads of jazz-prog-metal ere being well-trodden throughout the world, this band shows enough musical proficiency in its compositional input as to sound refreshing all the way.

Relocator's debut album starts quite uncompromisingly. We're dragged directly into traditional, keyboards dominated Prog Metal. In fact, this music quite reminds me of Derek Sherinian's solo output. Dark, raw sounding (yet perfectly polished and clean sounding that we're discover that this raw sound is just disguise for something better).

In fact, combination of this kind of Prog Metal and more Jazz sounds (still the majority of these 60 minutes are Metal toned) is interesting and won't disappoint. There is also featured dozens of solos (both short and long, both keyboard and guitar-like).

Composition is very consistent, whole album sounds like one big, long song. which certainly help, as it gives you impression of one wild ride through depths, shades and colours of this impression that guys from Relocator conceived.

Impressive start, though sometimes it sounds too monotone. That's not necessarily bad way And there are experimental parts like "strings" parts of The Alchemyst and first seconds of 13 Reasons, used more time during this song. Unique sound that I haven't heard before.

4(+), with one peculiar thing that the more I listen this album, the more I like it.