RushFan4's New CD Thread 13- Seven Impale |
Post Reply |
Author | ||
rushfan4
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Status: Offline Points: 65937 |
Topic: RushFan4's New CD Thread 13- Seven Impale Posted: December 05 2014 at 16:40 |
|
Time for thread number lucky 13 of my meager attempt to divert Forum attention
away from the usual suspects of Genesis, Yes, Porcupine Tree and the
like. This one has free listening available so hopefully it will gain
some traction. This time I would like to share the newer, lesser known
prog music band Seven Impale with the PA community.
Here is a link to the album's PA page. http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=45981 Seven Impale is an eclectic prog band from Norway. They are a six-member band that mix jazz and rock with Meshuggah and Tool and should appeal to a wide variety of prog fans. Those that like saxophone added to their rock music should be especially excited by this release. They released their debut album City Of The Sun in 2014. The album can be streamed for free on Spotify, and if I did this right, here is the link. Seven Impale There are currently 2 reviews and another 60 ratings without reviews, so some of you have heard this album, and will hopefully participate in this thread to discuss your likes and dislikes regarding this album. If you haven't heard this album please click on the above Spotify link and give it a shot that stop by and let us know what you think. I look forward to what I hope will be an interesting discussion. In case you are interested, and missed the previous 12 installments of the new CD discussion thread, please check them out here at these links as I am more that happy to go back to these threads and further discuss them with anyone who is interested. Pretty sure that many of them or locked from inactivity, but I am sure that our friendly neighborhood admins would be happy to unlock them for anyone who wishes to discuss an album further. Astra - The Weirding- http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=59071&PN=1 The Wishing Tree - Ostara - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=59948 Eureka - Shackleton's Voyage - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60977&PID=3398325#3398325 Lobster Newberg - Actress http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=61661&PN=1 Knifeworld - Buried Alone: Tales of Crushing Defeat - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=62529&PID=3457937#3457937 Brother Ape - Turbulence http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63402&PID=3504510#3504510 Black Bonzo - Guillotine Drama http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=64197&PN=1 Shadow Circus - Whispers and Screams http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=64762 Roswell Six - Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65438 From.Uz - Seventh Story http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=66257 Monarch Trail - Skye http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=99553&PID=5048285#5048285 Algabas - Angels and Demons http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=100124&PID=5068682 I
should note that for those who frown about these things, I am not a
representative of any of these bands. I do not get paid to endorse
them. The Seven Impale album came to my attention through a discussion in the forums and I enjoyed what I heard. Obviously, I can't guarantee that anyone
else will like these albums since it is all a matter of taste, but I
have a feeling that there are some of you out there who will. I
should also mention that although I am a Collaborator here at PA, this
thread and recommendation is made entirely independently of my duties
as a PA collaborator. To maybe make it easier, here are the songs from You Tube for you to check out. Edited by rushfan4 - December 08 2014 at 05:31 |
||
|
||
Raff
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 29 2005 Location: None Status: Offline Points: 24391 |
Posted: December 05 2014 at 16:44 | |
One of my albums of the year so far, with the right balance of energy, eclecticism and originality, accompanied by brilliant musicianship and a touch of wacky humour. It is a pity I don't have a lot of time left for reviewing, as I'd really love to write about these guys. Hope they get invited to some prog fest in the US in the future!
|
||
LearsFool
Prog Reviewer Joined: November 09 2014 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 8618 |
Posted: December 05 2014 at 16:45 | |
Ah yes, wonderful album. One of my top three for the year. Beautiful.
"God Left Us For A Black Dressed Woman" has to be tied for track of the year with the title track to Necromonkey's A Glimpse of Possible Endings.
|
||
Polymorphia
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 06 2012 Location: here Status: Offline Points: 8856 |
Posted: December 05 2014 at 17:30 | |
Listened to some of it and I like a lot of it. Unfortunately the vocals are a bit ineffectual to me, but I like them better than a lot of vocals I've heard on prog albums this year.
|
||
Kazza3
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 29 2009 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 557 |
Posted: December 05 2014 at 23:04 | |
Good album, probably my favourite album in a classic prog style this year aside from IQ. Doesn't quite break through to great, but very enjoyable.
|
||
rushfan4
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Status: Offline Points: 65937 |
Posted: December 07 2014 at 17:22 | |
Edited by rushfan4 - December 07 2014 at 17:24 |
||
|
||
The Bearded Bard
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: January 24 2012 Location: Behind the Sun Status: Offline Points: 12859 |
Posted: December 07 2014 at 18:00 | |
Listened to the first two videos (the next two doesn't work, at least not anymore, and the last one's the same as the first one), and I liked what I heard. This goes on my wish list, just in time for Christmas.
Thanks, Scott. Edited by The Bearded Bard - December 07 2014 at 18:02 |
||
|
||
rushfan4
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Status: Offline Points: 65937 |
Posted: December 08 2014 at 05:33 | |
Thanks. I fixed the first video to put the first song in. Not sure how I did that. The middle two songs work for me, so I'm not certain why they didn't work for you. Can anybody else access them?
|
||
|
||
Guldbamsen
Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23098 |
Posted: December 08 2014 at 05:44 | |
Between this thread and Drew's review (BrufordFreak), there's enough for me to go order the album. I don't want to listen to too much of the music before it lands on my doorstep though. Always nice with a little surprise.
|
||
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams |
||
Guldbamsen
Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23098 |
Posted: December 08 2014 at 05:48 | |
I would've thought you knew about them Audun - they are after all from your backyard. Then again seems like Norway is on form of Prog epo at the moment, so maybe it isn't that far fetched that the occasional new artist slips under your radar. Could you please send some of that epo to Denmark btw? Edited by Guldbamsen - December 08 2014 at 05:49 |
||
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams |
||
Guldbamsen
Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23098 |
Posted: December 08 2014 at 05:51 | |
I can, but I haven't listened in full |
||
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams |
||
rushfan4
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Status: Offline Points: 65937 |
Posted: December 08 2014 at 12:27 | |
Thanks for checking David. And since you mentioned BrufordFreak's review, I have reproduced it here for others reading pleasure. I hope that he doesn't mind.
An impressive album of refreshingly unique music that crosses many sub genres, including space-psychedelia, symphonic, heavy prog, avant-jazz and experimental/post metal. Wonderful vocals, very tight interplay among all band members with no one member or instrument really standing above any other--though the presence and performance of the saxophone is highly notable. This is complex music played so tightly. And the astonishing 14- minute epic, "God Left Us for A Black Dressed Woman," must be heard to be believed. 1. "Oh My Gravity" (9:49) starts as a jazzy stop-and-start piece that picks up in intensity in the second minute before shifting to a melodic ballad in the vein of the heavier side of FROGG CAFÉ. The male vocalist sounds to me like something between RADIOHEAD's THOM YORKE and TODD RUNDGREN. Around the six minute mark the spiraling, swooning music sounds a lot like some of the louder stuff from MOTORPSYCHO's The Death Defying Unicorn. This feel continues into the seventh minute when organ and horns take turns embellishing the staccato music. The bare-bones, bluesy final 45 seconds is bizarre but so cool! A powerful and surprising opener to this unusual album. Very high marks for compositional prowess and instrumental performance. (9/10) 2. "Wind Shears" (6:32) opens in a very psychedelia/spacey 1960s way. Then at the one minute mark it settles into a jazz groove with first sax and then jazzy guitar and Hammond organ filling the lanes over the rhythm section. Clavinet is added for a GentleGiant-like bridge before a polyrhythmic KING CRIMSON "Discipline"-like weave appears to support a brief ghost-like vocal. At 3:20 the sound gets much heavier over the same arpeggiated weave, nearly drowning out the still-soloing sax and organ. This is just like TOBY DRIVER (Kayo Dot/Maudlin of the Well)! At 4:05 things get quiet and sparse again, with the music vacillating from soft and delicate to heavy and abrasive. A very melodic kind of psychedelic big band section plays out for the final minute. Again, bizarre but so cool! (9/10) 3. "Eschaton Hero" (8:29) opens with some guitar, keys & sax riffs repeated over latin percussion. At 1:00 everything settles down into another quiet section with a delicate vocal in Stian Řkland's upper register. Beautiful chorus/bridge at 1:47 gives way to an unpretentious bass solo before settling back into the delicate vocal music. Same awesome bridge at 2:49 leads into a heavy section into jazzy chaos--all performed over the most simple, calm drum play. At 4:52 it gets even heavier as it plods along for a minute in support of a fuzz guitar solo. Finally the drums start to play--to match the frenzy of the rest of the band--then everything stops so the band can yell "Yay!" Then a variation on the previous frenzy picks back up until 7:05 when everything settles back down into the soft groove of the initial vocal section for a dirty sax solo before letting Stian finish the song out in his high voice. Well conceived and performed, just not my favorite. (7/10) 4. "Extraction" (6:34) begins with another odd intro of two or three parts before settling into the vocal support section--which begins heavily before falling into another RADIOHEAD-like bluesy section. At 2:20 a neat Hammond section leads back into the heavy full band section that opened the vocals, then, again, drops off for the beautiful support of a multi-voice- supported section. At 3:45 a very smooth, stripped down electric guitar solos, until there is a full return to explosiveness at 4:20. A bouncy "O Yo Como Va"-like Hammond section at 4:40 gives way to a kind of Latin weave before falling back into the heavier rock weave from the first vocal section to end. (8/10) 5. "God Left Us for A Black Dressed Woman" (14:12) opens with another KC "Discipline"-like weave that morphs and flows, polymorphs and grooves for two and a half minutes before decaying into a simplified form for a bluesy ROBERT PLANT-like vocal section. This song's amazing vocal performance could also be compared to some of the finest MATTHEW PARMENTER/DISCIPLINE works. Some incredibly powerful sections in this song--especially the multi-voice vocals in the eleventh minute and the following heavy full-band part. A very DISCIPLINE-like soft section then ensues with a slow build to an awesome crescendo and frizzed finish. The song evolves, shifts, twists and turns and surprises throughout. Again there are several parts that remind me of MOTORPSYCHO's Unicorn. Without question this is one of the best prog "epics" of the year! (10/10) Aside from the above references to Motorpsycho, King Crimson, Radiohead, Toby Driver, Matthew Parmenter/Discipline, the overall impression this album leaves me with is similar to that of DIAGONAL's eponymously titled debut album from 2008. SEVEN IMPALE's City of the Sun is a wonderful collection of masterfully composed, executed and recorded songs. A 4.5 star album that I can't see giving anything less than five in that it is a treasure for the
ages! http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1266621 |
||
|
||
The Bearded Bard
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: January 24 2012 Location: Behind the Sun Status: Offline Points: 12859 |
Posted: December 16 2014 at 18:02 | |
And when I started noticing the praise it got, it took me some time to be convinced to check it out, as the cover made me think it was a neo-prog band, disguised as something else, although The Windmill, with their "The Continuation" album from last year, showed that doesn't necessarily need to be bad. Same as you though, I haven't listened to more than snippets, prefering not to hear too much of it before I put it in my CD player, so who knows, perhaps it is a neo-prog band in disguise?
Btw, Scott, only the last video works for me now. Hopefully it's just on my end. Edited by The Bearded Bard - December 17 2014 at 04:54 |
||
|
||
Tapfret
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: August 12 2007 Location: Bryant, Wa Status: Offline Points: 8571 |
Posted: December 17 2014 at 11:30 | |
Really dig this album. Trying to decide if it will beat Pale Communion on my colab album of the year vote. Not sure yet.
|
||
Padraic
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 16 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 31165 |
Posted: December 17 2014 at 11:42 | |
Love this album. Incredibly strong debut, looking forward to hearing what else these guys can do in years to come.
|
||
rushfan4
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 22 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S. Status: Offline Points: 65937 |
Posted: December 26 2014 at 23:16 | |
Another good recommendation that fails to get past the first page. Oh well, I am glad that a few people gave it a listen and that there are others out there who enjoy it. I really love the heavy sound of this album with the added addition of the horns. It may not necessarily be a unique sound but it is certainly a path less travelled within the prog metal scene, which is probably why it is classified as Eclectic.
|
||
|
||
Sagichim
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: November 29 2006 Location: Israel Status: Offline Points: 6632 |
Posted: December 27 2014 at 02:42 | |
It's only a recent discovery of mine, what an awesome album! Will definitely end up in my top 5.
|
||
barney63
Forum Groupie Joined: March 31 2006 Status: Offline Points: 82 |
Posted: April 28 2015 at 15:00 | |
I'll resurrect this thread by saying this is a really fantastic album and well worth a listen to the curious listener who likes metal and jazz and classic mellotron-drenched prog, with some lovely playing, great analogue sounds, smoky sax and crushing riffs. Bears multi-repeated listening and reveals more wild and sensitive flourishes each time. It's not quite like anything else I've heard which is contemporaneous but wouldn't look out of place at a party alongside 'new' Opeth, Kaukusus, and Anekdoten and the jazzier bits of Steven Wilson's Grace and Raven releases laced with a hint of The Birthday Party and even Meshuggah but without the latter's (for me) tiring monotony. Marvellous.
|
||
Post Reply | |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |