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Topic ClosedThe Suspended Congress - Metal / Experimental

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Bosh66 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: The Suspended Congress - Metal / Experimental
    Posted: September 21 2011 at 15:52
This is a young band from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Their debut self-titled album is out on Bandcamp for a price (http://thesuspendedcongress2.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled). There are CDs around - I picked one up from a local outlet. Whether it's a CDR I can't tell but anyway ...
This band play a brand of progressive metal that they call Doom Jazz, although what that means I've no idea Confused. Influences are not hard to find, with Tool high up in the mix. They also cite the great Miles Davis as an influence. Syles range from Tool-style riffing, some complex interplay, an almost post-metal sound on "If Dolphins Could Talk" and a punk energy coupled with a more straightforward metal approach elsewhere.
 
Their biography taken from Reverbnation - http://www.reverbnation.com/thesuspendedcongress where tunes can be streamed too.
 
The Suspended Congress are Gavin White (The screaming poet and axe waverer), James... (The Infrasound technician) and Simon McAllister (The polyrhythmic guru). This combination of expertise gives rise to a three-piece band that seriously deals it down with face-melting riffage, intricate sonic passages and groove-ridden beats and bass.

The band was originally formed in Belfast in early 2008 with the following line-up; Gavin White, Garry White and Robin Pitts. But due to personal circumstances the band could not continue to function. Though determined not to stop there 'The Congress' took flight once more with James and Simon taking on the job of rhythm section at the end of 2010. It was clearly fate as these three connoisseurs of progressive rock met while suited and booted, sharing their love for whiskey and cigars.

Now the band is working towards promoting their self-titled full length album recorded in Belfast's Start together Studios, consisting of ten tracks in all. So far 'The Congress' have graced the stages of The Limelight (with sweet savage), The Stiff Kitten (for their album launch) and the Retro bar (with Mojo Fury) to name a few. This twisted power trio have even gone as far as playing an open top bus gig around Belfast; something that has never been done before in the city!

AU magazine have described them as being '...indeed far from your run-of-the-mill rock three-piece. With a schizophrenic, groove-heavy sound branching out into a dozen different directions...'. BBC Radio Ulster's ATL show desribed the debut album as,'Something rather special indeed', with the Big List describing it as a '...Barrage of big riffs and brazen musicianship...'

The Band's influences range from the likes of Tool and Millionaire to Miles Davis; producing a dynamic that can only be classified as unique or filed under 'Doom Jazz'. Currently the three-piece have secured a publishing contract with Grand Parade Music Publishing and are crafting and grafting at their new EP which will be released at the end of the year

Self-titled Cover Art
 
Hopefully you'll agree it's a fit for this archive.
 
All the best.
 
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Bosh66 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2011 at 15:56
Oh and as for the name, The Suspended Congress - I didn't detect any overt political message in the lyrics but Google suggests it may be a well known position from the Karma Sutra. Looked a little like hard work to me, but then again at my age ...Wink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2011 at 16:27
Interesting stuff, to say the least. I'm having a hard time hearing the progressiveness through the doomy/sludgy riffs, however.
Perhaps Alex disagrees with me?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2011 at 16:45
If he does, that will be tomorrow. ;-)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 22 2011 at 09:51
Nah, I agree with you Andy. :)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 22 2011 at 10:16
very cool album cover art work there, and i am interest(ed)
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Bosh66 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 22 2011 at 11:15

That's what is difficult about this process. Sounds progressive/experimental to me, but that's not the issue. Many on here hear progressiveness in Tori Amos (and I'm not trolling - I'm sure there' must be plenty there that I'm not hearing) but I don't. More to the point, this band sees themselves as prog, cites some pretty proggy artists as their influences and markets themselves as progressive. You'd therefore hope that people looking for information on this band would look for and find it here. Of course if I'm hearing prog that really isn't there (and I agree that there's little that is completely overt or avant about their progressiveness) and the band is misguided in their attempts at prog metal, then I guess they shouldn't be in the archives.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 23 2011 at 09:24

Listened 3 minutes and sounds like the Melvins to me, with more freewheeling guitar work occasionally hinting at jazz/prog.
I think it looks thin on the Prog scale but we I guess we could do a proper evaluation in the Prog Metal team.

You can follow the suspended progress here
http://progfreak.com/The-Suspended-Congress-150301.html?path=pa/recent
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Bosh66 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 23 2011 at 09:40
Thanks Karl, appreciated.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 29 2011 at 11:40
Added Thumbs Up
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Bosh66 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 29 2011 at 13:53
Good stuff! Many thanks.
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