PSYCHOSOLSTICE

PINKROOM are a new band out of Poland who have been causing a bit of a buzz. They remind of RIVERSIDE at times, while others mention modern PORCUPINE TREE mainly because they contrast those atmospheric sections with the heavy passages quite well. This band is a duo with several guests helping out.

"Path Of Dying Truth" has become a favourite track of mine. Love the mood and atmosphere. It reminds me of OPETH's "Damnation" but it's not quite as dark or melancholic. Vocals are laid back and well done. Nice guitar solo before 6 minutes. "Buried Hopes" is mellow early with percussion and guitar but that is blown away rather quickly. It settles again when vocals arrive. Great sound here. Contrasts continue. "Dispersion" opens with drums and guitar before vocals join in. A heavier sound after 1 1/2 minutes as vocals stop. Contrasts continue. "Quietus" features this tribal-like drumming with vocals early. Love the instrumental section 2 minutes in that reminds me of RIVERSIDE. It kicks in before 3 1/2 minutes. Nice. Back to the tribal-like drumming late.

"2AM" is an instrumental. Lots of atmosphere to start as it's kind of spacey with a beat. Other sounds join in as it builds some but not a lot. The riffs kick in quickly on "Curse" with vocals right behind. It turns atmospheric then vocals and ripping guitar return. "Moodroom V.2" opens with bass, guitar and drums. This sounds almost "Discipline"-like as in KING CRIMSON. Horns join in and some cello before 2 minutes. Riffs after 3 1/2 minutes. Cello is back late. "Stonegarden" opens with samples and electronics. Keyboards then reserved vocals join in too. It kicks in before 3 1/2 minutes as contrasts continue. "Days Which Should Not Be" opens with abrasive guitar then it settles quickly with vocals and a beat. It gets heavier as contrasts continue. Cello 4 1/2 minutes in.

An excellent debut, and I know many out there will go nuts over this. A solid 4 stars.

After my first listen through, I was already composing a review in my head, thinking that Pinkroom had an album worth raving about and that I would give them 5 stars, hands down. But I had a chance to listen to the album again and the second time I was not so deeply impressed. Now I have listened to it a couple more times and I have a clearer idea about what I want to say.

Pinkroom are labeled here as heavy prog, though I hear a lot of post rock, post metal, experimental metal, and even a bit of tech or industrial. Basically, their music embodies much of the modern progressive rock genres. If at any point they do anything retro, it's in the interesting instrumental "Moodroom v.2" which includes a jazzy trumpet solo and some mellow cello, a piece which some reviewers have stated is reminiscent of King Crimson.

Many of the songs go through tempo changes, starting with clean electric guitar and a melancholic atmosphere before abruptly shifting to a crunching heavy riff with a crazy odd beat. The songs will change gears again, often a few times. The riffs are metallishly mad, really cool stuff, at times. This is where I am reminded of Porcupine Tree's "Deadwing", songs that have a calm, eerie or melancholic mood that then evolve into heavy metal riffing before shifting again. By the third listen, however, I also felt there was some "Heritage"-type Opeth there (see drumming comment below), and a bit of Baroness in parts, but without the sludge-style vocals. There's also a part in "2am" that reminds me of classic prog-metal era Voivod. And of course, as many have already mentioned, there's some Riverside in the music too. Add to that the very talented drumming with a distinctive jazzy shuffling flare and you get an overall exciting mix of sounds.

A couple of songs start out with the heavier guitar, like "2am" and "Days which should not be", very much metal tunes until they change over to clean electric guitars. "Quietus" is the one truly different track here, an instrumental that's slow and ambient with piano keys and atmospheric guitar effects, a lot like mid-90's Porcupine Tree.

Back to the vocals, there are times when they sound very commonplace, almost like some of the milder alternative bands that came out of the 80's. But you might notice the accent in the English, something that sometimes adds a bit of appeal.

If there's anything I have to say critically about the album is that I find most of the songs follow a similar formula and tempo. Aside from "Quietus", the songs pretty much stay mid- tempo, nothing too slow or too fast. And most songs follow the clean guitar beginning with heavy guitar added in when necessary. But that's just the basic framework. Within each song there are some wonderful odd time signatures and bizarre beats, sudden stops and starts, and a general avoidance of standard song structure. Pinkroom have done a darn good job of their debut, and with very clean and clear production as well.

I found this album while exploring iTunes' "related" albums when I was checking out another band of similar ilk called In the Silence. They are not on PA yet, but the CD is on order and once I have heard it all the way through I'll see about recommending it for inclusion to this illustrious site if it fits the criteria.

Anyway, final conclusion, 4 stars and a very solid 4 at that for Pinkroom's "Psychosolstice" (love the title!).

This was a surprising discovery, thanks to iTunes' "Listeners Also Bought" suggestion line. Kind of a mix of Porcupine Tree, Sylvan, tinyfish, and King Crimson, all on the heavy side. My favorites, of course, are the songs with more delicate, spacious and melodic parts like the CYNIC and FEN-like "Path of the Dying" (7:20) (9/10); the STEVEN WILSON-cum-KING CRIMSON-ish, "Quietus" (5:30) (8/10), and; the borderline smooth jazz instrumental, "2am" (6:26) (8/10). My favorite song on the album, though, is the polyrhythmic exercise, "Moodroom v.2" (4:36). I love the 'addition' of the trumpet, vocal samples, and cello to the otherwise KC "Discipline" clone. (10/10)

Four stars of, dare I say it, "excellent" heavy prog.(!)