Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16
9.) Wolverine – Communication Lost
This is a progressive rock album that everybody is sleeping on. Who has even heard of this album? You should probably listen to it, though. I’d say that fans of harder prog rock like Tool or Oceansize or Riverside would like this, even though Wolverine doesn’t actually have all that much in common with them. I guess they might be as much metal as they are rock. Whatever. The melodies are deliberate and frequently gorgeous. The songs have an organic pacing to them and there is a complete lack of ornate instrumentation thrown in for no reason (as is the downfall of many prog albums). My favorite part of this album are the vocal harmonies and how they are complimented and lifted by the lead guitars. I guess I’m most reminded of Green Carnation when I listen to this album, which is probably why I love it so much. Tracks like “Your Favorite War” are sweeping and emotional like the best Broadway show closing songs, without being one bit cheesy. Please listen to the linked track, “Communication Lost.” It’s one of the most uplifting, feel-good rock songs of the year to me. The album builds up the whole time to that song and its climax, and the release that you get for getting to that point is something that is only possible in the rarest of progressive albums. It’s a HUGE moment, and it totally destroys the forced hugeness of pop albums like M83’s and Florence + the Machine 2011 albums (and I really, really like those albums; they place #39 and #38 respectively in my list). This album may actually rise in esteem for me over the years.
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This is where you caught my attention. I'm a prog-rock lover, so mentioning Tool, Oceansize, and Riverside clearly stood out to me. At first listen, I notice the vocalist is a bass-baritone (same as I) which has been somewhat rare to find for me now days. I liked the two songs and am currently downloading the album. The prog/art-rock scene is very small, so I'm really hoping to find a gem here.
EDIT: I ended up not liking the album. I've heard this done too many times so it brought me nothing I've not already heard a zillion times. The band while solid, did nothing incredibly technical that stood out, and the vocalist ended up being yet another typical prog-metal style with an over use of vibrato. While some prog lovers just LOVE and DROOL over that kind of vocal, I can't ****ing stand it... it always sounds so forced.