Destination Unknown

The last album I reviewed for Ivan was ‘Sandcastle’ back in April 2010 and I truly admired his brilliant guitar work. You can view that review here. I am eager to hear the new album, ‘Destination Unknown’, as this time around it is not only Ivan but Ivan Mihaljevic and Side Effects. Ivan hails from Croatia and delivers some fine guitar. Let us know indulge in his mastery.

Instant Star (Add Water) – The album starts out with TV news extracts and what sounds like a male and female who are living together, she starts to talk and he quickly shuts off and this is when the music begins. As the lyrics commence, you realise the song is a total piss-take on the television realm. The music has a standard, easy rhythm which you can easily enjoy. At 03:01 the brilliance of Ivan kicks in with a guitar solo. There are two things I admire about Ivan; his ability to create killer solos and his voice. This is a fairly gentle introduction to the album, though it has a message behind the track giving it depth.

“Come and join our show, We’ll give you fame, Skill that’s required, Is absolutely none...”

The Curse – A gentle guitar melody lures us into this next track, which proves to become somewhat of a love song. The music remains moderate until 01:51. This is when the music gains intensity to add passion to the track. The structure is basically slow, heavy, slow, heavy. Lyrically, it shares innocence and infatuation. At 05:00 the much anticipated guitar solo begins. It is overall a beautiful track with some well held power amidst the vocals.

“You have put a curse on me, Your evil spell, I was trying to break free, Break out of that jail cell...”

Choosh Pies – This next track begins and continues along with an elaborate guitar melody. There are some distant, background vocals but there are no main vocals within this song. This is basically an instrumental track. It is filled with a progressive essence. This is the form of progressive music that I can appreciate. It isn’t messy nor cluttered but expressive and clean. It is also a very South American sounding track.

Post-apocalyptic Images – A piano guides us through this next piece and it is backed by strings. The pace is very slow and the vocals are clean with a power metal edge to them. Though there are no screams here. It is the shortest track on the album at 02:17 and is overall a gentle yet sombre melody.

“Through the ruins of the poison past, Dimmed sunlight’s breaking through, Through the filthy clouds of dust, Over fifth avenue...”

Dreamscapes – The pace picks up in this next track but don’t go expecting any double drum kicks here. This is another instrumental and it is of course focussed upon the guitars. The two guitars play in harmony and with complimenting riffs. There are of course changes within the song but they are not poorly placed nor scattered. They are perfectly flowing structural shifts. It is always refreshing to hear these types of tracks. The changes are listenable and easy to follow so your mind and ears can enjoy them properly where so many others create such technical messes which no one can simply sit and enjoy.

Shadows – Here we hit the half way mark on the album and the song starts out with an alluring tribal sound. The lyrics are quite simple as is the backing music, yet it is still catchy. I like the harmonic vocals at 03:40. It is overall a very chilled out track.

“I, I am you, You are me, Who are we? Who we want to be...”

The Pirate Song – This song starts out with some more guitar intricacies which ultimately lead to it being another instrumental. I’ll always admire those that can play guitar in such a manner. I’m sure I said this in my last review of Ivan, but if you’re learning guitar this is great inspiration for technique and the like.

Sorry Pt. I – Here we have the first part of a two part song. It is yet another instrumental, filled with the sounds of a sorrowful guitar. At 02:20 the music changes in such a manner which makes you feel like there is some hope left in this guilt. Or perhaps it is the walk towards the one to whom you are apologising to. Either way, there is a sense of determination. The song ends as if leaving you in a state of wonder like waiting for a door to open.

Your Plane Flew Away – The tempo picks up again for this one, though this time it is in the form of a jazzy funk style. The vocals are very 80s power metal style. There are some heavier backing vocal parts to balance it out. It’s a very upbeat track with a sense of rush and confusion. It has a variety of guitar riffs, melodies and leads. It also has a Santana feel to it.

“You like to watch TV all day long, Play computer games, that’s your song, Laziness is your middle name, And you think that life is just a game...”

Sorry Pt. II – Here we have the second part of the two part song. Our last moment in the previous track was waiting for the door to open. From the gentle sounds of this track, the door has opened and the beauty in question stands before you; filled with sorrow and disappointment. This however, is not an instrumental as at 01:28 the vocals appear. He does state in the lyrics “rest in peace”, though is this the love that has died or her? I guess the listener must use their own interpretation to their own emotional response to the music. Though to me, I feel it is the love which has died. As if she opened the door, saw him there and simply closed it upon him without even a word.

“I’m sorry, Yes, I’m Sorry, For all the things I haven’t done...”

Hollow Wish - And now for the final and longest track on the album at 07:02. We hear the sounds of the ocean and slow steps through the sand. A piano accompanied by strings direct us into the track. The vocals relay much passion and sorrow. The musical structure is calm and gentle then heavy and emotional. The guitar solo kicks in at 03:57 then revisits its quiet depression. It soon returns to its passionate call and completes upon a scream for anew. It is a very expressive track and I should note at this point that this entire album has been well produced and perfectly sound engineered.

“Sea shells on the coast, Sparsed by the waves, Each of them carrying a secret, Locked in a little treasure case...”

In essence, this is another great album though it is a low key and fairly slow paced album they’ve created. It has a very laid back yet dark mood amidst the tunes with guilt, sorrow, angst and loneliness. The guitar skills as always are superb. The CD I received is the in-store version. The cover as you can see bares a bottle with a note inside lying upon the seashore. Inside the CD sleeve are all the lyrics and band member pictures with corresponding names. On the back of the sleeve is all the band information including guest musicians; Brett Garsed, John Denner, Phil Hilborne, Marko Osmanovic, Igor Tatarevic, Danko Krznaric and Josip Mihaljevic. I have even noticed in the thank you’s a mention of me! Thanks guys! On the very back of the CD covering is a full, numbered track list with a background picture of the ocean. The CD itself bares a picture of an upside down ocean with a bottle floating upon it and of course the band name and album title etc. If you are solely into genres like Death or Black Metal then you shant like this. However, if you like musicians like Steve Vai or other music like Whitesnake and similar bands, then I think you would really like this. It is especially good for those who are keen on learning or improving their guitar skills. I think it’s a good album but don’t expect to be thrashing out to it, this is more a relaxed and gentle rock metal experience. Check out the links below.

LINKS

Ivan Mihaljevic Myspace

Ivan Mihaljevic Youtube

Ivan Mihaljevic Facebook

Ivan Mihaljevic Website