The last album I reviewed for Australian band Sobrusion, was back in February 2008. I was impressed by the vocal range as much as the musical style. Here we have their brand new album 'Maieutics' for review. On the outside, it stands out and looks good! Alas, let's check out its content...
Safety Of Fear - A digital sounding, vocal harmony based introduction soon unites with some heavy guitar rhythms. The vocals yet again manage to astound me as I think, "How does he get that pitch?" There are some digital keyboard elements within here too. But it is the vocals which truly stand out here; with their great harmonies and overall structure. Very well produced and executed.
"An emotion that I feel, this feeling's all too big for me, Never ending commentary of truth givers and their seekers, Basking in their glorious, Denominations we just cannot possess..."
Echo Of The Ants - A good guitar based rock intro take us into this track. This makes it quite easy to get into. The vocals are again well thought out and executed. There are some good guitar leads in here along with some digital effects that have been thrown into the mix. Good track!
"Breathe, This air while you can, In time you'll yield to its, Cost, An inevitable burden, Fabricated by elected officials, Law, On the public opinion, Cross a line and see how it brings, War..."
A Million As One - This next song was quite quick to begin after the last. It has a good, effect driven intro. The vocals seem to be the key element to this band as they really stand out over everything. Once you focus on the music alone, you can hear just how tight this band is. It is very rhythmic and complements the vocals strength and arrangement well. The keyboards act more atmospheric in this song. The guitars break out in to some nice leads towards the end there.
"Beneath all the masks of love and forgiveness, Some leaders emerge to decide who we are, Assigning us names and titles that are futile, They hope to control people near and far, But mistaken they are short sighted by far, To not realise the choices they make..."
The Dawning - The start to this track incorporates some atmospheric elements to make way for the haunting vocal prologue. There is quite the Middle Eastern feel to this track. One good thing about the vocals is they are never monotonous; they are always changing their tone and composition. It gets a little schizophrenic in the end there with the vocal mix but overall a good track.
"Warm, I feel my face is red, Laid down on this bed, her skin so wet, She's turned around to hold me, her breath in my hair, Like broken thoughts long before I was dead, Awoken from dark dreams of pain, I live..."
Here I thought was going to be the next song. Instead we have a hidden track of sorts which is really just an eerie, guitar based interlude which lasts for 39 seconds.
Borders - A catchy introduction soon becomes sombre sounding and greets the vocals which are again utilising every part of their range and their diversity. There seem to be a lot of effects being used in this album. They work well though. Some of them remind me of Pink Floyd or that War of the Worlds type era. The music is very theme like in this track. Very nice.
"I'm lying here alone in the dark, My thoughts creep in like a war I've fought, I think of all the things yet to do, Honour my words or deny the truth, Anxiety and fear are all that remain, Competing for me in an endless game..."
Nota D'Amore - A gentle classical guitar welcomes us into this track noted to be by Reg Dury. The keyboardist throughout this album, is being very creative with their sounds. I think this is being performed by Shanul, though the cover doesn't say. This song has a slower pace than its predecessors and it seems to have more meaning to it musically somehow.
"Like the smell of a rose, Carving poetry from prose, Of all the stars I see, You're the brightest I heed..."
Illusions Of A Fragile Mind - The pace again increases as does the vocal arrangement. The drums have been well paced throughout this album and effectively added their required changes. The guitars too have done their job well and always seem to add that little extra in each song. Some new quirk makes an appearance in each track. Whether it be the digital effects, the vocal tweaks, the whistle or some other thing, there is always something new to listen out for.
"Can I inspire my mind? Align my words, decipher signs? Breathe art and then refine..."
Intuitive Cognition Part 1 - A gentle, atmospheric instrumental.
Intuitive Cognition Part 2 - This is yet another atmospheric track filled with many levels your imagination can get lost in. This is the longest track off the album at 11:25 and therefore the one with the most multiplicity. Sobrusion have great imagination and creativity when it comes to song writing. The Irish whistle being played in this track is by Dan Morgan. There is a bizarre change in the musical structure at about 05:37 which kicks into some heavier riffs at about 05:55 along with some death metal vocals. According to the note the additional vocals are by Andy Annand from Aeon Of Horus. So again at 06:50 it's time for a change and we revert back to the original tune. This song seems to only go for 09:04 until 09:28 when another musical piece enters the album to complete it. An unexpected, yet interesting end to the album!
"In floating through a mind of conscious believers, the wreckage of my past has turned into gold, Accepting the truth that exists in the moment, I'm painting a picture that speaks on its own..."
In essence, this album is filled with a massive vocal arrangement, complex ideas and a great mind enhancing atmosphere overall. The CD sleeve has an interesting graphic design throughout with bizarre digitally designed line based interpretations which form people amidst its imagery. Even the band pic is an artistic impression perhaps used with negatives. It's a pretty cool looking cover! The CD itself looks good; bathed in black with the band name etc beautifully printed upon it. Inside the cover, first up, we have the thanks and contact info, whilst inside the covers inner pouch is where you will find the lyric booklet. All the lyrics are within it and again it is filled with the digital imagery. It doesn't override any of the content so it is all clear to read. Basically, it is one of those digi pack style covers and not inside a hard plastic cover. My only concern with the cover is it doesn't state who plays which part in the band. So yes, this is a good album. It is very creative and well worth checking out if you are into perhaps a progressive power metal style of music.
LINKS
Sobrusion Website
Sobrusion Myspace
Sobrusion Facebook
Review by Déa di Morté © 05 February 2010
All pictures and lyrical extracts courtesy of Chris Gerhard and Sobrusion
