Music Banter - View Single Post - Bitesize: Trollheart's Daily Album Mini-Reviews

Trollheart · 07-01-2013, 01:37 PM

Discovering new frontiers (Geddit? Magellan? No? Doesn't anyone here read their history?)

Artiste: Magellan
Nationality:American
Album: Symphony for a misanthrope
Year: 2005
Label: InsideOut
Genre:Progressive Metal
Tracks:
Symphonette
Why water weeds?
Wisdom
Cranium reef suite: (i) Youthful enthusiasm (ii) Psych 101 (iii) Primal defence
Pianissimo intermission
Doctor Concoctor
Every bullet needs blood
Chronological position: Sixth album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid:
Initial impression: Love the big instrumental intro: real prog metal here!
Best track(s): Why water weeds?, Wisdom, Cranium reef suite
Worst track(s): Nothing really.
Comments: Magellan are basically a duo, formed by two brothers, Trent and Wayne Gardner, though the likes of Ian Anderson and Tony Levin have guested on their albums. This one, however, appears to be all their own work, and starts out with a pretty cool proggy instrumental, heavy with keyboards and synth, and ringing, chiming drumwork, and things get even better once we get to the second track, with Trent proving a damn fine vocalist. There's a real sense of power and majesty about this music, and I'm reminded both of progressive rock bands I admire and also some of the electronic composers like Jean-Michel Jarre and to a lesser extent, early Eloy. I also hear some elements of Spock's Beard here.

Wisdom is a nice, hard-edged little ballad with some very political lyrics and a lovely stark piano line. The album only has seven tracks, but in true progressive rock fashion one is an epic, over eighteen minutes long, and Cranium reef suite starts off great, with another instrumental that actually sounds like a seventies soul tune for a few moments, then moves into the second movement, on the back of some fine guitar work and a lot of Genesis in the melody, before bringing the piece to a nice soft slow and gentle close with the third movement. Well, mostly.

A sprightly interpretation of a Bach piano piece shows off Trent's skills on the ivories, then we're into Doctor Concoctor with the return of Wayne's big heavy guitars and it's quite a mesh between Yes and Spock's Beard, before we wind up more or less as we began, with a big synth prog number, growling guitars cutting through the keys as Every bullet needs blood takes us out.
Overall impression: Quite impressed by this. Seem to remember listening to it some time ago and being somewhat underwhelmed. Perhaps it's a grower?
Intention: I think I may have to give this album a few more spins.

07-01-2013, 01:37 PM	#172 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Discovering new frontiers (Geddit? Magellan? No? Doesn't anyone here read their history?) Artiste: Magellan Nationality:American Album: Symphony for a misanthrope Year: 2005 Label: InsideOut Genre:Progressive Metal Tracks: Symphonette Why water weeds? Wisdom Cranium reef suite: (i) Youthful enthusiasm (ii) Psych 101 (iii) Primal defence Pianissimo intermission Doctor Concoctor Every bullet needs blood Chronological position: Sixth album Familiarity: Zero Interesting factoid: Initial impression: Love the big instrumental intro: real prog metal here! Best track(s): Why water weeds?, Wisdom, Cranium reef suite Worst track(s): Nothing really. Comments: Magellan are basically a duo, formed by two brothers, Trent and Wayne Gardner, though the likes of Ian Anderson and Tony Levin have guested on their albums. This one, however, appears to be all their own work, and starts out with a pretty cool proggy instrumental, heavy with keyboards and synth, and ringing, chiming drumwork, and things get even better once we get to the second track, with Trent proving a damn fine vocalist. There's a real sense of power and majesty about this music, and I'm reminded both of progressive rock bands I admire and also some of the electronic composers like Jean-Michel Jarre and to a lesser extent, early Eloy. I also hear some elements of Spock's Beard here. Wisdom is a nice, hard-edged little ballad with some very political lyrics and a lovely stark piano line. The album only has seven tracks, but in true progressive rock fashion one is an epic, over eighteen minutes long, and Cranium reef suite starts off great, with another instrumental that actually sounds like a seventies soul tune for a few moments, then moves into the second movement, on the back of some fine guitar work and a lot of Genesis in the melody, before bringing the piece to a nice soft slow and gentle close with the third movement. Well, mostly. A sprightly interpretation of a Bach piano piece shows off Trent's skills on the ivories, then we're into Doctor Concoctor with the return of Wayne's big heavy guitars and it's quite a mesh between Yes and Spock's Beard, before we wind up more or less as we began, with a big synth prog number, growling guitars cutting through the keys as Every bullet needs blood takes us out. Overall impression: Quite impressed by this. Seem to remember listening to it some time ago and being somewhat underwhelmed. Perhaps it's a grower? Intention: I think I may have to give this album a few more spins. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-13-2015 at 01:40 PM.