Deafening Opera: Blueprint

The German band Deafening Opera formed in Munich in 2005 and released their first album Syesteria in 2009. Their second album Blueprint came out in July, 2013.The six band members include Adrian Daleore (vocals), Gérald Marie (keyboards, background vocals), Christian Eckstein (bass, background vocals), Moritz Kunkel (guitar, background vocals), Thomas Moser (guitar, spoken lyrics) and Konrad Gonschorek (drums).

Some of the material I have read compares the band as a cross between Porcupine Tree and Riverside but I don't really hear that myself. That said, Deafening Opera have made a nice melodic prog album with strong melodies and good musicianship. Some of the vocals did take a little getting used to, not terrible but not earth shattering either.

The opening tune "Her Decay" is a nice slice of melodic progressive rock with a slow building intro, solid riffs and strong vocals reminding one of Spock's Beard, Enchant and bands of similar ilk. The short "Tatjana" has a woman leaving her voice on an answering machine and sounds like it could be from Floyd's The Wall and segues directly into "Dripping Hot Chocolate", paying homage to '70s hard rock, with tight stops and starts and jazzier bits of instrumentation which helps to keep the music interesting. The title track features fuzzy riffs and excellent Hammond organ recalling Deep Purple but also throws in a few twists and turns like inventive chord structures and smart use of keys. "Jericho I Am" is a nice contrast between gentle acoustic guitar and heavier riffs while "25,000 Miles" has a cool effects driven intro with spacey synths and moodier accents.

Blueprint is a solid album and does well with its mixture of '70s style heavy rock and more modern sounds. If you like your prog on the melodic side you would do well to give Deafening Opera a listen.

Track Listing:
1. Her Decay
2. Tatjana
3. Dripping Hot Chocolate
4. Blueprint
5. Jericho I Am
6. 25,000 Miles
7. Paralelno
8. No Man's Shadow
9. Porcupine Syndrome

Added: January 29th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1882
Language: english

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