Invoking the Abstract: Aural Kaleidoscopes

I've heard people describe music like this as "angular" and I think the label works, even though the term is pretty vague. I like "angular," however, because it almost captures the sound of what's on display here: music characterized by scales and passages that sound just a little outside of the norm. Truthfully, it isn't all that strange, but it will certainly sound strange to some listeners.

Another word that helps describe things is technical. Some of the technical stuff comes from the playing. This is the music of players that know their way around their instruments and show us just what their fingers and hands can do. Much of the interest comes from hearing the insane virtuosity of what the guitars (including bass) are doing, but don't overlook the power of the drums. As I write this, I'm thinking of the track "Mandatory Metamorphosis," but there are plenty of other examples. This guy can play.

The other aspect of the band's technical side comes from an extra layer of attention to musical composition. Each track here is written in a different key and the closing track combines things by employing a serialist scale. Not every band concerns itself with thinking about music in precisely those ways, but Invoking the Abstract does. The nice thing is that these guys know what they are doing but they deliver something even better—music that is a pleasure to hear.

There are other bands like this. Scale the Summit comes to mind, as does Revocation (even though they have vocals and Invoking the Abstract does not). For those unfamiliar with Invoking the Abstract, they are well worth checking out. The music is intense, interesting, passionate, groovy, and virtuosic.

Track Listing:
1. Locus
2. Requiem
3. Sensory Substitution
4. Aural Kaleidoscopes
5. The Summit
6. Voiles
7. Mandatory Metamorphosis
8. Necropolis
9. Afterglow Eclipse
10. Celestial Born
11. Disharmonic Design

Added: November 10th 2016
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1567
Language: english

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