Imagine, if you will, an earthier Rhapsody: an orchestral metal band with the cinematic scope to create a soundtrack for a work of art via an orgy of metal, classical, trance and electronic music; Tim Burton meets Japanese anime, if you will. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mechanical Poet…
Although not quite as musically talented as Rhapsody, this Moscow trio has unleashed its full-length debut, Woodland Prattlers, an "original comic book score" that comes with a 20-page comic book illustrated by Lee Nichols. Flanked by instrumentals that are cinematic in scope ("Main Titles" and "End Credits"), Woodland Prattlers digs into multiple genres that cross musical borders as often as Rhapsody invokes the gods of war.
Singer Max Samosvat is no Fabio Lione and guitarist Lex Plotnikoff lacks the polish of Luca Turilli, but the music of Mechanical Poet nonetheless echoes some of the more common elements of Rhapsody and that band's fantastical storytelling. From wispy instrumentals to quirky, folk-inspired numbers to heavy, plodding monsters, these songs help paint sonic images of a quirky underworld characterized by the elements at play in the amazing cover art. (I'm sure the music enhances the accompanying comic book, too, but since my promo copy of Woodland Prattlers arrived in a simple cardboard slipcase, sans fancy packaging, I can't make that definitive statement.) Recommended for the curious, adventurous listener who likes forest critters.
Track Listing:
1) Main Titles
2) Stormchild
3) Boogie in a Coal-Hole
4) Sirens from the Underland
5) Will O' The Wisp
6) Strayed Moppet
7) Old Year's Merry Funeral
8) Natural Quaternion
9) Shades on a Casement
10) Swamp-Stamp-Polka
11) End Credits
Total Time: 50:00
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