This is what you call a 'super-group' folks...The Sound of the Earth features the supreme talents of leader Xavi Reija on drums, Tony Levin on bass & Stick, Markus Reuter on touch guitar, and Dusan Jevtovic on guitar. Dark, thunderous jazz-rock like the second coming of The Mahavishnu Orchestra meets the avant-garde stylings of King Crimson, that's what this ensemble aims for and succeeds on all during this scorching nine track collection of instrumental brilliance. "Deep Ocean" kicks things off with super grooves and menacing, fuzz enriched guitar shards, just a potent display of virtuosity that continues throughout the album. The four part title track is spaced throughout the album rather than all together, and each section is lengthy, allowing the group to either lay down gorgeous atmospheric soundscapes or raucous bombardments of pure ferocity. In between you get quirky nuggets like the Crimson-ish "From Darkness", as Reuter, Jevtovik, and Levin all bob and weave around each other while Reija flails away underneath, the beautiful "Serenity", which features some beautiful, Terje Rypdal inspired explorations from Dusan, and the jagged, yet melodic strains of "Lovely Place". The way these musicians play alongside each other, breathing and darting in between and alongside each passage, create monstrous & tranquil ebbs and flows, is simply breathtaking. "Take a Walk" sees Levin's bulbous bass walking around Reuter's nimble touch guitar as Reija puts on a thunderous clinic on his drum kit. Wild stuff, yet hauntingly beautiful.
MoonJune Records has put out some excellent releases this year, and that trend continues with The Sound of the Earth. This is outstanding, highly adventurous music that any jazz-fusion and prog rock fan will absolutely need to investigate.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1.
Deep Ocean 06:42
2.
The Sound Of The Earth I 09:54
3.
From Darkness 07:33
4.
The Sound Of The Earth II 12:14
5.
Serenity 05:50
6.
The Sound Of The Earth III 09:14
7.
Lovely Place 04:41
8.
The Sound Of The Earth IV 16:36
9.
Take A Walk 04:11
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