Hello Overall Loudness readers,
As the final hours of the year pass slowly by, we present to you our very own top 15 of 2015.
We’ve chosen only the bands that we actually reviewed, with the scores we gave them during the year in mind.
When DemiAura keyboard player Jonathan Gabriel Jr. mailed us if we could review the first album by his new band, he mentioned that there was a possibility that vocals were added to the final mix. We replied that he really had to be sure it was done, before the recordings and he replied that the instrumental version would be the final one. Now, after releasing their debut album ‘DemiAura’, I’m curious if that was the right decision.
Independent releases are sometimes a source of terrible production, of bad choices and unbalanced tracks. But there are these independently produced and released records that absolutely blow you away. Vly‘s first album ‘I / [Time]’ is a progressive album from the latter of those two. With the use of amazing progressive sounds and music, the band, united by guitarist and producer Karl Demata, takes steady aim at a high spot in the top ten of 2015. But how does working on a distance go with people from thee different countries? And is it possible to create an album entirely on your own?
In an age where downloading has become the main way to gather music, the internet has made a terrible impression on the music business. But luckily it also makes things easier for musicians all over the world to team up, share and make new music. So now put together a great deal of different artists and let them create a record. That’s how Vly saw its first light. Starting with sending bits and pieces across the Atlantic Ocean, but slowly turning into a very real debut album, called ‘I / [Time]’.
Is it possible to fall in love with a voice? Not the physical kind of love, of course, but the sound, coloring and timbre of someone’s vocals? To me the new album by District 97 has definitely made an enormous impression. Some of the female vocals that grace the new record called ‘In Vaults’ are simply electrifying. Will we be able to salvage more than just the vocals from this record?
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the latest instrumental rock album by the German My Sleeping Karma. It was a real, relaxing piece of work that tried to kidnap and take you to an instrumental realm. Now the French respond with their view on instrumental rock music. The three piece of Glowsun is ready to rock with their new album ‘Beyond The Wall Of Time’, but are we ready for them?
Oh my, this is why I love progressive rock and metal so much. It’s the diversity and the huge productions that the best prog bands try to create. You will immediately recognize a band of this caliber whenever it crosses your path. This time the Italian band Kingcrow has gained this status with the release of their latest album ‘Eidos’.
New and unknown progressive rock and metal bands are always welcome. But sometimes you got these older and more experienced musicians that feel the need to do some solo work. You had the Liquid Tension Experiment with members of Dream Theater and Neal Morse, former vocalist and keyboard player, went solo as well. In between the work he does as the vocalist of The Flower Kings, Hasse Fröberg wanted to do his own stuff. That is where ‘HFMC’ sprouted.