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Choice Of The Month
April 2005 |
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Cover |
Release |
Style |
 |
2005 |
progressive rock |
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Label |
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own release |
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Website |
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www.karmadepth.org |
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Contact |
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Playing Time |
Cat. N° |
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78:56 |
- |
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Review by |
Rating |
|
Claude |
8,5/10 |
|
nederlands |
Review |
We had to wait a bit for it, but Karma
Depth has finally released their first album. After their successful
performance at the ‘Paulusfeesten’ in Ostend an our own Prog-Nose
festival 2004, everybody expected a typical progmetal album, not at
the least because of the adoration of all group members for Dream
Theater. Although they have played a lot of covers of Dream Theater
in the past, Resilience is without any doubt a remarkable example of
progressive rock. If course, there are some influences, mainly
because of the fast bass drum play and the whirling guitar and
keyboard solos. But there is a lot of epic in the air with tracks,
with an average of 10 minutes!
‘Ask Yourself’ has been released as a demo on all interested people
and has been very well acclaimed. This track is very representative
for the entire album, a peaceful introduction (very representative
too), developing into typical progressive rock/metal, on the way
even a touch of Marillion and at the end some guitar riffs, like
their big examples. They have chosen for composition and song
structure instead of pure technicity, all instruments are perfectly
in balance.
Melancholy all over in the ballad ‘Hope’, sung full of emotion and
accompanied by a Camel-like guitar solo and a sensitive piano
fragment, only to prove that their heavy nature has been slightly
reduced.
‘The Ring’ is full of tempo and mood changes and just for once the
atmosphere of rock musicals of the seventies (The Who) comes up, a
track suitable for every progressive album.
All except one tracks are starting with a very quiet (often acoustic)
introduction (piano and/or guitar), exploding from one tempo change
to another. And the moment you think that The Price is a ballad, the
guitars come down handsomely and a Rudess-like keyboard solo turns
it into progressive metal again.
‘See how I glow’ is just the opposite of the rest of the album with
a heavy metal sounding start but then continuing with melodic vocals,
later on Dieter plays a very jazzy piano solo, as Lorenzo ‘Petrucci’
takes it over and alternates 'shredding' and sensitive guitar play,
backboned by a impressive rhythm section, in one word musical
expertise!
Heal, the longest track on the album, contains Seven parts, perhaps
at the same time on of the negative points, because you get the
feeling to hear not 7 but 70 tracks on Resilience’, so it becomes
more difficult to recognize them. Apparently these guys have to many
ideas, maybe strange tob e experienced as being negative, but that’s
the way how it feels to me. And where the vocals were more than
acceptable until then, Hans is sounding here a bit forced and even
false at certain moents, especially in the harder and higher parts.
A pity, because the song is very complex and intriguing, with a.o. a
fragment like ‘The great debate’. And even some inspiration was
taken from bands like Arena and The Flower Kings.
The short acoustic Nuweiba is a perfect illustration of the
direction of the band, melody and composition are more omprtant than
ever, and we are not going to deplore this.
The production has ben entirely made in their own management and is
certainly very satisfactory. This a very good debut album, pure
class despite the minor drawbacks', a diamant, that has to been cut
here and there. Hopefully this is the start of a beautiful career,
just look out for their next live performance. You can then buy
their cd, if not just go to their website
www.karmadepth.org, whre you
can order it for only 10 Euro + shipment costs. Go for it! |
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Musicians |
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Hans Berten: Bass & vocals
Lorenzo Petralia: Guitars
Dieter Cailliau: Keyboards
Hans Mahieu: Drums |
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Tracklist |
Ask yourself (10:34)
Hope (5:52)
The price (12:18)
The ring (12:58)
See how i glow (12:18)
Heal (22:06):
I The twilight
II Enter reality
III The dilemma
IV The choice
V The awakening
VI The healing
VII The learning
Nuweiba (2:45) |
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