Imperial Triumphant, "Spirit of Ecstasy" (Century Media)
Imagine the battle between good and evil in a different way. Imagine angels stretching out their loving arms to a pack of ogres who defend a squalid summit by smashing their lofty saviors down into the gulf. And imagine the creatures with the bloody clubs to be ourselves.
Hear violin caresses buried in a metal assault. Hear a celestial chorus overwhelmed by a deadly ritual chant. These are the kinds of musical cues, on "Merkurius Gilded," that inspire the above visual imaginings on Imperial Triumphant's new "Spirit of Ecstasy."
The New York metal trio have been forging records for a decade, hammering out an abstract aesthetic more often reflected in comprovisers such as Tim Berne or Nels Cline. I.T., similarly, can be orchestrators of noise, and "Spirit of Ecstasy" is their greatest epic.
With the guitar of Zachary Ilya Ezrin usually clouding up the sound field with echoing arpeggios or distorted dissonances, and the bass & keys of Steve Blanco generating tons of gunk and buckets of plasma, the most defined thing you usually hear is the ever-re-ratcheting rhythm factory of drummer Kenny Grohowsky, who would be enough all by himself. But this band's true genius lies in the way that one strange mode slides, slams, jams into another, as in "Tower of Glory, City of Shame," which guides us through a Weimar phonograph record, a metal waltz, a movie drama, some random talk and MC5-style riffs before plunging us into accelerated civil destruction. No, it's not random, it's a RIDE! And most of the album is some variation of that.
For pacing, though, I.T. slip in "Bezumnaya" -- sort of a musique-concrete thing, but you won't skip it when you're playing the whole program, which you'll often want to. Or "In the Pleasure of Their Company," a pure metaljazz jam with friends that captures the magic that sometimes happens when group intention builds out of nowhere and just takes off.
"Spirit of Ecstasy" boasts numerous guests including more obvious ones such as guitarist Alex Skolnick of Testament (who has always straddled the worlds of metal and fusion) and Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle (who also produced brilliantly). Choirs from Sarai Woods and Andromeda Anarchia contribute mightily to the dynamics. And we dare you to figure out which track smooth-jazz sax king Kenny G plays on, but how awesome is it that credit?
The bookends. "Chump Change": A tweetstorm guitar wheedles across a smoking hellscape. "Maximalist Scream": Horrorshow conga-line racecars bubble into a futuristic mothership lift-off. Both fantastic.
In contrast to most modern metal, the croaking voices make the sound more human, not like the mutter of the psycho killer behind the mask. And for all the machinery here, you can feel the flesh that drives it. In essence, "Spirit of Ecstasy" is sensual art.
Derek Sherinian, "Vortex" (Inside Out)
Two minutes into this fusion instrumental masterpiece and you'll be laughing your head off, and you won't stop. It's like listening to a well-edited action movie without having to put up with the stupid plot and the bad acting.
Keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion, Planet X, etc.) comes from the old school of fusion, like Billy Cobham, Return to Forever, Jeff Beck, but though he doesn't use vocals, he wants you to hear SONGS, so you'll also get flashes of '70s heroes such as Stevie Wonder, Edgar Winter, Sly. Not to mention African beats, Arabic wheedle, whatever comes to hand, as long as it has a hook and a groove.
The energy stays high, and just so you'll have no excuse for tuning out, Sherinian and drummer/co-producer Simon Phillips have conscripted their longest list yet of guitar stars: Michael Schenker, Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa, Mike Stern, Bumblefoot, Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme). Yes, they sure do shred.
Fave moments: the way drummer Wright and bassist Jeff Berlin slip some quick urban funk into the slide & slambash of "Seven Seas"; the contrast of heavy & light shoogabooga on "Key Lime Blues."
Tight-tight-tight, not a second wasted in this carnival, even on the exotic 11-minute closer, "Aurora Australis." Time, we just ain't got it.
* * *
NOTE: Both of these albums feature theremin, the only instrument you can play without touching it.