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░ ██ ██ Artist: No More Pain ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Post Human Condition █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-05-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: NMP Management Group ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The Post-Human Condition, the second release from █
█ the group No More Pain, is pretty intent on █
█ letting you know youÆll have to be more engaged █
█ than you ordinarily would. The cover of the █
█ release shows an omniscient computer monitor in █
█ the shy with a demonic eye surveying humans █
█ tumbling out of it, slowly evolving into sheep as █
█ they fall. The narrative, while not performed in █
█ broad, rock-opera strokes, does relate to the last █
█ ôuntetheredö man who awakes in a world overrun by █
█ technology. You probably couldnÆt get more █
█ album-oriented than that in the digital age. █
█ (Bonus points for irony because youÆre reading █
█ this review on your cellphone or computer.) █
█ The band No More Pain has a long reach into the █
█ past as far as its influences are concerned. At █
█ one moment you might catch some Gabriel-era █
█ keyboard flourishes, or a Floyd groove, or a █
█ Kansas vibe, but then things swing into a heavy, █
█ Dream Theater sort of form. These touchstones █
█ never linger for too long, and never get in the █
█ way of the music, even as it extols its virtues. █
█ More importantly, even though there are longer █
█ songs to be found on the disc, thereÆs apparent █
█ compositional control taking place as well. In █
█ English: the songs are long when they need to be, █
█ and not because thatÆs what the genre demands. █
█ That said, the CD concludes with the multi-part █
█ ôThe Network.ö IÆm hesitant to describe it as an █
█ ôepic,ö which has lately become dirty code for █
█ ôjust a really long pastiche of songs with no real █
█ reason for being so long.ö In fact, each section █
█ of The Post-Human Condition has a sense of █
█ purpose, and things arenÆt being tossed in merely █
█ to make things longer. The listener feels that █
█ thereÆs a reason for it all to be there. █
█ And that reason is, in part, a high level of █
█ musicianship. If potential listeners are turned █
█ off by that, and are more inclined for straight █
█ riff-rock styled music, this is not the CD for █
█ them. The band has seen a few internal changes █
█ since the recording of the CD, but the captured █
█ collaboration of Mike Roman (vocals, guitar), Matt █
█ McDermott (keyboards), John Moroney (bass), and █
█ Dan Rainone (drums) sounds far more accomplished █
█ than two CDs would presume to say. Even in the █
█ heavier portions, the songs never stop being █
█ melodic, even hooky. █
█ Of course it isnÆt for everyone, especially for █
█ those who start to get antsy when the track starts █
█ nearing the 3-and-a-half minute mark. But for █
█ anyone who required proof that thereÆs still a █
█ need and place for the album format, it has been █
█ delivered with The Post-Human Condition. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Nascency 4:09 ░
░ 2. All as One 4:44 ░
░ 3. Behold the Screen 6:03 ░
░ 4. The Spiral 5:05 ░
░ 5. Shrine of Pearl 5:39 ░
░ 6. God in the Glass 5:04 ░
░ 7. Bleed 10:25 ░
░ 8. Binary Annihilation Glitch 4:47 ░
░ 9. Mountains of the Sky 10:12 ░
░ 10. Cosmic Tiger 4:11 ░
░ 11. The Network 17:27 ░
░ 77:46 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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