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░ ██ ██ Artist: The Mute Gods ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-06-13 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Inside Out Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ This second album is darker and more intense than █
█ the first one in the sound and in the nature of █
█ the lyrics. From the opener, we can hear the big █
█ Steve Hackett influence on the guitar sound. The █
█ production is perfect and the beautiful █
█ arrangements give to the songs that are already of █
█ high quality more value. If Nick Beggs doesn't █
█ have the greatest voice, he has succeeded to make █
█ the vocals works with some specials recording █
█ effects. The music contains some nice atmosphere █
█ and some catchy chorus that will take you back at █
█ times to the 80's new wave past of Nick. When you █
█ have Roger King on the keyboards, you can go wrong █
█ again here with some beautiful melodies. The solid █
█ precision in the drums playing of Marco Minneman █
█ is also a highlight of this album. And finally who █
█ can resist the sound of that Chapman stick of Nick █
█ Begg that apparently is responsible for a lot of █
█ the guitars section. If the first album was a █
█ collaboration work, this one is a trio effort and █
█ a solid one. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ The project continues.. The Mute Gods are back, █
█ thankfully their debut 2016 album was not a █
█ one-shot wonder as they have returned with another █
█ exquisite offering albeit a tad harder and darker, █
█ a most welcome addition to our prog universe. █
█ Beggs is "pissed off, we are all a bunch of idiots █
█ because we put up with idiots". The whole █
█ atmosphere is "apocalyptic, catchy and ironic", he █
█ says as he smiles irefully. Who are these silent █
█ deities? A core trio of superb musicians in Nick █
█ Beggs on bass and Chapman Stick, the suave █
█ keyboardist Roger King , both Steve Hackett █
█ regulars as well as world- class drum maestro █
█ Marco Minnemann, they have no need to supply any █
█ kind of credentials as to their talents. Three █
█ absolutely sensational talents On "Tardigrades █
█ Will Inherit the Earth", there are no invitees, █
█ just the three honing their laser chops to the █
█ highest gleam. I really enjoy the fact that there █
█ is a prog band out there that writes about █
█ contemporary issues, everything from political █
█ polarization, journalistic bias, overt █
█ media-fueled slander on the Internet to global █
█ manipulations and social apathy. █
█ Starting off an album with a funeral march seems █
█ kind of oblique risk but these are crafty minds at █
█ work, suggesting an interment dirge as either an █
█ appropriate anthem of the cruel times we currently █
█ reside in or just an apropos burial soundtrack for █
█ this record! "Saltation Mortis" being a Roger King █
█ specialty, having done such scoring for Mr. █
█ Hackett before, also doing a fine slice of guitar █
█ that emulates the Genesis man to perfection. █
█ Somber, gruesome and devilish, a perfect █
█ introduction. You may be interested to know (or █
█ not) but Beggs is a vegetarian, so what better █
█ than "Animal Army" to rile up some organic zeal, █
█ possessed by rampant guitars, poly-rhythmic rolls █
█ and double bass drum onslaught notwithstanding , █
█ the palpable irritation is skin deep, as Nick █
█ sings "his scourge of humanity" rant with █
█ convincing authority. His voice is becoming ever █
█ more appealing but let us not forget that his █
█ prosperous bass playing is arguably among the █
█ very, very best in the world. █
█ A scream of rage at mankind's ongoing and █
█ seemingly unabated stupidity, something Einstein █
█ once worried about so eloquently when comparing █
█ human folly and the universe in terms of eternity. █
█ Wrong decisions, bizarre counter current █
█ tendencies, programmed information, advertising █
█ and news by manipulations from both sides of the █
█ political spectrum. "We Can't Carry On" is a █
█ splendid success, a definite highlight track that █
█ has all the ingredients: intense sizzle, overt █
█ indignation, influential melodies and insistent █
█ messages, all vehiculated with prime musical █
█ authority. The Beggs vocal is sublime, hitting a █
█ higher level without any hesitation and utterly █
█ convincing. Minnemann pushes the forceful beat █
█ forward like a bull-dozer in heat. Roger then █
█ shoves a wall of synthesized strings into the █
█ fray, urging on the bombast and generally █
█ 'carrying on' like a one-man symphony orchestra █
█ (he is not a rocker! LOL) █
█ The lads decide to stretch their considerable █
█ chops on the nuclear explosive "The Dumbing of the █
█ Stupid", which could easily have been heard on a █
█ Steve Wilson/Porcupine Tree release, as its epic █
█ in size, while spewing unfettered spittle and █
█ deliberate annoyance, the guitars ornately harsh, █
█ the bass firing on all cylinders and a drum attack █
█ that defines the musical warfare being foisted. █
█ The voice goes through various tones, encompassing █
█ the spectrum of emotions, laden with effects. █
█ These are no happy campers! █
█ One of Roger's favorite tunes is "Early Warning", █
█ a resilient ballad that proposes a gentle essay on █
█ three distinct life issues, a woman dealing with █
█ cancer, a sister affected by a brother's █
█ self-harming tendencies and village of people who █
█ are besieged. The voice is angelic and the █
█ entwined symphonics are drenched in pastoral █
█ serenity, Beggs' mellifluous bass swerving like a █
█ dervish in rapture delight. A beautiful and █
█ majestic piece. We return to maximum acceleration █
█ on the fuming title track "Tardigrades Will █
█ Inherit the Earth", a track inspired by the only █
█ guaranteed survivors of a nuclear Armageddon: █
█ cockroaches. Tardigrades are multi-cellular █
█ organisms that live in space, water and nuclear █
█ reactors and according to Beggs, will also inherit █
█ the world, whatever is left-over post mushroom █
█ clouds. The bruising pace is steered by Marco's █
█ jet-propelled pulse, allied with screaming guitars █
█ and scorching symphonic keyboards. Beggs growls, █
█ howls, screams and utters pain like a seasoned █
█ vocalist, quite the revelation, in my opinion. █
█ The highly evocative "Window on the Sun" is █
█ quirkily about computer criticism, seeing how the █
█ technology has provided huge advantages but also █
█ many negatives, namely apathy, desensitizing and █
█ superficiality. The throbbing bass offensive is █
█ entrancing, the soaring guitar arches brilliantly █
█ and terrific drum fills compound the thrill, as █
█ the voice laments the futility of retro-progress. █
█ Roger infuses some cool choir synthetics, once █
█ again uplifting the bombast. █
█ The brief "Lament" is way too short, a heartfelt █
█ Chapman Stick-led section, delicately stitched █
█ with acoustic guitar frills and elegant piano █
█ tinkling counterpoints. Orchestrated with subtle █
█ gentleness. This serves as a perfect intermezzo █
█ for the following 8 minute epic, "The Singing Fish █
█ from Batticaloa" is based on a strange lake in Sri █
█ Lanka that featured strange sounds from singing █
█ fish, even though the region was mired in the █
█ midst of a furious civil war. What were the fish █
█ singing about? Sweeping synths meander about, █
█ streaming into the air, as the bass bubbles and █
█ the drums ripple. Roger takes this piece and █
█ applies layers of orchestrated genius to make this █
█ quite the experience. The surreal and calm █
█ mid-section catches one unawares, sounding almost █
█ vintage Genesis-like circa Trespass, as the flute █
█ and mellotron shuffle by, acoustic guitar in tow. █
█ The pained vocal is truly majestic, here is a man █
█ who has clearly improved his vocal skills. The █
█ "Andromeda Strain" is an instrumental finale about █
█ the classic movie (one of my and Nick's favorite █
█ movies), a brief but evocative mini soundtrack █
█ about a virulent organism that threatens the █
█ planet, brought back 'accidentally' by a space █
█ probe. █
█ The album ends on another hallmark feature of the █
█ Mute Gods, a finale ballad of epic quality and █
█ deep-felt emotional disposition. The debut had the █
█ gorgeous ode to Beggs' daughter Lula "Father █
█ Daughter", while here we have a tribute to Beggs' █
█ wife on one hand and Nick finding some semblance █
█ of happiness at a time he thought that to be █
█ impossible . Disco queen and Cher fan (inside █
█ joke) Roger King adorns the crystalline █
█ arrangement with some attractive piano motifs and █
█ suave orchestrations to further enhance the sweet █
█ vocal , full of fragile beauty and earnest █
█ feelings, worn on the proverbial sleeve, a █
█ touching tribute from musicians who clearly love █
█ what they do. █
█ This project has a lot of important attributes in █
█ that it can be listened to as a pure entertainment █
█ on one hand , while also offering individual █
█ instrument pleasure auditions, as all three █
█ musicians sparkle and excel beyond the norm. My █
█ addiction to the bass guitar is well garnished █
█ here, Beggs using the bass (4 and 8 string), █
█ fretless and Chapman with unabashed brilliance. No █
█ wonder this band has won so many critics over as █
█ well as winning awards within and beyond the prog █
█ community. Seeing the interviews with Nick and █
█ Roger on their website proved to be a rather █
█ mercurial visit into their humorous character and █
█ generally engaging personality. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Saltatio Mortis 1:56 ░
░ 2. Animal Army 4:59 ░
░ 3. We Can't Carry On 5:11 ░
░ 4. The Dumbing of the Stupid 7:08 ░
░ 5. Early Warning 3:56 ░
░ 6. Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth 5:02 ░
░ 7. Window onto the Sun 6:00 ░
░ 8. Lament 2:01 ░
░ 9. The Singing Fish of Batticaloa 8:24 ░
░ 10. Hallelujah 5:50 ░
░ 11. The Andromeda Strain 2:56 ░
░ 12. Stranger Than Fiction 9:21 ░
░ 62:44 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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