Album Of The Year 2013 – Number 7
Day 14 of my ‘Album of the Year 2013’ countdown. I don’t know about you all, but it feels like day 40! Thanks again for sticking with me and I really hope that some of yhou may have discovered something new to get your teeth stuck into. If not, I hope that at the very least, it has helped to affirm what is the cream of a very impressive crop throughout 2013.
And so, here’s my choice at Number 7…
THOUGHT CHAMBER
‘Psykerion’
InsideOut Music
Those of you who loyally follow my blog will already be fully aware of Thought Chamber and their latest, magnificent opus ‘Psykerion’ as I reviewed it at length a months or so back. If you missed that review, it can be read here. However, to shamefully plagiarise my own material, here’s a truncated version to help convince you all that this album is extremely worthy of my Number 7 spot for 2013.
Having owned the band’s only other release, 2007’s “Angular Perceptions” for a number of years and not being bowled over by it, I wasn’t expecting “Psykerion” to be anything overly special either. Admittedly, the band is comprised largely of new members with only founding member Michael Harris and vocalist Ted Leonard (Enchant, Spock’s Beard) remaining from the debut. But even so, I was not prepared by how wrong I’d end up being.
As I wrote in my full review, Thought Chamber have not lost sight of what matters most and whilst their fare is unmistakeably progressive metal, they deliver music that is not just technical but that is full of atmosphere, variety and bursting with melodic intent. The tracks are not overly long either, with only a couple sitting around the eight-minute mark, making the experience less daunting and more easily digestible.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll6m7sXZVHM&w=420&h=315]
Fusion and jazz influences lurk around every corner but do not overstay their welcome. At it’s core, “Psykerion” is a metal record and so guitar riffs and impressive chops are prominent, as is a very strong and powerful rhythm section. There are some elongated instrumental passages but when mixed with some nice acoustic guitar work and layers of rich, futuristic synths, the music ends up being thoroughly entertaining and full of variety.
Quite simply, this is one of the best albums that I have head within my favourite genre during 2013. I can give it no bigger compliment than that. Read the full review here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soAOinOZZEk&w=560&h=315]
Links to the rest of my Top 20 list so far…
Day 1 – Number 20
Day 2 – Number 19
Day 3 – Number 18
Day 4 – Number 17
Day 5 – Number 16
Day 6 – Number 15
Day 7 – Number 14
Day 8 – Number 13
Day 9 – Number 12
Day 10 – Number 11
Day 11 – Number 10
Day 12 – Number 9
Day 13 – Number 8
Remember, if you missed out on last year’s list, you can read my Top 20 of 2012 right here.
