As is the case for many prog heads, my panorama of tastes can vary from one end of the prog spectrum to the other, and I daresay, that it can often travel in all four cardinal directions, always searching for that refined connection of impactful resonance. Roland is a highly gifted artist from Switzerland that I have been religiously following as well as reviewing his previous magnum opus “Emnaloc” in 2022. Though some may find comfort in pigeon-holing stylistically every musician, the Rogue prefers to keep the focus on the idiosyncrasies of each and everyone of them as much as possible, by offering comment on influences only as a sonic guiding light. For those who enjoy instrumental exploration of the likes of Stephan Thelen (Fractal, Sonar etc..), the Summers-Fripp collaborations and the mighty David Torn, Roland offers a thought-provoking and innovative take in that he clearly selects melodic content as a prefect companion for the atmospherics as well as the impeccably delivered technique of his playing as a one -man multi-instrumentalist. Well stocked with a variety of guitars, keyboards and electronics, and a miscellaneous set of percussives, which may include the kitchen faucet, tap and basin, he is able to stitch a web of vivid sonic images that never seem to falter into outright noisy disturbances, a focus that is as precise as those amazing watches the land is famous for.
Being also a most accomplished photographer, this album offers seven snapshots of musical perceptions and transforming them into sonic impressions, using all kinds of techniques, from counterpoint, polyphony and modulation to exploration of fourth and fifth chord patterns, riffs and improv.
On the ominously screeching opener, the seismic percussive columns dart out of the ground like some a well-manicured stone forest, the screwdriving guitar eruptions supplying all the emotional turmoil to the rhythmic severity. The throbbing bass generously marshaling the space with well-defined ballasts, this is musical witchcraft at its finest, setting the audacious tone from the outset.
The epic title track suggests nearly a dozen minutes of intense yet somehow contemplative sonic scenarios, an instrumental fruit salad with flavorful grapefruit guitar slices, black cherry blossom bass, tangy orange organ and savory plum drums. Symbolism, imagery and fantasy roam rampant amid the grooves.
This is followed by a more supernatural interpretation of images, that skim the edges of spiritual contemplation and the surrender of one’s soul to a higher authority, as if witnessing the revelations at Fatima, fervently accepting of their message to humanity. Sky-scraping shafts of guitar columns contribute to a sense of upward movement, effusively penetrating layers of thoughtful sonorities, with clanging percussive parameters.
On the rather oblique but highly rational 10-minute romp “Camouflaging”, a term for a technique applied by ‘autistic people to be perceived as neurotypical’, a tremendously challenging and hypnotic experience that requires stamina, fortitude and concentration, reaching a higher level of investigation than even the most experimental offerings. Some of the obsessive guitar tones, phrasings and riffs are out of this word, not too far from Frippian madness, like a spectrally concealed sniper with focus and patience.
Anatolian spirituality expressed, as if inspired by Gobekli Tepe, the windswept carves a monastic bass exercise on “Hesychasm”, a stimulating bass solo that just made my day, deeply reflective and mystical, gently infusing a wide variety of notes on the initially subdued guitar. Halfway through, slippery electronic cliffs render the atmosphere into harsher realms, the subterranean bass still keeping the tension bearable.
With “Exteroception”, the outwardly expression is one of complete opposite to the previous introspective material, a more linear, focused jungle rhythm that flourishes in syncopated exuberance, as if slashing the machetes thought dense shrubbery, tortuous lianas and threatening vines. Nothing sounds overtly harsh, quite the contrary, Roland expresses a reflective pathway to discovery that is resplendent with sophisticated notes and bright atmospheres, picking up pace halfway through as the transition evolves into a spirited chase. A magnificent slice of captivating music that permits the listener to imagine its own perceptions of what each note depicts.
The finale “Onomatopeic” is, as the name may imply, a repetitive guitar phrasing that layers on a variety of sonic alliances, far from soporific or dull, seeking to add a modicum of finality to the entire gamut of perceptions presented in each of the preceding “snapshots”. An unexpectedly fluid guitar line a la vintage Carlos Santana appears out of the nowhere, a brilliant idea at the most opportune time and place.
Roland is one of those artists every demanding music lover should contemplate having in one’s collection. Every audition will yield some distinctive perspective, as if channeling the ability to perceive sonic images in whatever receptive mode one decides to select. That is not only talent but its also prog at its finest.
5 Metaphors
