Though Darwin might have had many different theories his most memorable was that of evolution, during a time when such an idea would be seen as ludicrous the man single handedly was responsible for one of the most important discoveries in mankind’s history. From the microscopic beginnings a single celled organisms to the slow growth evolution is relative throughout our planet. Leading to humans having the prestigious accolade of top of the food chain after we began to stand up.
[tracklist]
1. Dystopia
2. Hexes
3. Survival
4. Tourniquet
5. Utopia
6. Phoenix
7. Messenger
8. Cages
9. Seven Names
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]46:00[/length]
[record_label]Kscope[/record_label]
[release_date]September 18th 2015[/release_date]
[/details]
Beginning in their infancy Tesseract first unveiled their quintessential sound with their incredibly ambitious debut album One. Though a good idea in practice the execution was slightly out, with the Concealing Fate suite working marvellously followed by the slightly lost final tracks. Then came the arrival of the age of Altered State where Tesseract capitalised on the ideas from their previous effort but presented them in a slick and well put together way. Featuring the addition of brand new vocalist Ashe O’ Hara the biggest significance of the record was the absence of the previously harsh vocals.
With the announcement of O’ Hara‘s departure the band re-enlisted original singer Dan Tompkins to return to the helm as Tesseract’s frontman. Begging the question that will Polaris be a step into progression or regression. Easily one of the album’s highlights and Tompkins‘ finest work to date, we’re bathed in the serene melodies of “Hexes” where we see the band begin to assimilate soundscapes into their arsenal.
One of the fundamental ingredients of Tesseract is the harmony of both bass an drums particularly in the robotic clangs of “Utopia” beginning as a simple drum and bass line, slowly harvesting energy throughout the song until the final release where both guitars and Tompkins versatile vocal delivery gives a sense of space age Rage Against The Machine. Followed later by yet another example of the band’s ability to create fluctuation in vocal delivery without incorporating harsher vocals with the slightly distorted single “Messenger”
Among the air tight musical delivery the band have also brought in more elements of keys to recreate that blissful sense of space, peppered with melody makes fora cosmos of isolation. Particularly on the outer reaches of the album tracks like “Cages” marry the two styles with the pneumatic riffing working in tandem with the disparate melodies. Which personally could have done without the final screaming section. Finale “Seven Names” opens with a distant awakening before building up to the record’s zenith before the return to departure.
Accuracy is also one of Tesseract’s most important allies on the new record second single “Survival” takes the triumphant vocal delivery coupled with the metallic rubber band sounding guitar tone, which is worthy of a mention for being some of the best production out this year. No instrument over shadowing the mix or taking prevalence. Until one of the best choruses the band have put out, building anticipation with the sudden addition of melody from all corners the track works both excellently as a single entity or a conglomerate.
Like their iconic logo Tesseract work multi dimensionally, on the surface a simple geometric structure yet dig deeper and the shape conceals an innumerable amount of forms with an unlimited way of representing themselves. Altered State was a fantastic stepping stone for the band giving them the opportunity to understand that sometimes less is more but with Polaris the Darwinian prophecy has been fulfilled, Tesseract have stood up.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]Tesseract have returned back to their roots with singer Dan Tompkins, capitalising on their Altered State teachings the band have excelled in every way possible on the captivating, exhilarating absolutely exceptional Polaris. [/why]
