The absolute best news this summer was the announcement of a new album by the British prog-metal juggernaut, TESSERACT, to be released in September. What made this news especially exciting was the simultaneous release of the music video for the leading single – the album’s gargantuan title track, “War of Being.” It turned out to be an 11-minute onslaught of polyrhythmic prog mayhem sprinkled with all the signature quirks of the band. Along with the news, the band announced the dates for the upcoming tour, including two shows set in Finland, scheduled for February 2024. I have somehow managed to miss every TESSERACT show in this neck of the woods so far, so guess who’s going to fix that once and for all? The word on the street is that this bunch is the “Royale with cheese” when it comes to live action! Set to be released on September 15th, 2023, via KScope, the new album marks the fifth installment in the band’s prestigious catalog where each new album has had a habit of outperforming the previous one, time and time again. Their previous outing “Sonder” (2018) added a whole new dimension to their signature sound, prompting one to think these Brits could not possibly get any better. Now, they drop an album that offers yet another 360-degree view into the quantum realm of progressive metal and, after a few spins, it becomes increasingly clear that this is by far their most immersive and haunting effort to date.
Let’s start by dissecting the first single. It was no small feat that the samurai-themed video for “War of Being” gathered 100,000 views on YouTube in less than 24 hours. Well, I for one, had to watch it a couple of times straight away to get to the bottom of the song; the first things that jumped at me were vocalist Daniel Tompkins‘ screams and growls – we hadn’t heard those in a good while, not properly since the band’s 2011 debut “One.” Next, I couldn’t help but notice that the harsh vocals were indeed in order as the song kicked off with an almost deathcore-brutal and straightforward footing altogether. Before the song reaches the 3-minute mark, the band’s old quirks begin to surface, though – those beautiful, polyrhythmic, and brain-twisting riffs layered with the oh-so-lovely atmospheric coating. Tompkins also switches to his signature cherubic vocals eventually. The rest of the song plays on the band’s strengths, stating the obvious: “We are so back, boys!” Yeah, it’s been 5 years since the last full-length! By virtue of being the first single off the album, I guess it was a no-brainer to drop an 11-minute samurai boss-battle video to convey the idea of drawing out the weapons for a serious face-off once again.
In August, the band not only teased their fanboys with yet another single, “The Grey,” but also dropped a mind-wrenching visualizer comprised of gameplay footage of the band’s new video game bearing the album’s title. The game was released exclusively on Steam upon the release of the new single and the visualizer video beautifully recalls the haunting nocturnal visuals of Project Horizon Zero Dawn – a video-game title which I hold in a particularly high regard for its visual look and soundtrack! If that doesn’t get you hyped up, I guess nothing ever will. Alas, I do not belong to the upper echelons of gamers – that PC-based aristocracy – as I play console games exclusively, so I guess I cannot give this TESSERACT game a go; however, judging by the visualizer alone, it looks pretty stunning! Coming to think about it, it’s quite peculiar that bands in this day and age have not taken on the challenge to bridge the gap between video games and music more seriously.
Two days before the album release, fans were treated to yet another single – personally, the best so far! – entitled “Legion.” One thing that I couldn’t but notice first was that Tompkins‘ vocal range has probably never sounded so broad as on this song. On top of that, it sounds as though the band as a whole has packed every inch of its haunting brilliance into 5 minutes! In the verses, Amos Williams drops his signature off-kilter bass grooves on widescreen ambient soundscapes, recalling some of the most evocative moments from “Altered State” (2013) and, then, when Tompkins belts out, you cannot but be reminded of the punchiest tracks from their debut.
At this point, having only listened to the three single cuts, I was already poised to fall head over heels for the album – and when I got to check out the rest of the tracks, they did not let me down! The album selection opens with “Natural Disaster,” a track that serves a curve ball of mind-bending riffs and vocal layers that could make EARTH, WIND & FIRE jealous. Yeah, these seemingly very disparate bands share one other thing in common, too – they both lay down a boogie that’s so funky it should probably be illegal. It’s one thing to construct djenty polyrhythms for the sake of sounding weird but a whole another ball game to craft such rhythm fractals and make them groove like hell! There are two bands that have mastered this craft beyond what is perhaps humanly possible: MESHUGGAH and TESSERACT, although I don’t think either of these titans should be dubbed djent outfits – they’re something much more.
By the second track, “Echoes,” it becomes crystal clear that this time around these prog sages are reaching far beyond what even the most die-hard fans probably were expecting of them. If my memory serves me right, TESSERACT has not been toying around with pop hooks this audaciously before. Perhaps this feature is something Tompkins has brought along from his years in WHITE MOTH BLACK BUTTERFLY. I’m not complaining! Ever since the premiere of the MESHUGGAH-versus-LADY–GAGA mashup, “Bleedarazzi,” from 2011, I’ve been saying that mainstream pop melodies and djenty riffs go together like bread and butter!
The band members themselves have already dubbed this outing as one of the most important albums they have ever done. Even ignoring the accompanying video game or the novel-in-progress by the same title by bassist Williams, it is easy to agree. I’m sure the band has challenged themselves before but this time it seems as though they had decided to make this particular effort BIG! Perhaps it was telling that the limited edition of “Sonder” came with an additional, binaural mix of the album almost as though the band were aspiring for something very special already at that time.
In the middle of all the atmospheric riffathons, “Tender” revisits the tranquil waters of the EP, “Errai,” released in 2016, although toward the end of the song, things get a bit murkier and punchier. This leads quite neatly into the title track’s epic soundscapes. “War of Being” is easily the longest track in the band’s whole back catalog but the length is not the only merit that makes the song a genuine milestone for this bunch. They should make more songs like this! Yeah, absolutely! TESSERACT is a prog band, after all, and for such a prolific prog outfit, they have dropped awfully few plus-10-minute epics!
Electronic elements are another thing these prog ruffians have utilized quite scarcely in their previous efforts. Here, “Sirens” sets out with the galloping beat of a drum machine and atmospheric guitar textures traversing a melancholy terrain that is subtly reminiscent of the dreamy electronica of NEON FIELDS. The meter of the riffs is just closer to quantum mechanics, here. Nonetheless, there is something quite similar in the delivery of emotion and, in fact, the following track, “Burden,” comes off even more similar, in spirit, to the conduct of of this Bristol duo – especially during the verses.
Recalling their haunting 2011 debut “One,” this new TESSERACT offering brings things to a close with a 9-minute prog treatise that deals with our inner conflicts. As it happens, the closing track from the debut, “Eden,” is not only one of my favorite TESSERACT tracks, but it is also one of the best album closers ever! However, “Sacrifice” on this new album comes pretty close. Maybe, if I gave this song 10 years to gather emotional momentum, it would have precisely the same impact on me. It is quite a trip already!
To quote the press release, “War of Being” is “an immersive voyage through conflict, confusion, enlightenment and resolution.” Yes, it bloody well is! “Polaris” (2015) and “Sonder” (2018) were more of that slow-growing type. This new endeavor is an instant killer. Yeah, I know that I will sound like an insufferable fanboy here but this is the band’s best album to date, no questions asked. The year 2023 has been rather extraordinary so far, in terms of prog albums, and this definitive selection of quantum prog of the highest caliber is arguably the pinnacle of them all. Prog album of the year? Who knows…
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Natural Disaster
- Echoes
- The Grey
- Legion
- Tender
- War of Being
- Sirens
- Burden
- Sacrifice
Lineup
Daniel Tompkins – vocals
Amos Williams – bass
Jay Postones – drums
Acle Kahney – lead guitars
James Monteith – rhythm guitars
Label
KScope
