The Progressive Souls Collective – Sonic Rebirth (2024)
Artist: The Progressive Souls Collective
Album: Sonic Rebirth
Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Metalville Records
Year Of Release: 2024
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Tracklist:
1. Part I: About to Leave (2:44)
2. Part II: I Am Here (5:53)
3. Part III: Of My Senses (8:06)
4. Part IV: Destroy Chemistry (5:22)
5. Part V: Talk to Me (4:56)
6. Part VI: Copies Don’t Exist (3:55)
7. Part VII: The Core (12:11)
8. Part VIII: Goodbye to Love (2:37)
Personnel:
– Florian Zepf / electric, pedal-steel & acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, lead (2) & backing vocals, programming, percussion, compositions, production
– Vladimir Lalic / lead & backing vocals
– Jamie Powell / bass
– Zsolt Kaltenecker / keyboards
– Gerald Peter / keyboards, piano
– Tim Korycki / drums
With:
– Megan Burtt / lead vocals (5)
– Simen Børven / bass (5)
– Adam Marko / drums (5)
– Damiano Della Torre / accordion (5)
– Luis Conte / percussions (3)
– Isaac Alderson / Uillean pipes & flutes (1)
– Aneesh Kashalikar/ duduk (4, 7)
– Maria Grigoryeva / violin, viola & cello (7)
TPSC are back with full force: “Sonic Rebirth” begins where the first album ended, both musically and lyrically. Vocalist Vladimir Lalic once again begins with the words “I Am Here”, which also mark the first and last words on “Sonic Birth.” It marks the logical continuation of its predecessor “Sonic Birth”, and can be understood as the second part of a musical, lyrical and overall sonic concept. With this record to already be the second concept album released by TPSC listeners can find elements they might recognize from the first album such as quotes, references, motifs and melodies besides a lot of new elements. Thematically, both “Sonic Birth” and “Sonic Rebirth” touch on the topic of human development and technology, visually characterized by the robot embryo as a major part of the artwork on both album covers.
The album has eight movements, and “About to Leave” is first. One could call it and introduction to the album. The guitar tones are smooth, followed by keyboards, and recorder notes. The general air of the song is positive as well. It segues into “I Am Here,” which has a choppy guitar section and heavy bass notes, and one thing that the listener will notice right away is the strong musicianship of the band. As with a lot of Progressive elements, the song does take some twists and turns and key changes, but the general pattern remains. “Of My Senses” is a nearly nine-minute opus. At times, they shift through darker passages on the journey, which it is fundamentally. The also flirt with some pretentiousness, but what Prog album doesn’t, as vocalist Victor reaches into the upper ranges with ease.
“Destroy Chemistry” also has a dark tone in the beginning, from the heavy, monotonous riff. Keyboards mix in, and the entire composition starts to take shape. It reminds me of a recluse wizard nefariously mixing chemicals in his tower. “Talk to Me” is slower, more sensual, and even a bit seductive. You can hear the pleas in his voice as he repeats the chorus. It’s a charming sound, and the leads are also very well done. “Copies Don’t Exist” is another darker offering, and taken as a whole, these shifts in the sound follow the themes of the album outlined in the biography. “The Core” is a 12-minute beast, and represents the centrality of the tale. Again, much of the tale is dark and ominous, perhaps a warning to mankind of the dangers of technology.
“Goodbye to Love” closes the album. As the title suggests, it’s a sweet little song, but I do question the use of this kind of song after such a heavier hand earlier on the album. However, it does provide a nice reprieve to said darker and heavier subject matter, and it shows the band’s willingness to be playful and even whimsical. Despite the fantastic musicianship of the band, and their exploratory leanings, I have to admit, the album was hard to follow at times, so it might need a second or even third listen to fully grasp.
By Dave “That Metal Guy” Campbell
