By John Sturm
Do you know what I love about prog? Apart from the musical dexterity and lengthy instrumental passages I love the storytelling in some areas of prog. For some bands it’s not enough to simply release an album, each song has to musically or lyrically connect. I love it. From Genesis’ ‘Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ to Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ and Spocks Beard’s ‘Snow’, the more epic the story, the more I seem to fall in love with the album. And blow me down but Thought Chamber have only gone and released a blinder of a concept album in the form of Psykerion.
I’ll hand you over to Thought Chamber’s musical brain Michael Harris who tells us that: “”Psykerion" is a concept album, lyrically somewhere between sci-fi and a human drama, and musically somewhere between the furious and the tranquil. The story takes place well into the future and is told from the eyes of a young boy, Avakus. While witnessing a perilous mission aboard the futuristic city-like ship, Kerakryps-One, as it traverses through the galaxy of Psykerion, Avakus’ life is forever altered, causing him to reflect on and question his own life, as well as the objectives & destiny of all mankind.”
Blimey.
As crackers as that storyline sounds, it’s nothing compared to the music on offer in the hour that follows. And that’s a GOOD thing. From the Oxygene-esque opening of ‘Exodus’ which segues into a marching riff and more fret board widdling than you can shake a Petrucci at. But that’s not as far as Thought Chamber’s palette runs. Oh no. If you’re expecting yet another Dream Theater sound-alike you should probably put this album back and head home. ‘Psykerion: The Question’ has an almost flamenco vide running throughout, ‘Behind The Eyes of Ikk’ has the most wonderfully jazz-meets-electronica section that it’s hard not to break into a big smile at the sheer audacity of it all.
I have to single out the track ‘Light Year Time’ for a special mention as well. Not since The Floyd’s ‘Money’ has there been a song so commercially appealing that utilises a beat that is a bugger to dance to (and yes I know from experience... hey, this reviewing lark is not all music and illicit substances. Sometimes we have to dance around our kitchens too. In the name of journalism. Honest). ‘Light Year Time’ may be a bit too oddball for mainstream radio, but it is certainly a fantastic introduction to Thought Chamber.
Making music in 2013 has become much easier to do thanks to the internet. And this is a good thing. Thought Chamber’s individual members recorded their parts in their home studio and then sent the tracks over to Michael Harris. I bring this up simply to draw your attention to how phenomenal this band is as individuals and as a unit. Even without being in the same room recording their parts, there is a cohesiveness to this band that belies their physical distance. The stellar vocals of Ted Leonard (he of Spocks Beard fame) on ‘Transcend’, ebbing and flowing, the rhythm section of bassist Jeff Plant and drummer Mike Haid pins everything down whilst roaming around like a drunken uncle at a wedding. Keyboardist Bill Jenkins weaves in and out with deft touches and broad strokes to add colour where necessary. T
Covering, reggae, jazz, metal, rock, guitar histrionics, a bit of lounge, Thought Chamber have created an excellent progressive album – in the real sense of the word. It’s bonkers, it’s diverse, it’s epic and, most importantly, it’s fun!
