TesseracT

[PixelDream]

Listened to the first half last night. It’s super produced slick proggy djent but for that genre/sound it doesn’t get any better, aside from Periphery who sound quite different.

[Lethean]

Listening to this for the first time now and maybe I'm jumping the gun but this is pretty awesome.  I'd prefer not quite so many harsh vocals but I might adjust to that as I listen more.  But wow.  I just finished Burden and it's 

[lonestar]

Listening to this for the first time now and maybe I'm jumping the gun but this is pretty awesome.  I'd prefer not quite so many harsh vocals but I might adjust to that as I listen more.  But wow.  I just finished Burden and it's 

I think Burden or Sacrifice is my fav, but it's really solid throughout.

[BlackInk]

I saw one reviewer say that the album is so clean you could eat off it 

Lol, yeah sounds about right.

The comparison to Periphery is interesting. Periphery's latest obviously sounds great, with a really beefy and nice full sound. But War of Being is just on another level for me. Just so clear and crisp, and absolutely packed with little sound design details that really makes the experience so rich.

[romdrums]

I’m enjoying it so far. Yesterday was the first chance I had to listen to it at a higher volume, and there were a few times I had to stop what I was doing to just focus on what was playing.  Burden was one that grabbed me like that.  Jay and Amos are a fantastic rhythm section!  Definitely looking forward to listening to this even more.

[Samsara]

Considering going to the tour. San Fran is on Halloween. The fam decided to pass, as my daughter, who loves Altered State and Ashe as a vocalist, really doesn't care to see Dan Tompkins sing the Altered State material. My wife would have went, but because its Halloween, and those two like to dress up, she's going to stay home and Halloween it all with our daughter.

I am on the fence about going to the show. I want to, but also feel bad missing Halloween. That said, my kid isn't a "kid" any longer, so maybe not a big deal. I really want to see them play a bunch of Altered State. So once the tour starts going, I'll decide. I cranked the first three tracks of the new record last Friday. Good stuff. I am going to listen again today.

[Lethean]

Are they supposed to be doing a lot of Altered State on the tour?

[Samsara]

Are they supposed to be doing a lot of Altered State on the tour?

Not sure, but it is the 10th anniversary of the album's release. They usually do several songs off of it.

I just got my ticket and decided to do the VIP thing because of the exclusive "stripped down" performance. The Regency typically has this stuff organized well, so I don't foresee any BS. Early merch is always good, as is early entry in a GA show. Should be fun. When I was last at a TesseracT show on the Altered State tour, (2014), the rhythm guitar player had a family issue and so he wasn't there, so they piped in his parts. And Ashe basically sang along with a lead vocal track they had piped in. It was very much a let down. One of the more disappointing shows I've been to. It was at the tiny DNA Lounge. The Regency is a lot more comfortable and spacious. I'm hoping that Dan fully sings live. I am assuming he does.

[Skeever]

Enjoyed it a lot, more thoughts tomorrow.

[lonestar]

Are they supposed to be doing a lot of Altered State on the tour?

Not sure, but it is the 10th anniversary of the album's release. They usually do several songs off of it.

I just got my ticket and decided to do the VIP thing because of the exclusive "stripped down" performance. The Regency typically has this stuff organized well, so I don't foresee any BS. Early merch is always good, as is early entry in a GA show. Should be fun. When I was last at a TesseracT show on the Altered State tour, (2014), the rhythm guitar player had a family issue and so he wasn't there, so they piped in his parts. And Ashe basically sang along with a lead vocal track they had piped in. It was very much a let down. One of the more disappointing shows I've been to. It was at the tiny DNA Lounge. The Regency is a lot more comfortable and spacious. I'm hoping that Dan fully sings live. I am assuming he does.

Got a ticket as well, and am 99% sure of upgrading to VIP, so I guess I'll see you in line. We can chat more as the show gets closer.


I had heard about Ashe's live issues a few times from different shows... I saw them a year later at DNA with Daniel, with Erra, Contortionists and Skyharbor opening, and even though Daniel was sick to the point where they almost cancelled, he still sounded solid (actually didn't find out he was sick till a few days later). They did all of Of Matter and it still remains a top 10 concert moment for me.

When I saw them a few years later at the UC theater, he was in full form and was fucking god teir. Here's a vid of Concealing Fate I took...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LyK-y1WSP8&t=200s



As to this album, it just keeps getting better and better and better. It's been on a constant loop for me since release day, and I have yet to find a moment I wanted to skip, I just aniticipate each moment more and more...

[PixelDream]

One very strong thing about this album is how varied and adventurous the vocals are. Very nice! Lots of development coming from the earlier albums.

[hefdaddy42]

I'm not going to get into a lot of hyperbole or anything, but this album is quite strong.  Definitely one of the best new releases I have heard so far this year.

[Mebert78]

Still haven't listened to the whole album yet, but in "Legion" the 3:20 mark to the end is just jaw-dropping.

[lonestar]

Still haven't listened to the whole album yet, but in "Legion" the 3:20 mark to the end is just jaw-dropping.

There are some certain moments in the album that definitely make me do a double take... like the absolutely sick bass work around the 2:30 mark on the title track, or the drum fills in the early parts of Sacrifice. And the layering of the vocals throughout the whole thing is mind blowing...very curious to see how they handle that live.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Finally made it to this one.  Hard to say on a first listen, but I could see it being their best since One for me.  The title track and "Burden" are the standouts at the moment.  Interesting to see how many rave reviews it's getting, and some aggregation rating sites have it as their highest-rated album.  It's always seemed like even though Dan has had a much longer tenure with them than Ashe, there were a ton of people who thought that Altered State was their best album and preferred Ashe with them.  I wonder if this album will shift any of those opinions. 

[krands85]

It's always seemed like even though Dan has had a much longer tenure with them than Ashe, there were a ton of people who thought that Altered State was their best album and preferred Ashe with them.  I wonder if this album will shift any of those opinions. 

I'm one of those people and the latest album hasn't changed that. Not sure it ever will either - for me, they just struck gold with Altered State.

I like all the Dan albums as well of course, but I haven't found War of Being to be a big step up on all the others he sings on. Still need to get my teeth in to it a bit more though, so that may change with a few more listens.

[Samsara]

It's always seemed like even though Dan has had a much longer tenure with them than Ashe, there were a ton of people who thought that Altered State was their best album and preferred Ashe with them.  I wonder if this album will shift any of those opinions. 

I'm one of those people and the latest album hasn't changed that. Not sure it ever will either - for me, they just struck gold with Altered State.

I like all the Dan albums as well of course, but I haven't found War of Being to be a big step up on all the others he sings on. Still need to get my teeth in to it a bit more though, so that may change with a few more listens.

I am with you. I still believe Altered State is their best album. Period. Nothing has come close to it. Part of it is the quality of Ashe's voice, part of it is the material, and part of it is just how it hit me at the time. I put it on after listening to War of Being, and nope, Altered State crushes in every regard.

I picked up a ticket for the tour with the hope I'll hear a bunch of AS live again, seeing as how its the 10th anniversary. I look forward to the other songs of cousre, but I'm going to see AS. As I related above, when I saw TesseracT on the AS tour, one of the guitarists wasn't there, so they piped in his parts, and Ashe was very disappointing live, singing to a backing track, and most of the time, the backing track was the lead vocal line, and he'd just come in when he felt like it. I walked away disgusted.

So, knowing that Dan is an excellent singer, I am hoping that he does the AS material justice, and actually sings the lead parts live.

[Lethean]

Sonder, despite how short it is, has actually been my favorite for a while.  Polaris and Altered State are pretty close for me.

I do find it interesting that people have such strong preferences between the singers.  They're certainly different from each other but to me they're both really well suited to Tesseract's music.  I don't know if that makes any sense.  I could imagine Dan singing the Altered State stuff and it sounding great, and that's exactly what did happen.  (Ashe was actually not that great live at all when I saw him, but I don't know if it's a thing or if he was just having a bad tour).

New album is sounding better and better each time I play it.

[Buddyhunter1]

I do prefer Ashe overall mostly because he sounds a lot more unique to me, but this new album is definitely the best performance Dan has given yet. He's definitely got more versatility.

[Samsara]

I really wish they would have Dan AND Ashe. I don't know what the relationship is like between those two singers, and Ashe and the rest of Tesseract, but their sound --- there is room for both of those guys. And I think they'd sound incredible WITH each other.

[Lethean]

Wow this album is just awesome. 

[Ben_Jamin]

I really wish they would have Dan AND Ashe. I don't know what the relationship is like between those two singers, and Ashe and the rest of Tesseract, but their sound --- there is room for both of those guys. And I think they'd sound incredible WITH each other.

It would sound amazing I think.

[romdrums]

I must be the only one in this thread who didn't think Ashe was all that great in Tesseract.  I thought his vocals were the weakest link on Altered State and, given how layered they were, I knew that they would be almost impossible to reproduce live without a substantial amount of tracks behind him.  I think Dan deserves props for being able to find a melody in all of those songs and being able to make them his own, without the need for all of the layers and layers of vocals that were created for the album.  Also, Dan brings it live.

Regarding the new album, I love it.  It's probably my AOTY at this point.  I think it's the culmination of everything they've set out to achieve.  The mix is massive, the songs are interesting and dynamic, and it really sounds like a total band effort. Current faves are The Grey, Legion, Burden and Sacrifice.

[goo-goo]

I must be the only one in this thread who didn't think Ashe was all that great in Tesseract.  I thought his vocals were the weakest link on Altered State and, given how layered they were, I knew that they would be almost impossible to reproduce live without a substantial amount of tracks behind him.  I think Dan deserves props for being able to find a melody in all of those songs and being able to make them his own, without the need for all of the layers and layers of vocals that were created for the album.  Also, Dan brings it live.

Regarding the new album, I love it.  It's probably my AOTY at this point.  I think it's the culmination of everything they've set out to achieve.  The mix is massive, the songs are interesting and dynamic, and it really sounds like a total band effort. Current faves are The Grey, Legion, Burden and Sacrifice.

You are not the only one. The AS live versions are leaps better than with Ashe. Would love a re-record of this album with Dan's vocals or a full live recording with Dan of AS. War of Being and Sleep Token's album are so far my top 2 so far.

[Lethean]

I guess I have the best of both worlds here. I like Ashe just fine, and Altered State is awesome.  I think the layered vocals sound really good on the album, but I also think the way Dan sings it live sounds great too.  I'm happy that Dan's the one in the band now, as he seems to be a better live singer and a better front man too. 

[Samsara]

The AS live versions are leaps better than with Ashe. Would love a re-record of this album with Dan's vocals or a full live recording with Dan of AS.

As someone who got into TesseracT with Altered State, I'd be up for that, honestly. I do prefer Ashe's tone, but Dan's no slouch and I like him. But I really feel like since Dan only missed that record, having a live version of him doing the whole thing makes sense.  Not to slight Ashe, because I think Altered State is brilliant as-is. But clearly, Ashe had issues singing live, and Dan does not.

[Ben_Jamin]

I must be the only one in this thread who didn't think Ashe was all that great in Tesseract.  I thought his vocals were the weakest link on Altered State and, given how layered they were, I knew that they would be almost impossible to reproduce live without a substantial amount of tracks behind him.  I think Dan deserves props for being able to find a melody in all of those songs and being able to make them his own, without the need for all of the layers and layers of vocals that were created for the album.  Also, Dan brings it live.

Regarding the new album, I love it.  It's probably my AOTY at this point.  I think it's the culmination of everything they've set out to achieve.  The mix is massive, the songs are interesting and dynamic, and it really sounds like a total band effort. Current faves are The Grey, Legion, Burden and Sacrifice.

Ashe likes to harmonize and that's what I feel makes Altered State is the vocal harmonies.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I must be the only one in this thread who didn't think Ashe was all that great in Tesseract.

I always feel like an outlier in preferring Dan and One, but I do still quite like Ashe and AS (and Voices From the Fuselage as well), so I guess you're even further from consensus than I am. 

[goo-goo]

I must be the only one in this thread who didn't think Ashe was all that great in Tesseract.

I always feel like an outlier in preferring Dan and One, but I do still quite like Ashe and AS (and Voices From the Fuselage as well), so I guess you're even further from consensus than I am.

I actually like him in Voices From The Fuselage. The first album is great, the second was not that good but Ashe was still good.

[BlackInk]

I already knew that War of Being and Burden would be bangers, so no real surprise that they're among the best on the album. The biggest surprises are probably Sacrifice and Sirens, which are both wonderful. Legion is also growing on me since I first heard it. That entire last section is monstrous.

Really the only track I'm not really feeling is Natural Disaster. It's still a really cool song, but not quite on the same level as the rest. There are some really cool sections that I really like, but the vocal melodies feel a bit too jumbled and unfocused when compared to the rest of the album. Cool rhythms underneath though.

As of right now, my rankings are probably

War of Being
Sacrifice
Burden
Sirens
Legion
Tender
The Grey
Echoes
Natural Disaster

The top two may switch depending on how I feel that day. I also feel weird putting great songs like The Grey and Tender so far down, but I guess that just speaks to the strength of the album.

On the Dan vs Ashe debate: I really like Ashe on Altered State, and think that's a really strong album. It's a good thing Ashe's vocals are so layered on that album, because when they're not as layered on the VFtF stuff he can sound a bit weak (although that stuff is still also pretty good). I've always preferred Dan, partially because there's more power to his voice, and he just feels more stable, but also because he's so versitile, and likes to experiment with as many different techniques he can fit into a song. Much more exciting in my opinion.

[Mebert78]

Well, I finally had the chance to get multiple listens under my belt this weekend and... WOW.  Bold statement here, but I feel like this is one of the greatest progressive metal albums of all-time.  Everything about this album is fucking perfect.  And this is coming from someone who for the past decade has been an Ashe O'Hara fanboy.  Altered State is in my top 10 favorite albums, and I've felt like the band would never be able to recreate the magic from that record.  The band's past two discs with Daniel Tompkins on vocals did very little for me and I haven't listened to them much since their releases.  I was even ready to cast the band off as a one-album wonder for me.  But this record changes everything.  Dan Tompkins totally killed it in every way possible -- lyrically vocally, everything.  What a masterful performance from him.  Damn.  This album is a masterpiece and Dan has catapulted himself into the genre's top vocalists.  This album is mature and introspective and powerful and so many other things.  Also, I love the way the band disappeared for a few years and then re-emerged with this behemoth of a record.  You can tell they basically crafted and re-crafted these songs musically and lyrically over the course of several years until they felt like they completed nailed it.  What a journey this album is.  I'm so pumped to see these songs performed live next week in NYC.  I'm even temped to splurge for a VIP ticket.  Album of the year.  No question.  Tesseract is back, baby! \m/     

[cramx3]

After RJ's recommendation in the AOTY thread, here I am.  Not familiar with their music overall, but I saw they are playing in NYC and i have a livenation discount that expires before the end of the year for $20 off a ticket for a concert at the venue they are playing at.  So I started listening, not muhc yet, but what I've heard has my interest.  I'll be checking out the new album this week, but I think I'm fairly sure I'll be going to the show on Friday the 13th!

[LithoJazzoSphere]

And this is coming from someone who for the past decade has been an Ashe O'Hara fanboy.  Altered State is in my top 10 favorite albums, and I've felt like the band would never be able to recreate the magic from that record.  The band's past two discs with Daniel Tompkins on vocals did very little for me and I haven't listened to them much since their releases.  I was even ready to cast the band off as a one-album wonder for me.  But this record changes everything.  Dan Tompkins totally killed it in every way possible -- lyrically vocally, everything.  What a masterful performance from him.  Damn.  This album is a masterpiece and Dan has catapulted himself into the genre's top vocalists.

This is the sort of comment I was wondering if I might finally start seeing.  For me he's already been one of the top vocalists, but he may have even gone up a level on this one.  People ought to dig into more of his work though, he's done quite a lot, with Skyharbor, White Moth Black Butterfly, ZETA, First Signs of Frost, Earthside, Chimp Spanner, Haji's Kitchen, Piano, Absent Hearts, Voyager, In Colour, and his solo work, he's kind of becoming the Speed Strid of prog-djent. 

[Mebert78]

Days later, and I'm still totally hooked on this album.  I have it playing in my car, on my iPod while I walk, at home in background on Alexa, on my headphones while I work in the office, etc.  I'm feeling like this is one of those perfect progressive metal albums that only happens a few times in a lifetime when a band matures together and reaches their creative peak after years of playing together -- like Queensryche's Empire or Fates Warning's A Pleasant Shade of Gray.  There's something that's possible when you have young, hungry and excellent musicians who have maintained the same band lineup for a period of time.  It's like they become one.  Everything just clicks in a special way.  And the desire to challenge themselves is admirable.  I just feel like this is one of those landmark albums in the genre.  I'm blown away in every way. 

[Lethean]

Empire??  No this album is way better than that.

Comparing it to A Pleasant Shade of Gray is much more flattering.

In any case, I'm playing this album quite a lot myself.  I don't know that I'll consider it one of the best ever, but it's awesome.