Thanks for keeping the discussion alive, guys.
Sorry about the fact I missed an update yesterday, work came in the way and I got back home quite late. Now that I worked my ass for the last two and a half weeks and the project I worked on is finished and now is in production as of 2 P.M. today, I'm back home and getting ready to head out to my favourite local bar, and the winter holidays have officially begun for me, let us finish this list. Three days left in 2018, and I've got three albums to rave and ramble about.
#3
I Am Anonymous
Headspace
Genre: progressive metal
2012
Recommended to me by: lonestar
Damian Wilson is quite well-known in progressive circles, with his work in
Threshold, this band and Arjen Lucassen-related projects; but when my turn to host my roulette came, I only knew him from Ayreon and Star One. While I really liked him on songs like
And the Druids Turn to Stone and
Intergalactic Space Crusaders, for some reason (because of how smooth his voice is, probably) I assumed both Headspace and Threshold were making some kind of mild progressive rock, and as I’m apparently an idiot, I didn’t bother to check them out. That was quickly rectified by RJ in, I think, Round 3—he sent me
Die with a Bullet, keeping the 10 minutes limit in mind, and while I didn’t
love it like I did, say, Agalloch songs, the tune was pretty interesting, and the song definitely packed a punch and wasn’t in any realm of mild progressive rock. Some time down the line, I listened to it and that was one of the most astounding musical experiences in my life.
First of all, I did not expect it to have that many metal moments, even after
Die with a Bullet. I guess I assumed they had put all the metal in one song. Boy, was I wrong on that notion. But the beauty here is the blend of all-out metal and the delicate acoustic moments, of which there are also plenty. The contrast between them, and the way the transitions work on this album is nothing short of fascinating. Except for the short and one of the most touching ballads I know called
Soldier, the song structures on this album are unpredictable in the best way. Songs are flowing from the verses to different kinds of verses and to occasional choruses, punctuated by riffs and melodies that’ll stuck in your head for days, and just when you think it can’t get more epic then that, the next song contradicts you.
This album didn’t become my gateway into other work by Damian, as I wasn’t that impressed with Threshold albums with him on vocals, and neither had I ended up checking his solo work, even though I think someone (ErHaO?) sent me one of his solo songs later; and even the second Headspace album was underwhelming at best, not only failing to live up to the greatness of this record and to the overall hype, but even failing to sustain at least half of the quality. I guess the spark of brilliance they captured on this album is quite elusive.
That being said, I did meet Damian last year before the Ayreon show, and by “meet”, I mean that Damian was at the venue entrance shaking everyone’s hands, and to be honest, that little bit was enough for me to appreciate him even more. Things like that—going out of your way to enrich the fans experience of the show—will probably never fail to elevate my opinion of the famous musicians. I don’t know about anyone else and I don’t remember discussing it with the other DTFers at the show, but I didn’t think I could’ve been more excited about the show, and yet that one brief handshake brought the excitement to eleven. And then watching him nail the aforementioned
And the Druids Turn to Stone and
Intergalactic Space Crusaders… well, I may not be a fan of everything Damian have put out during his musical career, but it’s clear he’s very passionate about his work, and I admire him for that.
I wonder if he’ll do this handshake thing again in 2019!
Favourite songs:
Fall of America (
YouTube,
Spotify),
Soldier (
YouTube,
Spotify),
In Hell’s Name (
YouTube,
Spotify),
The Big Day (
YouTube,
Spotify)