Review By t-man
Hello Folks,
Montreal based progressive metal band Transcend have finally gifted us with brilliant masterpiece debut double cd “The Mind” on Melodic Revolution Records that times in at 84 minutes.
The band consists of Constantine Damoulianos on guitar and vocals, Alexi Lagogianis on keyboards, Nico Damoulianos on bass and Jake Shamash on Drums.
I have to confess that it is bands like Transcend that keep progressive music alive by breaking all boundaries of songwriting by combining elements of hard rock, progressive metal ,progressive rock with new age overtones done on their terms without worry of trendy one dimensional genres. The music being definitely progressive metal also has many dynamics that include acoustic thought provoking passages, beautiful ballad-like melodies and full on technical metallic guitar and keyboard dualing that shows the entire bands musical capabilities. “The Mind” is a concept album of a simple and immature reality of a child experiencing lessons of life and love and the 45 minute epic (cd 2) completes this journey as a free and open mind.
This album took me several listens to fully grasp and understand what Transcend was expressing and even while I write this review I know I have not fully tapped into their creation and to me that is what true progressive music is about. The experience of “The Mind” has so many layers it is simply unfair call them a metal band as they have created probably the deepest piece of music I have heard in years is sure to drop jaws and raise eyebrows. Vocally, Constantine has a soft yet expressive approach but can really belt it out when the song calls for it, and mind you he is also playing extremely technical guitar parts while doing so which would make a Transcend show a must see. Alexi’s keyboards are very prominent and perfectly executed in every song which compliments the amazing guitar work of Constantine as well as their counterparts Nico and Jake who are pure magic as well.
This album is pure mental aerobics in the sense that with every listen you will tap into something new. This will appeal to fans of melodic hard rock, Dream Theater, King’s X, Yes, Crimson King and much more, they have it all covered for fans of ANY musical genre will find something to love about Transcend. This is a must hear and will make my top 5 all-time albums, it’s simply that good.
Please come and experience “The Mind” of Transcend.
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