Shibbster tweets about: Lead Inc's "Mirage"
Shibbster tweets about: Lead Inc's "Mirage"
Heya - what’s up people? I am finally back with an album review again. This one is prior to the actual release date again and thus, I am even more excited to share my thoughts about what is going to await you behind the doors to Lead Inc’s „MIRAGE“.
Before we dive right into it, let me just quickly tell you that I got to know Lead Inc back in 2015, when I was organizing my solo-project’s farewell show - I was looking for awesome support bands on the internet and chose Lead Inc. -> Turned out to be their first gig ever and they CRUSHED it! (In case you weren’t there, you missed out big time…)
So - shall we? Ready, set, GO!
01. - Alice
Alice opens up with a 2-minute-intro section that really is setting the kind of the scene in your ears that you would expect from looking at the cover picture. It is somewhat dark but energetic without being too dramatic. When the band kicks in full-on, you really get a sense of what is expecting you for the next hour: ultimately grooving progressive rock in such an epic „easy“ manner, that it might sound a little new to you as well. I totally love it, as it kind of takes me away. The polyrhythms really do work together and sound round without breaking a groove. Also the vocals function as a pretty nice „blanket“ over the instruments as the „monsters under your bed“. Alice has a constant subtle suspense that keeps you excited while you drift away in thoughts on the other hand. Also, despite the song taking a rather slow development, it didn’t really feel like a full 10-minute giant to me - more like a song consisting of three chapters: the last three minutes feel a little like a new song but really have the potential of breaking your neck with that strong groove. End that ending breakdown?! HOLY! What a huge opening track!
Alice opens up with a 2-minute-intro section that really is setting the kind of the scene in your ears that you would expect from looking at the cover picture. It is somewhat dark but energetic without being too dramatic. When the band kicks in full-on, you really get a sense of what is expecting you for the next hour: ultimately grooving progressive rock in such an epic „easy“ manner, that it might sound a little new to you as well. I totally love it, as it kind of takes me away. The polyrhythms really do work together and sound round without breaking a groove. Also the vocals function as a pretty nice „blanket“ over the instruments as the „monsters under your bed“. Alice has a constant subtle suspense that keeps you excited while you drift away in thoughts on the other hand. Also, despite the song taking a rather slow development, it didn’t really feel like a full 10-minute giant to me - more like a song consisting of three chapters: the last three minutes feel a little like a new song but really have the potential of breaking your neck with that strong groove. End that ending breakdown?! HOLY! What a huge opening track!
02. - The Dice
If I remember correctly, The Dice was one of the first songs of Lead Inc written way back in 2015.. It has such a smooth opening riff - actually it sounds a little like if you would slow ANY song from the THPS2 Soundtrack down by 40%, haha! Also in the verse groove the production (the band produced this record themselves) really makes the song shine: Though the arrangement might be impressively powerful and simple at the same time, the production reveals many facets and details in the sounds of every instrument, which in the chorus is perfectly embraced be the multi-layered vocals of Naomi! (I prefer this new version!) …it is also impressive by the way how intense her shoutings are. She doesn’t use many of them, but the ones she does are pretty intense.
In the middle of this song, the arrangement kind of breaks and abruptly takes the song somewhere more psychedelic out of a sudden, which is actually quite a welcome change at the right point in the song. This middle section shows pretty well how well controlled Lead Inc’s music is: Basically, that part was simple and not that spectacular again, but due to the intensity and tightness in the performance that part really sounds huge! (…and of course, free final chorus for all, followed by a nice nu-metalish closing riff!)
If I remember correctly, The Dice was one of the first songs of Lead Inc written way back in 2015.. It has such a smooth opening riff - actually it sounds a little like if you would slow ANY song from the THPS2 Soundtrack down by 40%, haha! Also in the verse groove the production (the band produced this record themselves) really makes the song shine: Though the arrangement might be impressively powerful and simple at the same time, the production reveals many facets and details in the sounds of every instrument, which in the chorus is perfectly embraced be the multi-layered vocals of Naomi! (I prefer this new version!) …it is also impressive by the way how intense her shoutings are. She doesn’t use many of them, but the ones she does are pretty intense.
In the middle of this song, the arrangement kind of breaks and abruptly takes the song somewhere more psychedelic out of a sudden, which is actually quite a welcome change at the right point in the song. This middle section shows pretty well how well controlled Lead Inc’s music is: Basically, that part was simple and not that spectacular again, but due to the intensity and tightness in the performance that part really sounds huge! (…and of course, free final chorus for all, followed by a nice nu-metalish closing riff!)
03. - Mantra
Nope - not a BMTH cover, rather a piece that sounds more like an actual mantra than just being a song about a mantra. What I really like about this song and this band is their use of iconic grooves in odd time signatures. It really just flows and gets you moving instead of confusing you (which would be what I’d do most of the times with odd time signatures). The groove establishes kind of like a mantra itself and develops throughout the song with the arrangement: Growing, pulling back, rising, calming down but always being right on your side, having your back whilst Naomi is singing you through weird dream worlds with a soothing voice perfectly contrasting the crispy guitars and roaring bass wandering around you. This song as a song just really makes a lot of sense. Even though a mantra is rather something spiritual, Lead Inc make it sound spiritual but also kind of industrial and ‚leady‘ as well. A huge epos to get lost in.
04. - Rust And Amber
Wow - that opening riff really got me! I love the rhythm, the melody and the tone! NICE! With many little details and additional instruments and noises in the background, Rust And Amber grows into a huge complex arrangement pretty quickly and doesn’t give away any dynamics in the course of the song: Although the entire band is performing as a whole and stable basis, this song really has many dimensions in which it is breathing, pushing and stretching. Instead of taking you on a journey in your deepest dreams, it takes you on a trip where you just want to move WITH the music. Plus: Even the parts that are a little harder in terms of arrangement have been perfectly balanced with the production so that despite this song being super dense, at no point does it sound or feel overwhelming, which is nice!
I also love how this song is turning into its own road rage towards the end with that powerful instrumental part followed by this beautifully arranged finale!
05. - The Inner Circle
Well, this song did ring a bell as well in my head - but I don’t remember it kicking in so powerful and instantly changing to full epic mode. I am a huge fan of the tiny triplets in the crunch guitars in the verses. However, those are actually part of why I can tell that this is one of their older songs: It is a little more playful and „over the place“ (no offense or judgement intended), which I personally like. It gives me as a listener the subtle impression of being at a jam session and we all just watch where the guys on stage might go. But in that case, this might be one of the coolest Jams ever, because you rarely have singers participating in jam sessions that could pull off such a fitting and sovereign performance right on the spot… But you get the idea, The Inner Circle really pulls you in and shows you how a live gig of Lead Inc feels. - pretty cool, if you ask me! (If they play in the whereabouts of your city - GO!) Curious about what this outdo might have in store for you? Good. Get this album, because you really do not want to miss out on that one. Period.
06. - Chimaera
Okay, this one starts out quite intimidating and mystic - The soundscape created by all those layers of instruments really is alive and impressive! Also the guest vocals by Janni of Lady Crank give it a nice twist. This song is probably the most „mainstream“ arrangement on this record as it is pretty compact, clearly structured - and short actually, compared to the rest of the album. But definitely transporting as much of energy as all the others so far.
07. - The Toll
Fiery, flickering drum rolls welcome you in the electric suspense field you will be caught in for the next 9 minutes. After Chimaera gave the impression of clarity, The Toll really takes it’s toll and presses you far outside your current state of mind. Once more the polyrhythmic patterns work so well together that you only perceive it as an odd groove, but you still can’t stop moving as it is so mesmerizing together with the soothing clean vocals. The Toll is fascinating because this song is the first one that in my mind really demands to be played in a huge venue (minimum 2,000 people) as I’d like to experience how this song would translate and evolve in such a huge space. When at around minute 5, the clean guitars „pick up the song once more“, this is one of the nicest moments of this album. It really fits the moment and just happens without sounding forced in any way, really making the song come back and keeping it running. Even running as far as it kind of grips your ears a little tighter towards the end; Lead Inc really know how to tell full stories in each song apparently. Arcs of suspense seem to be one of their main disciplines!
08. - Zenith
YES! Zenith starts SO different! At first you could really imagine yourself standing with your vintage truck somewhere in the middle of a canyon, taking a break in the shadow of a tree. As this arrangement is a little more calm and subtle, it gives Naomi’s voice a little more room to really stand out and shine - and she takes on that task happily and pretty self-confident: In terms of vocal performances on this record, Zenith is definitely my favorite as it allows the voice to play with so many facets creating a little sense of intimacy, so that I as a listener really feel involved with the song. This is a very nice feeling and requires a lot of confidence from a singer/performer. HUGE RESPECT TO NAOMI, TILL, HENRIK & JORIS! Also the length of this song is really complementing the arrangement; whereas in the others, the length was just right in combination with the arrangement, Zenith is one of the songs where you feel like „I hope it’s not going to end soon!“ and it kind of „grants“ you that wish in it’s course if that makes any sense. At least I felt „heard“ as a listener, which was pretty fascinating to me. Spoiler alert: This is my favorite song of this album right here. The motifs, the grooves, the harmonics, the articulations, the instability of states of minds represented by the voice and lyrics… I really really like it. Even the ending is so disturbing and accurate at the same time, I love how much creativity went into this one!
The overall impression of „MIRAGE“
Dude. THIS is a massive record, but also not one for everyone’s taste - definitely not. Mirage is definitely one of the best „underground“ progressive records I’ve heard so far, but it is lacking some catchiness and simplicity to reach more people that care a little less about how fascinating complex music can be. Some people might miss their „this one hitsong by band xyz“ on this one. But for my personal taste, it is a very cool album as a companion! This is going to be a record that I will listen to on long trips, train rides and so on, as it really keeps the energy up without being too invasive. I really like it, but even I miss some catchiness in this one. This would have been the cherry on the pie. Man, Mirage is a nice album!
My rating: 8,5/10
Favourite track: Zenith
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