There's no doubt that TesseracT have had an interesting couple of years since the release of their full-length debut "One", and even before that. Met with huge success in the metal underground and conflicted with the difficulty of finding and keeping a vocalist, they have pushed through, solidifying their place as a Progressive Metal juggernaut.
What if I told you TesseracT made ten tracks out of four songs out of one song, but it's still one song. Sort of like a fourth dimensional tracklisting. Or so they claim. There are definitely pauses between some of the tracks. Either way, "Altered State" is a massive, 51-minute experience best taken in entirely during one sitting instead of skipping tracks. The music bends and folds, but similar to the debut "One" there is a consistency to the musical presentation. Surprised they didn't call this album "Two" (bad joke).
The overall approach is similar to the song "Concealing Fate" from "One" which was made up of six different segments. "Altered State" just does it on a much larger scale. These segments all come from a particular source - "Of Matter", "Of Mind", "Of Reality", and "Of Energy". They all deliver on various fronts, bringing their own differences along with many similarities in between.
When it comes to the music itself, it's no secret that TesseracT grooves. So you best believe this is a grooooovin' record. Beyond that, there are several of the elements you've come to expect from this musical unit such as total atmospheric control and supreme melodic structure. This time around there's a further emphasis on those last two parts with some entirely new elements and surprises to boot. Example, wait for when the saxophone comes in.
It honestly took me several listens to form a firm opinion of "Altered State". Obviously this is a brilliant record, but it's such an involved musical effort. This is not the kind of record where you can merely glaze over the details and understand them. The band is called TesseracT for a reason. Talking four dimensions here bro.
The instrumental corps of this band is rock solid. Like brothers bound in a multidimensional pulse, they deliver a true "Altered State" experience. You know you can count on the minds of Acle Kahney, Amos Williams, Jay Postones, and James Monteith. Those minds were most definitely thinking outside of the box while constructing the music this time around.
One of the questions that did come to mind while listening was WWDTD? (What would Daniel Tompkins do?) His fan favorite inclusion in "One" was a large leap towards the brilliance of that debut with his varied vocal style. He could sing, scream, belt out yells brilliantly and even cross elements of the three. Elliot Coleman was also capable of pulling off similar techniques but in a much different manner. With Ashe's golden pipes you know exactly what you're going to get... Ashe's golden pipes. This is an exclusively clean vocal effort. Objectively, this may let some down. But DAMN Ashe can sing. And speak of the devil, sometimes he even sounds like Daniel Tompkins. Kind of uncanny really. I personally dig what he's brought to the band and look forward to seeing him grow as a musical artist as well as a performer in due time.
For the most part, this record is damn near flawless. It blends together high level talent from all members, musical maturity, a good helping of groove, intelligence, and sheer complexity into a monster of a record that it guaranteed to grow the more you listen to it. Not bad TesseracT, not bad.
The official release isn't until the 28th of May. If you want to grab a pre-order in the mean time, look no further. Click right here. There's still more on the way from TesseracT. Most bands merely release music videos. Rumor has it TesseracT has a 51-minute ALBUM VIDEO on the way. Not saying they're the first to do such an ambitious thing, but it's still really damn awesome. Stay tuned.
