Consider The Source is not your average instrumental progressive rock or fusion band. The trio, consisting of guitarist Gabriel Marin, bass player John Ferrara and drummer Jeff Mann are blending all kind of influences, like Asian, middle Eastern, North African, Indian and Eastern European, to just name a few. Besides the mentioned instruments, all three members also are specialists on authentic instruments, mostly from the regions, mentioned above. Considering myself a fan of both instrumental as well as progressive metal/rock and fusion, Consider The Source is a band that suits me very well. You Are Literally A Metaphor is their latest release and sees nine tracks, clocking over seventy minutes. This means we can enjoy long jam style compositions, filled with brilliant music. Sometimes atmospheric, like the opener Sketches From A Blind Man, where Gabriel creates beautiful sounds from his signature double neck guitar. If you want to know more about his guitar or his huge amount of effect pedals, you should check him out at Gear Gods. The atmospheric guitar parts of the first track are supported by some brilliant bass parts and delicate percussion. The second track of the album; The One Who Knocks is a very different one; I guess this one is a bit more accessible for the progressive rock aficionado and combines powerful progressive rock elements with parts, which could have been used for an imaginary movie score. The dominant bass during this composition is the glue between the different styles and mood of this song. How to describe Unfulfilled And Alienated; the shortest track of the album? I guess; “musical brilliance in three minutes” would be sufficient for this furious oriental inspired powerhouse. It Is Known is one of the longest tracks on the album. During this track, the fine floating guitar sounds work their way up to a kind of bluesy slide solo. After that, the song explodes in a furious hoedown of bass, guitar and drums, working toward a laid-back end of the track. Listening to They Call Him The Smiling Assassin you could imagine yourself watching an oriental movie or perhaps a Tarrantino one. Just use your imagination and let the music take you away. The title Misinterpretive Dance does cover the content of this song; where you could delicately move to music during the first part of the song, the second part would make your body move in uncontrolled ways, in this fine controlled chaotic beauty. I have seen You Won A Goat! many times on you-tube and fell in love with the finesses of this composition since the first listen. Wonderful percussive parts, a brilliant bass and the guitar that tells the story. The great guitar lines, energetic bass part and ferocious percussion all work very well together. Another imaginary movie comes up when I listen to When You've Loved and Lost Like Frankie Has. Floating guitar sounds with a subtle base of blues are the main ingredients for this mesmerizing composition. Enemies of magicK is another song that can be watched on you-tube. Here the signature Consider The Source sound has been supplemented with elusive electronics. If you want to learn about Consider The Source, I guess this composition holds all the elements the band stands for; beauty and creativity. You Are Literally A Metaphor turns out to be a brilliant album, I know it will not be an album for everyone, but if you are open for diversity and like oriental and other influences, mentioned above combined with progressive parts and a distinguished guitar sound, You Are Literally A Metaphor should be the album you want to listen to. *****Pedro Bekkers (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
