Trioscapes - Separate Realities (2012)

Este es el discazo del día. Un jazz-dinamita que los acerca al metal aún sin guitarras distorsionadas ni machaque, el bajista de Between The Buried and Me junto con otros dos monstruos, en un disco para quemarse el marote de moog.

Artista: Trioscapes

Álbum: Separate Realities
Año: 2012
Género: Jazz rock explosivo
Duración: 40:34
Nacionalidad: EEUU

Lista de Temas:
1. Blast Off
2. Separate Realities
3. Curse of the Ninth
4. wazzlejazzlebof
5. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters
6. Gemini's Descent

Alineación:
- Dan Briggs / bass
- Walter Fancourt / tenor saxophone, flute
- Matt Lynch / drums, electronics

Trioscapes se las trae, un power trío de virtuosos que van al mango con su jazz rock endemoniado, el Mago Alberto se encarga de regalarles una alegría y les deja el siguiente comentario junto al disco...

Esto es muy sencillo: se juntaron tres bestias y formaron un trío que te vuelan las chapas, podríamos incluso con éste párrafo hacer todo el posteo pero lo dejamos como intro nada más.
Sin dudas lo mas virtuoso de la música tuvo desde principios de los 60 dentro del jazz a sus más reconocidos exponentes,y desde allí se produjo esa increíble mutación que nos llegó y nos cautivó desde fines de los 70 en adelante con el free-jazz o el jazz-rock. La manada de bestias es interminable y Trioscapes es producto o retoño nuevo de esas mutaciones.
Cabezonas/es escuchar a estos muchachos es una verdadera experiencia, la polenta, el desenfado, la técnica, la instrumentación, los fraseos, los tempos, todo parece unirse o desembocar en estructuras y sonidos supermodernos y rockeros, aggiornado todo por una técnica individual estupenda.
Y caemos en aquello del género que tanto al Vampiro como a mí no nos gusta encasillar para nada, básicamente podríamos decir que el género que engloba a la música del Trioscapes es "tocan de putamadre".
Si, señoras y señores éste es un disco para escuchar al palo y que venga doña Rosa a golpearte la puerta con la escoba y te diga que bajes el volumen, básicamente a los amantes de la música en general éste tipo de material es único e imprescindible, y con el tiempo va tomando su verdadera forma y también de a poco van engrosando esas filas de solistas y grupos que siempre te sacuden la modorra.
Si te ganó el pesimismo, estás harto de escuchar siempre lo mismo, acá tenés un disquito que te renueva el aire espiritual, aprovechá también a bajarlo rápido porque de los últimos discos posteados por lo menos de mi parte los links duraron muy poco. El que avisa no traiciona. La otra semana va otra produccion de estos enfermos.

Mago Alberto

Si les queda alguna duda de lo que nos trae ésta gente, lo pueden ver al baterista destroyando su instrumento a pura técnica.


En fin, tremendo discaso que no pueden dejar pasar, además no creo que lo vayan a encontrar en otros lugares...

Otra de las mejores sorpresas de 2012 fue Trioscapes, el proyecto musical conformado por Dan Briggs, el virtuoso bajista de Between The Buried and Me, junto a Walter Fancourt al saxo/flauta y Matt Lynch a la batería. Lo que en principio se formó como una especie de homenaje al clásico Celestial Terrestrial Commuters de la Mahavishnu Orchestra, acabó tomando vida propia, y después de algunos directos y tras el éxito que estaba consiguiendo, Trioscapes decidieron editar su primer disco.
Separate Realities es una amalgama que sólo se entiende desde el concepto de la fusión, esa tierra de nadie en la que las directrices del jazz se aparejan con las de la música progresiva, conformando una amalgama realmente divertida y loca. La trinidad de bajo, saxofón/flauta y batería se mantiene como un sólo organismo con tres cabezas, reptilianas, frenéticas, marcadamente vivas, siempre buscando su propio camino. La escasa inclusión de otros instrumentos —guitarras o sintetizadores relegados a momentos muy puntuales— alejan las visiones a Between The Buried and Me, más allá del claro paralelismo con sus dinámicas imposibles, y le evita incurrir en cambios extravagantes, porque si hay algo claro en el jazz fusión es que lo excesivo está totalmente permitido y además, es necesario.
Si en Blast Off! el saxo lleva la delantera, Separate Realities conforma un viaje inesperado y espectacular que revela la compleja y a veces oscura naturaleza del trío. Curse of the Ninth es uno de los cortes más personales, que se nutre de influencias orientales y consigue una ambientación densa. Destacan los bombardeos de un bajo trepidante y la batería, de una escuela más progresiva que jazzística —impresionantes juegos rítmicos en charles y rudimentos con baquetas—. Wazzlejazzbof explota el lado más paranoico del jazz y le añade percusiones tribales y apariciones de un bajo rocoso y masivo como una montaña. La versión de la Mahavishnu Orchestra, una masturbación en forma de jam virtuosa, es el techo de la disonancia, mientras que el corte final Gemini’s Descent remata el tributo a la música hindú desde un jazz muy groovy.
Una propuesta extremadamente rica y compleja — absténgase fieles del 4×4 a menos que quieran ser sodomizados—, muy recomendable a seguidores de Between The Buried And Me u otros amantes de géneros técnicos que gusten de desengrasarse de metal.
Nota: 8.5

Remem0rama

No creo que haya que agregar mucho más, vamos con algunos comentarios en inglés, y espero que no se olviden de agradecer al Mago Alberto:

Trioscapes is one of the hottest new fusion groups that I've heard recently. Despite consisting of only a drummer, a flute/saxophone player and a bassist, this band a completely full fusion sound. They have the punk aggression of Paranoise, the wild experimentalism of Nick Didkovsky's Doctor Nerve, and the technical chops of some of fusions greatest stars.
The majority of the songs are made up of wild rhythm tracks laid down by the drummer, Matt Lynch and bassist Dan Briggs, with Walter Fancourt soloing overhead. Occasionally, there are overdubs, and at times Briggs solos on the higher notes on his bass, sounding almost like an electric guitar.
The result is both dangerous and exciting, and a sure fire member of my summer cruising rotation.
Oh, and the final track on the album appears to be an homage to the 1980's lineup of King Crimson. With the weaving of bass and sax, and sustained high bass notes imitating Fripp's soaring guitar, it's another treat.

Scott

Heavy, heavy, heavy fusion...
I was not surprised when this band was proposed for an addition to progressive metal; everything else is there, apart from the guitars! The trio of Briggs, Lynch and Fancourt deliver lessons on heavy progressive fusion based on a solid rhythm section and a talented saxophonist.
Here you can find anything from dynamic "blasts" of saxophone over an ever-changing, in tempos and moods, rhythm section (opening track), to free jazz patterns (Wazzlejazzlebof), and from mysterious atmospheres and oriental sounds (title track) to dark experimental passages a la King Crimson (Gemini's Descent). The band also take on Mahavishnu's ''Celestial Terrestrial Commuters'' and take it to another level, adding further improvisation.
The spotless, clear production adds extra points to the end result. There is a nice balance between straightforward improvisation (Fancourt on the leading role with the other two usually supporting) and more mellow and experimental passages, and this mixture makes the album more ''listenable'' and enjoyable, especially to those that are not fully trained in the arts of fusion (including myself). Worth of mention is the bass playing approach, which changes freely from ''slapping'' to heavy distortion, adding to this more ''metallic'' feeling. The influences from Rush (!) and King Crimson are those that do the trick for me, as does the use of some ''spacey'' themes here and there.
This is a great piece of musicianship and certainly among the highlights of the year; it should definitely appeal to fusion fans but also to prog metal/metal fusion (Panzerballet anyone?) followers.

Thanos (Athanasios)

Trioscapes were born during the summer of 2011 out of a session, when bassist Dan Briggs from the Alternative Metal band Between the Buried and Me invited sax/flute player Walter Fancourt and drummer Matt Lynch to jam on Mahavishnu Orchestra's ''Celestial terrestrial commuters''.Eventually the chemistry was there to move the trio into a more professional level and by October 2011 they had traveled to Winston-Salem to record their debut ''Separate realities'', after having composed a nice collection of instrumental tracks.The album was released in May 2012 on Metal Blade, while their is also a vinyl version out on Hodweed & Fugue Records.
Trioscapes just prooved that you don't have to include a guitarist in the line-up to come up with impressive, powerful and dense instrumental music.Full-front bass lines and passionate jazzy drum patterns support Fancourt's intense, scratching sax plays, while Lynch is also responsible for quite a few electronic samplers heard in the album.Influences include KING CRIMSON, RETURN TO FOREVER, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, maybe with a more technical approach as proposed by DON CABALLERO.The music is always complex and rich with a great amount of tempo changes, but the atmosphere is not always dark and haunting as you may expect, the three guys have thrown in some more tricky and enjoyable tunes for a more balanced and consistent sound.Lots of dynamic rhythms, plenty of twists and turns and a fair dose of sax soloing lead this work with a certain piece (''Gemini's descent'') highlighted by Francourt's dreamy and elegant flute work, coming in full contrast with the power of the rhythm section and reminding a bit of a Kraut Rock act.Otherwise be sure to face an intricate and compelling trip into the world of Prog Fusion with major technical exhibitions, but also some very tight and confident executions.
Nice little surprise by a trio with no guitarist, which managed to come up with an energetic and bombastic Fusion debut.Strongly recommended, especially, if you love the more technical side of instrumental Prog Rock...3.5/5 stars.

apps79

Yes, on Separate Realities one can indeed hear quite a bit of heavy fusion and a whole lot of the "influence" by Mahavishnu Orchestra and King Crimson of a certain era.
Apart from these, I didn't hear much of anything else that would have made my ears prick up. I did notice lengthy passages that felt like John McLaughlin's outtakes; then there would be a few minutes of what sounded like post-Red Robert Fripp's exploits.
To sum up the experience ..
POSITIVES: No crude mistakes. An impressive wall of well-textured sound, for a trio. Adequate engineering. No irritating vocals :)
NEGATIVES: Too noisy and ear-heavy; not flamboyant enough for proper fusion. None of the musicians stands out. No real innovation, only a narrow range of recycled musical ideas from very long ago.
I'd give this album two stars only, but I must distinguish it somehow from let's say iamthemorning with its syrupy new age-y ethos and squeaky vocals (who I did give two stars). So, I will have to round it up to 3/5 stars.

Real T. Reel

Between The Buried And Me is one of the most dynamic metal bands out there in today’s scene in my opinion, not only in terms of the music they compose, but also the way they present it on stage. Their latest EP “The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues” and the subsequent live shows prove this very statement. But besides the success it has achieved among fans and critics, the band’s music has also left room for the individual talents of the five members to prosper. As a result, they are now venturing into side projects to showcase these talents further. After last year’s electronic/experimental rock release by vocalist Thomas Giles Rogers called “Pulse”, it’s the turn of bassist Dan Briggs to present “Separate Realities”, the debut album featuring his jazz-metal fusion side project Trioscapes.
Usually, any side project starts out with the intent of composing material for a studio recording, and quite a few of them remain to exist as studio-only projects. But in this case, it’s very interesting to note that it originated in the exact opposite manner. Dan Briggs, along with Walter Fancourt on tenor, saxophone & flute and Matt Lynch on drums came together to work on a cover of “Celestial Terrestrial Commuters”, a tune originally released by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra on their 1973 album “Birds Of Fire”. Besides this cover, they had some other ideas that they worked on in order to put together a one-off live show. But after the show, this turned into a thing of its own, and the result is right in front us, in the form of this debut album.
The sheer quality of the musicianship is quite apparent right from the get-go, and even though the absence of the guitar might be a turn-off, I think metal fans can still relate to and enjoy this album, because Dan Briggs’ low-end bass playing is not pretty similar to what he has done on BTBAM albums. By and large though, the music is certainly heavy on jazz part and focuses very less on the metal part, but personally I’m completely fine with that. The tunes “Blast Off”, “Curse Of The Ninth” and “wazzlejazzlebof” are extremely rich, smooth jazz compositions with the saxophone playing a prominent role, and honestly, it took me a couple of listens to get used to the style, but once I did, I found it enjoyable. The title song “Separate Realities” sounds almost like a jazzed up version of a typical BTBAM song, if I can put it that way, and should turn out to be the favorite tune amongst BTBAM fans and metalheads. This tune also left me wondering, what would a jazz-fusion version of a BTBAM album sound like? I’d definitely love to hear that.
Honestly, I had never heard the original version of “Celestrial Terrestrial Commuters” before I found out that Trioscapes had done a cover of it, but I listened to the original before checking out Trioscapes’ rendition of it. And I find their interpretation to be very interesting. They’ve beefed up and improvised quite a bit, and turned the 3-minute tune into an extended 5-and-a-half minute jam. By listening to this tune itself one can understand why the trio decided to take things beyond the one-off live show. The amount of enjoyment they’d be getting through playing jams like this must be just incredible. But my favorite track “Gemini’s Descent” comes right at the end of the album. It’s a compelling combination of jazz, metal and Indian classical soundscapes, and the way these sounds interact with each other is mind-blowing, to say the least.
On the whole, “Separate Realities” is a stellar effort by Trioscapes. Even though it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, it needs an acquired taste and has the potential to be enjoyed by music listeners of all kinds. If you’re a jazz-fusion fan, or just. 9 out of 10.

Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal

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