!GeRald! is a Franco-British Progressive Rock band with marked Experimental and Post-Rock traits with 2 full-lengths to their credit. The new album “The Lost Tapes” was released on May 18, 2022 and contains 7 medium to long length tracks. The album opens with “Raskol’s Crime” a track that immediately plunges us into the original and Experimental sounds of the band. Combining Heavy, Progressive Rock and Experimentation traits, they create a blend of markedly personal traits with continuous tempo changes and sophisticated but accessible passages to the listener. Rhythmic and full of tempo changes, the track develops on continuous duets between keyboards and distorted guitars, between elaborate textures and refined sounds, finding the right compromise between genres. The following “The Dead Dance” is markedly Experimental, with the keyboards that create a background with a dark atmosphere, on which guitar arpeggios are inserted. Dilated sounds, FX and sound modulations used with technique and quality, for a track whose sound surrounds us. A pompous intertwining between piano and guitar opens “Fire in a Madhouse” which returns to the more Progressive sounds of the first song. Interesting guitar solo textures and a solid rhythm session, for a track full of tempo changes and constantly evolving. Markedly more Prog than Experimental in the first part, it shows a different facet of the band’s sound, granite and with more Heavy features. In the central part the sound imprint of the piece changes, transforming itself into Experimental with elaborate textures and refined modulation and effects. In the finale the track closes with the central theme of the piece, markedly Prog. “Still Fire in a Madhouse” takes up the sounds of the previous one, proposing a more Progressive sound with complex passages, markedly more Heavy. The rhythmic session is elaborate and tight, while the harmony between guitar and keyboards is very good, constant tempo changes characterize the structure, with the intensity increasing with the passing of the minutes. Combining electronic sounds, guitar inserts and modulated keyboards and sampled vocals, “Mr. Sophistication” is a track full of experimentation and with the most modern features. First of two parts “Waterfront Ratholes – Act I” begins with piano and voice, creating a dreamy atmosphere, developed on an elaborate rhythmic session and arpeggios. Constantly changing thanks to the continuous tempo changes, it shows a more Propgressive side of the band’s sound, mixed with a touch of Experimentation. The soloists spit and a long instrumental section that leads us to the second part are interesting. “Waterfront Ratholes – Act II” begins with intertwining guitar and keyboard arpeggios, followed by solid and elaborate drumming. The track then takes on a Heavy character with Experimental features, alternating more complex parts with openings with heavy guitar riffs. In the finale the vocal enters and closes with a fine guitar and keyboards malgamation and a melancholy atmosphere. An album with more sophisticated sounds, with a marked Experimental component, which mixes with Progressive sounds, creating original tracks. Continuous tempo changes, elaborate passages and well intertwined guitar and keyboards are the main ingredients of their sound. A listening recommended for lovers of more Experimental sounds, but with a marked Progressive component, bands like this bode well for the future of the genre.
Tracklist
01. Raskol’s Crime (09:12)
02. The Dead Dance (04:26)
03. Fire in a Madhouse (08:23)
04. Still Fire in a Madhouse (05:23)
05. Mr.Sophistication (02:45)
06. Waterfront Ratholes – Act I (06:31)
07. Waterfront Ratholes – Act II (10:08)
Lineup
Teddie Burton / Percussions, Voice, Noise Box
Marvin Gobert / Strings, Voice, Hair
Quentin Loizeau / Heavy Strings, Voice, Shirt
Marin Michelat / Keyboards, Voice, Politic Dissuasion
Vincent Zlotkowski / Pictures, Visual Exasperation, Priest