Liam Morrison is an American artist originally from Pennsylvania, engaged in multiple fields, from photography to music. Composer and multi-instrumentalist, he has released some solo albums, in which he has dealt with all the phases until the release of the disc. The new full-length “Portals” was released on January 12, 2022 and is made up of 14 long-playing alvune tracks, all linked by the same thread. A Progressive album that mixes multiple genres and styles within it, showcasing Liam’s compositional and executive technique on multiple instruments. The album opens with “The Calling” which is the shortest of the album, an intro with dark atmospheric sounds and enriched with effects. A guitar arpeggio begins “Silva Aeternum” which always maintains dark features, with a veiled aura of mystery. The intensity increases with the flow of the piece that intertwines organ melodies with the guitar and develops a rhythmic session at times intricate and more accelerated. Enriched by tempo changes, it evolves guitar and keyboard intertwining up to the finale. With harder guitar riffs “Movement in the Trees” presents another facet of Liam’s sound, more energetic, with a solid rhythm session and a dark keyboard background. The track flows with the mixes of keyboard and guitar until the final which slows down and becomes softer with a change. “Land of the Sun” is slower in rhythm, with blues hints and the guitar leading the sound, with supporting bass lines and supporting percussion. The extended solo inserts are good throughout the first part, and then in the central part they change and pass to 70s-style sounds halfway between Psychedelia and Blues Rock, interesting. With sounds that recall the modern PSychedelia “Dune Rider” recalls a journey in the desert, with a good intertwining of keyboards and guitar enriched by effects. A hypnotic track, which in the central part offers a good lead guitar solo that accompanies us for a few minutes. In the finale it increases the intensity with another solo harder than the previous one, the artist is able to mix multiple genres and styles. We have come to a long track of over 12 minutes “Interstellar Eclipse” which opens with a cosmic guitar arpeggio enriched by the keyboards, the spatial effect is well done. A slow and enveloping track that catapults us into deep space, with the guitar as the protagonist in the solos. In the central part with a change it becomes harder and more aggressive, to lead us to the final with a prolonged electric guitar solo and increase the rhythm in the crescendo ending. “The Keeper” is a softer but more intricate track, with refined interweaving between guitar and keyboard and an elaborate rhythm session. A good passage, with deep and load-bearing bass lines, and sometimes complex textures. Massive guitar riffs open “Shadow Hand” which develops with an elaborate and at times heavy theme, where the 70s blend with modern sounds. The guitar is centered with heavy riffs that intertwine with the keyboards, giving a dark touch to the piece that adds powerful and percussive drumming. The sounds of the storm characterize the intro of “The Forest Black” which manages to mix Blues and Psychedelia influences, with the keyboards in the background. Enriched by the tempo changes, this track really plunges us into a black forest from which we are kidnapped up to the atmospheric ending. “The Dreaming Eye” is a harder track, reminiscent of the more Doom sounds, with granite guitar riffs and a driving bass on which the solo parts are inserted. A track that recalls the supernatural qualities of bands like Candlemass, revisited with the artist’s personal touch, with long guitar solo parts. Another long-running track “The Blackness of Eternal Night” that exceeds 10 minutes, opens with the waves of the sea, and then develops more positive sounds than the previous one. Close to Space Rock, with extensive use of effects and forays into Heavy with distorted guitars, it is a successful blend of multiple genres. With continuous tempo changes and the guitar in evidence with the solo parts, in the second part it almost borders on quality Metal, refined and elaborate showing another facet of Liam’s sound. Continuing on the harder sounds that the artist has to propose “The Corpse Shore” is a tight track, with a frenetic rhythm and a scratchy guitar. More Metal than Rock is a passage full of energy, a mix of speed and technique with the guitar as the protagonist, to close with a more Doom sound. “Watcher at the Gates” always offers Heavy sounds, with a fine mix between keyboard and guitar and a massive rhythm session. The atmospheres have a dark touch, and the track pulls straight like a steamroller, very punchy and powerful. Concludes the album the longest track “AD Astra” an epic of over 19 minutes, which contains within it all the nuances of Morrison’s sound. The guitar is the protagonist with long solos, and the sound goes from heavier pèarti to other more intricate ones, especially in the second part. Engaging, energetic, a real backbone for this album, making full use of all the available minutes by offering passages and changes of a good level. A long-lasting album that touches multiple genres and styles, passing from more Prog sounds to other Doom and Heavy with good technique and clear ideas. Pleasant from start to finish, with a solid rhythm session at times elaborate, the guitar protagonist with long solo sections and the keyboards that intertwine perfectly. A recommended listen, which shows the compositional and executive technique of the artist, skilled in mixing multiple genres with ease.
Tracklist
01. The Calling (03:32)
02. Silva Aeternum (06:15)
03. Movement in the Trees (04:58)
04. Land of the Sun (06:43)
05. Dune Rider (07:46)
06. Interstellar Eclipse (12:54)
07. The Keeper (05:47)
08. Shadow Hand (07:54)
09. The Forest Black (07:22)
10. The Dreaming Eye (08:08)
11. The Blackness of Eternal Night (10:28)
12. The Corpse Shore (04:24)
13. Watcher at the Gates (04:48)
14. AD Astra (19:47)
Lineup
Composition, performance, mixing, mastering, and cover artwork: Liam Morrison
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