Others By No One is an American project led by the duo Max Mobarry and Mike Gregg active since 2014 and with two full-lengths to their credit. The new album “Book II: Where Stories Come From” was released on October 22, 2021 and contains 13 tracks representing the second chapter of the story told in the debut. The lineup is completed with the participation of numerous guests, both in the instruments and in the choral parts. The album opens with “Counting Raindrops” with atmospheric effects and vocals in the first part, then develops dreamy guitar arpeggios and a sweet vocal. At the end the rhythmic session enters to close with a cheerful and engaging passage. “An Artwork; Clandestine” is the shortest track on the album, a mix of flute and arpeggios with positive crescendo melodies. Massive riffs of guitar that intertwine with the keyboards and begins “A Reverie to Quell the Giants” a long track of over 10 minutes, full of ideas and tempo changes. The rhythm session is solid, with continuous tempo changes, moving from more Prog Rock sections to encroaching on Metal. The theme of the disc comes alive, with a dynamic vocal test that alternates male and female voices and solo parts with other sometimes aggressive choirs. A continuous succession of elaborate and accelerated passages of modern Metal matrix, a track full of energy with engaging riffs and intricate textures. “Right Side of the Brain” continues to explore Prog Metal territories, alternating accelerations with Symphonic openings, with the guitar as protagonist. The riffs are granitic and the drumming is elaborate and enriched by continuous tempo changes, at times trespassing into extreme Metal. A dark atmosphere opens “The Impassecopedum” developing with an orchestral background of keyboards and guitar arpeggios, in continuous evolution. The intensity increases with the passage of the song, which then proposes a dizzying acceleration, reaching the most extreme limits of Prog Metal. Between continuous tempo changes and the intertwining of vowels, it blends different genres and styles, from the heaviest to the more symphonic ones. “Foxjune” is a less aggressive track than the previous ones, which starts with a guitar arpeggio, increasing in intensity with the passing of the minutes. With a cleaner vocal, orchestrations and good guitar textures, in the second part it develops with a sometimes pompous musical crescendo. Definitely more melodic “Debt for Your Thoughts” mixes traits of Prog Rock with Hard Rock, showing another facet of the band’s sound. With personal and original traits, enriched by the mix of multiple genres and styles in the second part it is pleasant and engaging. “Tomes” is characterized by ambient sounds and a dark vocal, proposed in the form of an interlude between the tracks. Another particular passage “Tombs” is characterized by the layering of voices and a background of orchestrations and piano. The singing evolves with the intertwining of the various characters, a useful passage for the narration of the story. The shorter track of the album “The Tales of Nebulous Man” is however very intense with orchestrations in the first part, ending with a dark vocal. A spoken voice and the piano open “Well-Read” which after a softer first part in the central section turns into an elaborate Metal track. Intricate and with a succession of tempo changes and heavy passages that alternate with softer ones and a more electronic and light section of music, making this track an original and complex. “The Plight of Proxy” is a softer passage on the record, however, characterized by numerous tempo changes and more symphonic sounds in the first part. In the second part he increases the intensity with intertwining keyboard and electric guitar, and a vocal full of pathos, concluding with a good solo insert. Closes the album “Where Stories Come From” characterized by pompous sounds with orchestrations and a choral vocal. The sounds alternate both Rock and Metal Progressive passages, with excursions into the Symphonic between dreamy passages and a crescendo in the final. An elaborate and intense concept, which merges multiple genres and styles with complex plots. The vocal is an added value, as well as the drafting of the continuously evolving songs, managing to pass from softer sounds to others of Metal at times even extreme. A listening recommended for lovers of Progressive Metal sounds, which confirms what was good heard in the previous one.
Tracklist
01. Counting Raindrops (02:27)
02. An Artwork; Clandestine (01:47)
03. A Reverie to Quell the Giants (10:55)
04. Right Side of the Brain (05:52)
05. The Impassecopedum (14:16)
06. Foxjune (04:28)
07. Debt for Your Thoughts (05:21)
08. Tomes (03:17)
09. Tombs (04:01)
10. The Tales of Nebulous Man (01:21)
11. Well-Read (06:54)
12. The Plight of Proxy (05:15)
13. Where Stories Come From (08:35)
Lineup
Max Mobarry / Lead and Backing Vocals, Electric Guitars, 6-String & 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Nylon-String Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Auxiliary Percussion, Programming, Samples, Gang Vocals, Kazoo
Mike Gregg / Electric Guitars, 6-String Acoustic Guitars, Piano (track 9), Gang Vocals
Guest Personnel (in order of appearance):
Quique Bucio / Bass on 1, 3-7, 11-13, Backing Vocals on 7, 11, Keyboards on 13, Programming on 7, 13, Samples on 1, 3, Gang Vocals on 3, 5, 11-13
Sam Ruff / Drums on 1, 3-7, 10-13
Sara Lung / Violin on 2, 8, 9, Saw on 8
Kainan Shank / Upright bass on 2, 9, Cello on 2
Dave Simon / Flute on 2, 8
Vikram Shankar / Keyboards and Programming on 5, 10-13
Camden Alyza Wing / Vocals on 5, 12
Jackie Frank Russell III / Vocals on 11
Blake Shepherd / Vocals on 12
THE BOOK II GANG VOCAL GANG (3, 5, 11-13)
Bethanie Bailey
Matt Hunter
Sara Lung
Val Magill
Madeline Mobarry
Ryan Reik
Jill Sanders
Timothy Sanderson III
Spencer Schwartz
Blake Shepherd
Camden Alyza Wing
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