Transport Aerian is a project born in 2003 from an idea of the Belgian Hamlet, who evolves the sound with each album by exploring all the horizons of Prog music. He has released 6 studio albums, the last of which the concept “Skywound” composed by 13 tracks, completing the lineup with 3 musicians and 1 narrator. The central theme of the album centers on the tragedy of a pair of lovers as the world prepares to face a war and a related catastrophe. The album is available on October 29, 2021 via Melodic Revolution Records on CD and Digital. “Shall Not Be” opens the album, with a blend of keyboards and massive guitar riffs, enhanced by tempo changes that bring the sound into a more symphonic atmosphere. The vocal is very delicate and expressive, the dreamy melodies alternate with harder openings, where the vocal also increases in intensity. A good start that immediately plunges us into the atmosphere of the album. An intro with atmospheric sounds opens “At the Cliff,” where in the first part we find a very soft and dreamy sound, and then half-transformed with Heavy characters. The rhythmic session remains slower, but dark and hard sounds characterize the second part, with percussion and effects and a tight guitar solo in the finale. “Fracture I” is a 40 second interlude, centered around a soft vocal and background guitar sounds. A guitar arpeggio is linked to the previous one and “Lunatic” begins, which is the longest track of the concept, with a properly Prog sound from the 70s. The vocal is warm and expressive, while more symphonic features alternate with massive riffs and a more drawn rhythm, sections in which the intensity increases. In the central part a change leads us to a more reflective and delicate section, in which dreamy atmospheres emerge, in the final an acceleration and a tight guitar solo close the piece. In “Latgalian Gothic” the artist offers an electronic rhythmic session. The modern sounds permeate the piece which is dark and creates a disturbing atmosphere, able to convey emotions Hamlet shows fresh and original ideas. “Falling 20” is also a single proposed as a stand-alone in February 2021, where we find the narrating voice on a soft structure in the first part that increases in intensity with the passage of the piece. The vocal of the second part is powerful and decisive, and the music closes the track in a crescendo with a good hint of electric guitar in the finale. “Fracture II” proposes again a rhythmic session to programming, more electronic than the previous one and a spoken voice with modern melodies. An interlude of just over 2 minutes in duration, with a female voice that leads us to the next piece. “Kuznetsov” begins with intricate melodies and a warm vocal, the bass lines are deep and weighty, while the structure of the piece is very elaborate and close to experimentation. In the central part the artist proposes a short percussion solo continuing in the sound experimentation until the final. The third interlude “Fracture III” revolves around guitar arpeggios and a female narrative voice, gently taking us to the next track. A hard guitar riff opens “The Effect” a powerful track with a massive vocal that interprets the piece well, the tempo changes are an added value for the sound. Good mixes between keyboard and guitar, which also offers a pulled solo in the second part. “Moses” begins with a jazz-tinged guitar arpeggio, and then just before a minute a change transforms the song with a pulled rhythm and Heavy Prog. The track is characterized by Jazzed sections and sudden accelerations that bring the sound into Heavy metal, Hamlet able to transform the theme. “Fracture IV” is the last interlude before the finale, with a very delicate and pleasant dreamy acoustic guitar arpeggio. The album ends with the title track “Skywound” which begins delicately with a soft vocal on a guitar arpeggio. A change increases the intensity bringing the sound towards harder sounds that alternate with symphonic openings, while the second part with the addition of choirs is more pompous and with dark features. An album that mixes harder strokes with Prog and softer and more symphonic sections. The theme of the concept is well developed and is well supported by tempo changes and melodies, between hard riffs and softer openings. A listening that contains interesting passages and that continues the musical research of hamlet, skilled in knowing how to vary sound at each output.
Tracklist
01. Shall Not Be (3:15)
02. At the Cliff (4:38)
03. Fracture I (0:40)
04. Lunatic (7:09)
05. Latgalian Gothic (4:21)
06. Falling 20 (3:11)
07. Fracture II (2:13)
08. Kuznetsov (3:53)
09. Fracture III (0:56)
10. The Effect (3:02)
11. Moses (3:49)
12. Fracture IV (1:10)
13. Skywound (5:14)
Lineup
Hamlet / Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Programming
Umut Eldem / Keyboards, Organ, Piano
Paul De Smet / Drums
Stefan Boeykens / Guitar
Rachel Bauer / Additional Vocals & Narration
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