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The Mute Gods: Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth
Wasting little time following up their 2016 InsideOut Records debut, The Mute Gods are back less than a year later with Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth, the trio of Nick Beggs (bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals), Roger King (keyboards, guitars, programming), and
Marco Minnemann (drums, guitars, programming) once again crafting a charming set of pop tinged progressive rock that has plenty of appeal. However, the band have opted to 'rock out' a bit more here on this latest release, which you can hear right off the bat on the catchy "Animal Army" and then the riff heavy "We Can't Carry On", the bands ability to craft catchy melodies and surround with rich textures and crisp arrangements seemingly taken up a notch. With lyrics that are based on all the craziness going on with the world these days, the trio unleash some venom on the heavy rock piece "The Dumbing of the Stupid", and Beggs' lovely vocals drift over sumptuous keyboards & melodic bass on the Genesis inspired number "Early Warning". The futuristic title cut is like a meeting of Hawkwind and Yes, while "Window Onto the Sun" and "The Singing Fish of Batticaloa" are further displays of how well The Mute Gods combine energetic progressive rock with melodic pop. Lest we forget that these guys possess some formidable musical skills, the instrumental "The Andromeda Strain" is a wild ride that contains some serious bass muscle, acrobatic drums, and sizzling guitar & keyboard lines, a definite "Yes, we are a prog band" statement if there ever was one. And, as far as lovely vocal melodies go, it doesn't get much better than the beautiful closer "Stranger Than Fiction".
Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth is another powerful release from the prog supergroup known as The Mute Gods, so if you didn't hop on board with their debut last year, now's the time to jump on and experience all that this trio is about.
Track Listing
1. Saltatio Mortis
2. Animal Army
3. We Can't Carry On
4. The Dumbing of the Stupid
5. Early Warning
6. Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth
7. Window Onto the Sun
8. Lament
9. The Singing Fish of Batticaloa
10. The Andromeda Strain
11. Stranger than Fiction
Added: March 19th 2017 Reviewer: Pete Pardo Score: Related Link: Band Facebook Page Hits: 2789 Language: english
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The Mute Gods: Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2017-03-19 23:48:29 My Score:
The Mute Gods were one of my favourite finds of 2016 with their debut album Do Nothing Till You Here From Me nearly taking the number one spot held by Redemption. It is an excellent debut so it was awesome news hearing about their latest endeavour tardigrades will inherit the earth brought forth by these three behemoths of progressive rock:
Nick Beggs (vocals, bass, eight string bass, Chapman Sick, guitar, 6 string
guitar, didgeridoo, variaxe, keyboards, programming)
Roger King (keyboards, programming, guitar)
Marco Minnemann (drums, guitar, polyrhythmic guitars)
The new album is heavier and darker than the debut, both musically and conceptually. Beggs wanted to make an album with deeper meaning, an album exploring the destructive power of human nature. The following quote taken from the CD booklet will give you an idea where this album is coming from:
"of your arrogance there's no defending face the facts your reign is ending"
Given the political climate this past year and the state of the world for that matter, the concept is indeed very applicable. For those interested the album title references tardigrades (water bears) which are microscopic animals that can survive in extreme environments, sometimes known as extremophiles. So after all is said and done maybe these lowly microscopic creatures will indeed be all that's left. Okay, enough of the biology lesson. It is time to see what this album has to offer musically.
The first track "Saltatio Mortis" is a short dramatic orchestral piece starting quietly with symphonic keyboards building with sculpted guitar. My only complaint is this would have been interesting to hear had it been developed further. Overall it's a nice segue way to the album proper. Heavier tunes like the infectious "Animal Army" with an addictive chorus reminding of something Devin Townsend might do and the edgy "We Can't Carry On" have riff progressions that are both interesting and catchy. This is the kind of earworm inducing music that I love; really melodic but on a high intellectual level. The propulsive strings on the former and distorted megaphone-like vocals on the latter work exceedingly well. More heaviness can be found on the excellent "The Dumbing of the Stupid" featuring Begg's always present bass, tasty orchestrations and even some shred-like guitar. For those not into heavier prog don't worry, this tune has another great melody with some tricky drumming from Minnemann thrown in for good measure. The title track is a near perfect progressive pop tune where Begg's vocals and bass playing come to the fore. The bottom end is very prevalent and the vocals are more edgy, deeper in tone, warning of the impending doom. Smart use of keyboards and subtle effects as well all add up to a delicious concoction of tasty tunage. The beautifully orchestrated "Window Onto the Sun" is another highlight. I think I will stop there and let you, dear reader, discover the rest on your own.
Tardigrades Will Inherit The Earth is a fantastic disc mixing of pop, rock and heavy prog into an album that I will be digging into for the weeks and months to come. They really hit it out of the park this time. Excellent stuff!
An Inside Out Music release.
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