Complex and dark progressive rock
Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 10/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Canada's The Rebel Wheel has reissued their sophomore release, Diagramma, through 10TRecords, with a new packaging. My understanding is that their debut was housed in a jewel case; this one, on the other hand, comes in a neat digipack. However, the credits are somewhat vague; it is hard to determine who plays what on which track, so I'll just address the music in general.
Comprised of five members, The Rebel Wheel has been a great find for me. They play a darkened style of progressive rock that touches on a plethora of influences, but at the same time, the music has an urgency to it that lends itself to more modern arrangements, often evoking Porcupine Tree's recent material (especially Deadwing). Rather than following in the footsteps of bands like Genesis, Yes, and Pink Floyd, The Rebel Wheel leans more heavily towards a King Crimson-styled progressive rock, but they also sustain beautiful and complex compositions.
With all five members playing keyboards, it has to be noted that the music on this disc boasts all kinds of synth textures and notes, coming to the fore immediately on the opener "Threads", a perfectly composed piece that summarises the band's sound. Its intensely dark intro, heavily emphasized bass groove, and creepy keyboard work underline the vocals of multi-instrumentalist David Campbell, whose deep voice fits the flow seamlessly. There is lots of fusion-inspired guitar work present during the instrumental part, laden with plenty of wah effects and modern-day Porcupine Tree sound cosmos.
Of the three instrumental pieces, "Three Valley Gap" is built around a cold acoustic guitar base, with lofty synths wafting across the whole piece. It sounds like a very simple track, but the relentlessly cold vibe achieved within its two-minute length is testament to the band's keen sense of atmosphere. "Tempra" is a bit more fusion-inflected, recalling King Crimson's improvised stylings, with dense instrumentation and scintillating guitar elements. On "Arachnophobia", on the other hand, the use of drone-like synth waves and Alain Bergeron's phenomenal drumming lead the song into a more instrumentally challenging domain, adding in oddly tuned bass and a strangely memorable saxophone part by Angie Maclvor.
The title track is over twenty-one minutes, and one of the greatest epic compositions I've heard in a long time. The complex, shifting time signatures and odd-metered rhythm arrangement is not too unlike the earlier Echolyn albums (think Suffocating the Bloom) and even Spock's Beard's first two albums. The Rebel Wheel adopts a similar method in song arrangement, allowing carefully seized rhythms and melodies to overlap each other (in a strangely Beatles-like manner), while also sustaining a whirlwind of angular guitar riffs and very strange-sounding keyboards. As expected, the song moves from one section to another, touching on pastoral acoustic passages at one point and jagged free-form jazz experiments at another -- complete with a good amount of percussion elements. It is particularly this part that reminds me of the unmatched Echolyn. The song concludes with an extended instrumental part that relies on groovy soundscapes and wadding rhythms.
One of the most moving tracks on the album is "Hiding in Waiting", which boasts an emotionally draining guitar solo towards the end. The zenith of the song comes after an unorthodox mix of acoustic guitars and very creepy keyboards laying the foundation for a strong theme-based solo. Despite each member playing the keyboards, it would be wrong the say the album is more keyboard-driven than guitar. The Rebel Wheel utilises synths in order to build thicker soundscapes, but the songs are generally more guitar and bass-driven.
Angie Maclvor joins David Campbell on "Awakened", possibly the most Porcupine Tree-like piece in that it is structured by a similar sizzling electronic sound patch and atypical synth shuffling. Maclvor's vocals are simply fantastic, though very scarcely used. She also offers another saxophone lead during the heavier section of the song to further intensify the finale.
Diagramma is an essential piece of work that needs to find its fans of great bands such as Porcupine Tree, Rush, Gentle Giant as well as more obscure yet frighteningly gifted acts like Echolyn, Eyestrings, NIL, and Leger de Main."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1