Charlie Griffiths – Tiktaalika
Charlie Griffiths – Tiktaalika
Inside Out Music
Release Date: 17/06/2022
Running Time: 53:00
Review by Rory Bentley
9/10
Ah the old guitarist’s side-project, eh? Untethered by the confines of saving the Shreddy bits for their allocated solo sections in the band, the Metal guitarist is free to widdle away to their heart’s content and finally show the world their musical chops, without their bandmates reining them in and the singer hogging all the attention. At least that’s the way it goes a lot of the time. Haken fret wizard Charlie Griffiths has thankfully taken an alternative stance on this and served up a mind-bending Prog Metal opus that’s heavy on melody and hooks while still showing off his virtuosity, so let’s dive in!
A prehistoric themed Prog Metal album could not be more up my street, particularly if you know the kind of band I sing for, especially when the roster of guest performers is like a tapas menu of Prog legends. “Tiktaalika” begins with the ambient catchiness of intro track ‘Prehistoric Prelude’ before the unmistakable vocal mastery of ‘Between The Buried and Me’s Tommy Rogers sets the pace for the wonderful ‘Arctic Cemetery’. This is a huge guest spot and his soaring cleans and demented growls add finesse and gravitas to an exhilarating soundtrack that is both head-scratchingly and heart-racingly cinematic in its eclectic grandeur.
‘Luminous Beings’ is a jazzier number, with lush guitar textures and the smooth vocals of Textures main man Danïel de Jongh and provides the perfect change of tone from the previous song’s chaos while still feeling consistent with the album’s sonic landscape. It’s nice to hear a Prog Metal album that doesn’t just play heavy riffs in weird time signatures, but embraces the full musical breadth of the genre, including its 70’s heyday. King Crimson is a recurring influence throughout and a great reminder that Robert Fripp has been a monstrous force in audio insanity long before he started doing silly lockdown videos with his wife.
The core band of Dream Theatre’s keyboard wizard Jordan Rudess, Devin Townsend Drummer Darby Todd and Steve Hackett’s sexy sax man Rob Townsend are, of course, terrifyingly proficient here and elevate the album to an elite level masterclass in virtuosity while making tasteful contributions that steer wide of noodly fret wankery. Of course, main man Charlie is also a force of nature when he lets loose. Some guitarists inspire you to pick up your axe and give it both barrels and some make you want to put it the fuck down and leave it to the adults in the room. My guitar will definitely be gathering dust after having my face sanded down by the title track’s final two-minute rampage.
On ‘In Alluvium’ Organized Chaos frontman Vladimir Lalić takes the already sky-high vocal bar to another level with a mesmerising operatic performance that lends a human heart to the borderline cyborg level of instrumental mastery going on, and it is perhaps the album’s most stirring moment. Almost veering into Power Metall were it not for the fact that it’s good and I like it. Sorry couldn’t resist, y’all know me by now. Likewise Luna’s Call mic monster Neil Purdy brings his own unique charisma to the suite.
Speaking of vocal chops, it turns out Charlie is one of these bastards that can do anything with any instrument, including his impressive turns on the mic, perhaps most prominent on ‘Digging Deeper’ which is once again refined and tasteful despite the undoubted ability of everyone involved to give it the kitchen sink treatment if the mood took them. Deep into the album’s runtime the compositional discipline and diligent self-editing are such a welcome surprise from a genre so prone to self-indulgence.
After the feral assault of ‘Crawl Walk Run’ conjures the Tech-Death exploration spearheaded in the 90’s by Cynic and, to put it bluntly, beats the absolute shit out of your ears, it’s time for the colossal closet ‘Under Polaris’ to put a bow on things. The recurring musical motif first heard in the prelude returns stronger than ever and once more demonstrates the amount of thought and care put into the album. As the acoustic guitars that lit the fuse on the opening track wrap up proceedings, the temptation to hit play again is overwhelming. I can’t remember my Hardcore-loving brain feeling that way about many guitarist’s solo projects which should tell you everything.
Whilst traditionally this type of music has a more selective appeal, there are so many ideas, killer hooks and examples of supreme song writing nous on “Tiktaalika” that it will be a travesty if it doesn’t make a huge splash that registers far beyond the niche core audience of guys with more pedals than friends. This is high calibre adventurous Metal for everyone to enjoy and despite its prehistoric theme and its often retro pool of musical inspiration, this is a fiercely modern and vital release. Jurassic Park!
‘Arctic Cemetery’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Prehistoric Prelude
02. Arctic Cemetery
03. Luminous Beings
04. In Alluvium
05. Dead in the Water
06. Digging Deeper
07. Tiktaalika
08. Crawl Walk Run
09. Under Polaris
LINE-UP:
Charlie Griffiths – Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, Vocals
Darby Todd – Drums
Jordan Rudess – Keyboards
Rob Townsend – Saxophone
Tommy Rogers – Vocals (Tracks 2,9)
Danïel De Jongh -Vocals (Tracks 3,8)
Vladimir Lalić – Vocals (Tracks 4,5)
Neil Purdy – Vocals (Track 5)
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
