Chaos Over Cosmos – A Dream If Ever There Was One
Chaos Over Cosmos – A Dream If Ever There Was One
Self-Released
Release Date: 09/11/22
Running Time: 40:01
Review by Simon Black
10/10
You know this reviewing lark is a funny old game.
Now that these days I have some editorial duties on this site alongside the reviewing work, I am continually amazed by the sheer volume and variety of work we get submitted for review. There are literally 2-300 new albums or EP’s sent every month, not to mention an insane number of singles which we haven’t got the bandwidth to even start to look at. Sadly, we can only ever review a fraction of what is submitted, as no matter how many of us contribute, the more seems to come in as the site grows. And whilst this occasionally leads to an undignified scramble as we journalists fight over the chance to be the first to review something from one of the more established acts, it’s worth remembering that the reason I started writing again after a twenty-year break was so I could find brand new bands to listen to. In fact supporting the underground, so that act has a chance of getting off the starting blocks amongst the myriad of contenders is sort of the whole reason that this site exists…
Chaos Over Cosmos first came across my radar not long after I started writing again in 2020 and I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing their work ever since. It’s fascinating to watch them evolve and grow. I say “them”, as the band revolves around the incredibly musically gifted Rafal Bowman, who basically does all the instrumental work from somewhere in Poland, supported by a revolving door of vocalists over the years from Spain, Australia and most recently the United States – none of whom he has actually met in the flesh.
2020’s “The Ultimate Multiverse” was a compilation of an earlier album and two EP’s, hence its eclecticism, but it was enough to hook me in, because against all the odds I was blown away. 2021’s “The Silver Lining Between Stars” beat the odds again the following year, making it twice in a row a band got a 9 out of 10 from me.
Why against the odds? Well for a start, that scoring for two albums on the trot is rare for me – and indeed for most reviewers, as frankly most bands struggle to retain that level of quality over time. Added to that I am not a young chap, and as an old fart whose musical tastes crystallised in my teens in the mid 80’s I do tend to lean more towards the clean vocal end of the Metal spectrum and less of the Extreme side – particularly vocally. So how has a Progressive Technical Melodeath with Metalcore tropes studio project consistently managed to pull in top scores from me for the last three years when this is not material I would normally approach?
Simple. It’s so far and very consistently been fucking excellently well-crafted and delivered.
I guess the key hook for me was the Progressive one. As someone with a classical music background, I have always been drawn to artists that demonstrate sheer technical delivery and musical ability. That said, if these virtuous tendencies are unrestrained without putting the listener rather than the player first, then sitting in awe of the clever playing rapidly gets old, unless there is some really strong song-writing, musical structure, catchiness and accessibility in the delivery balanced evenly within that mix. And that’s why these chaps have managed the unheard of, and hit the high scores again three times running now, because all of those elements are balanced well across the six songs in this latest album. Although four of the tracks are really meaty in terms of runtime as Prog is want, they don’t outstay their welcome either, which is really refreshing – as indeed does the album as a whole.
What’s also really helping is the fact that most recent vocalist KC Lyon is now on his second outing for the band. That continuity for more than just one release has gone a long way to help maintain the consistency of delivery quality since this time last year, as it’s clear these guys have a great rapport and share the song-writing between them, rather than KC just being given a lyric sheet, a mike and a deadline. That’s where my favourite part of this lark kicks in – watching an act grow, develop and flower.
Additionally, this time round, there are some guest vocals on ‘Navigating by Moonlight’ that add a nice balance to KC’s Melodeath screams that allow a real sense of range to open up, and something perhaps to encourage more of in the future. The sound has evolved musically as well. Although Bowman remains one of the most accomplished shredders I’ve heard in years, can write drum programs that would cause Spinal Tap-esque spontaneous human combustion if a real human being ever tried to play them live, but this time he’s also added an additional synth layer in there that allows for the kind of layered harmonies and sparring interplay that makes bands like Dream Theater so enjoyable to watch.
And “watch” is probably the word I would throw in like the veritable Holy Hand Grenade, as this act has been going as a virtual thing since long before Covid made everyone else soundproof their linen cupboards and learned to home record. Adding more players adds more depth – and it would be absolutely fantastic if this act could take the next step and allow us to see them in the flesh. Impossible? Well Devin Townsend pulled it off in lockdown with a supporting band that also had never met and Chaos Over Cosmos absolutely nailed remote recording before anyone else had to, so here’s hoping.
In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to give them a go. Can a band really get a run of three 9/10 scores from me back-to-back. Clearly not, because this one deserved the full ten.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Continuum
02. Fire-eater
03. Navigating by Moonlight
04. A Mantra of Oppression
05. Ebb and Flow[ers]
06. Melatonin
LINE-UP:
KC Lyon – Vocals, Lyrics, Songwriting
Rafal Bowman – Guitars, Synths, Drum Programming, Songwriting
Keaton Lyon – Guest Vocals In ‘Navigating By Moonlight’
LINKS:
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