Artizan:
Artizan (EP/private)
- Fire
- Game within a game
- Rise
What do you do when, after a decade of
silence, two gifted ex-members of one of your favourite US-bands of old reappear
with a new project? You’re bound to open a bottle of your poison of preference
and go ‘Hell yeah!’ The news? Drummer Ty Tammeus and singer Tom Braden, who left
their mark on the eponymous Leviathan-EP (1991) and its full-length follow-up
Deepest secrets beneath (1994), are back in the ring. The new constellation
is called Artizan and, besides Tammeus and Braden, consists of Shamus McConney
on guitar, Hermanus J. Rombouts on lead guitar and Jon Jennings on bass. Wisely
skipping the counterproductive MySpace stage of pitiful in-progress recordings
in ghastly sound quality, the five-piece based out of Jacksonville, FL introduce
themselves by way of a well-produced and factory-pressed 3-track EP. The cover
simply carries the band’s name in a finely-designed logo, lyrics can be found
inside.
Of course, a few moons have passed since
their Leviathan days, so the question is: what’s Braden and Tammeus’ music like
these days? Has it gotten post-grungy, pseudo-alternative, stoner, ambient,
hipster lo-fi? Let me reassure you with a loud and resounding NO. Artizan sound
like they don’t give a rat’s behind about any flavour of the week. Better even:
the songs on offer (7:21, 6:31 and 4:25 minutes long respectively) continue
where the classic Leviathan-EP and DSB album left off all those years
ago. Tammeus and McConney have penned three strong tracks of moderately
technical US-power metal, with the former responsible for lyrics of a mainly
introspective nature. Opener ‘Fire’ opens fire without delay, combining the
trademarks of early-nineties classic US-power metal with technical subtlety and
well-crafted vocal melodies/harmonies. The dark but highly melodic bridge part,
concluded with two lines repeated at the end of the song, is especially
engaging. Every section has been carefully arranged into a coherent structure,
taking the listener on an exciting journey. Lyrics are tinged with regret and
melancholy, while still retaining a youthful optimism and newly found sense of
inner direction.
‘Pushing
forward through all the years
Manifesting hope in my fears
Clutching to the dreams I’ve betrayed
Utilizing what still remains’
If that sounds familiar, you’re over 40
and acquiescent. That is a good thing.
‘Fire’, a killer song all the way and
reminiscent of vintage Leviathan, Auditory Imagery and Divine Regale, is
followed by the midtempo ‘Game within a game’. This one takes a bit of time to
warm up to, as did a recalcitrant Leviathan-piece like ‘Confidence not
arrogance’. A minor quibble would be that, about three quarters through, the
repeated chorus takes the suspense out of the number. Thus prolonging the song
where there’s really no need to.
It becomes clear soon enough that this
band is not about the
three-time-changes-one-guitar-solo-and-drum-fill-per-minute type of
‘progressive’ metal that is anything but progressive and even less about metal.
Thankfully, no plastic synth-and-keys additives deform the tasty riff-built
excellence either. On display are qualities of a far more significant nature.
Listen to Tammeus’ playing. Intricate
yet controlled, shining with that hard-to-achieve blend of sophistication and
playfulness that already made Leviathan’s early work instantly recognizable. As
any wise man will tell you: less is more. Tammeus’ style – for that is what it
is: a genuine style - nowadays reminds me even more of Mark
‘Thunderchild’ Zonder’s restrained precision patterns on Fates Warning’s
Parallels. If that isn’t the highest of compliments, I don’t know what is.
‘And Braden?’ you ask. Well, that
versatile and ever melodic voice is tailormade for Artizan’s compositions. None
of that guttural nonsense, but none of the Tate-ish beyond-the-clouds soaring
either. Just a passionate and precise delivery of notes that stay within the
margins of reason, how refreshing. Yeah, these guys were born to forge this type
of metal together. Closing this appetizer – Artizan have signed with German
label Pure Steel Records and are working on an album – is the wonderful and
aptly titled ‘Rise’. Near the end of the song, Hermanus J. Rombouts – of Dutch
descent, no doubt – is given room to shred across the board and relishing it,
too. What makes this particular segment even more intense is the way the
interwoven rhythm parts are played. It just makes you want to jump for joy.
Because jumping is not metal, the only option here is to point those Ronnie
James Dio horns up to Valhalla and be thankful.
Sharp production and transparent mix
come courtesy of none other than veteran Jim Morris. Jim, you will recall, was
producer on the first two Leviathan releases and recording engineer on their
Riddles, questions, poetry and outrage (1996) and much overlooked
masterpiece Scoring the chapters (1997). You only have to take in the
warmth of Jennings’ bass lines complementing the exactitude of Tammeus’ snare
and cymbal work and you will be comvinced: Jim knows his audio dynamics and his
thinking man’s metal. Summing things up: the Artizan-EP holds nothing short of
top-notch material. Let’s count ourselves lucky there’s more where that came
from.
http://www.artizanmetal.com/music.html
http://www.myspace.com/artizanmetal (c)2010, Oliver Kerkdijk
