April 2013 – Page 2 – Blogging in Disguise

April 11, 2013May 31, 2018

Dutch Prog Web’zine “Prog Wereld” Reviews Solipsistic

Ruard Veltmaat from the Dutch web’zine “Prog Wereld” posted a review of Solipsistic yesterday. Here’s the original review in Dutch, and Google’s translation attempt below.

Een uitgedacht marketingplan, een gelikte cover, strakke uitstraling en een uitgebreide promosheet van maar liefst vier full color pagina’s. Daar maak je absoluut indruk mee. Voor je ook maar één noot gehoord hebt, ben je al min of meer onder de indruk. Zo zie je maar weer, de eerste indruk is belangrijk.

Mastermind achter het project “Semantic Saturation” is Shant Hagopian, die zelfs op de promosheet de uitspraak achter de naam in lettergrepen en spreektaal heeft geformuleerd om enige verwarring dan ook helemaal uit te sluiten. Hij heeft passie voor dit project en dat is goed te merken. Hagopian is van Syrische afkomst en was eerder gitarist in de band “Nu.Clear.Dawn”, waarmee hij in 2003 de eerste Syrische metalplaat ooit mee uitbracht. Nadat hij in 2005 naar Canada is verhuisd, heeft hij een eigen handeltje opgezet met als resultaat dit album, waar hij hulp krijgt van beunhazen als Virgil Donati, Derek Sherinian en Ric Fierabracci. Niet de minste artiesten dus.

De muziek die Hagopian en zijn collega’s maakt, is op de laatste song van het album na volledig instrumentaal en zit werkelijk waar volgepropt met gitaarelementen. Niet helemaal onlogisch natuurlijk. De progrock en metal die de gelegenheidsformatie ons biedt, wordt gecombineerd met elementen uit de jazz maar laat bijvoorbeeld ook gelikte toetsenriedels horen van Derek Sherinian. Zo is Lost And Found – Insanity door een op het oor eenvoudig toetsendeuntje ontzettend lekker te beluisteren en krijgt de op Dream Theater geïnspireerde muziek een moderne toets mee. Vigil Donati heeft zoals gewend een directe manier van drummen en kan ook op dit album diverse maatsoorten op weergaloze wijze combineren, hoewel zijn aandeel mij persoonlijk iets te ver naar voren is gemixt. Zoals gezegd is de plaat toegespitst op de gitaarkunsten van Hagopian, maar hij weet zijn kunsten op intelligente wijze te etaleren op de cd. Ik krijg nergens het gevoel van: “kijk ik eens wat ik allemaal kan met gitaar”, wat voor gitaarvirtuozen een beheersing betekent. Nee, Hagopian gaat voor onderhoudende riffs, verfijnde melodie, gecontroleerde tempowisselingen en complexiteit. De toevoeging van Vanden Plas zangerAndy Kuntz in What If We All Stop is daarom een extraatje, maar was uiteindelijk geen noodzaak om de boel ”˜op te leuken’.

Uiteindelijk is niet alleen de eerste indruk sterk, maar ook het hele pakket dat Hagopian laat zien en horen. De productie is meer dan in orde, de muziek is zeker voor liefhebbers van instrumentale muziek met voorkeur voor de gitaar een aanrader. Persoonlijk had ik zelf graag wat meer vocale inbreng gehoord en dan met voorkeur ook nog een andere zanger, maar ook hier geldt de gouden regel: ieder zijn eigen smaak.

Ruard Veltmaat

Source: http://www.progwereld.org/cms/recensies/album/semantic-saturation-solipsistic/

[Translation by Google]

Devised a marketing plan, a slick cover, sleek appearance and an extensive promo sheet of less than four full color pages. There you will definitely impress. Before you even heard a note, you are more or less impressed. So there you have it, the first impression is important.

Mastermind behind the project “Semantic Saturation” was Shant Hagopian, even the promo called the verdict after the name into syllables and colloquialisms has formulated some confusion therefore be ruled out entirely. He has passion for this project and that is very noticeable. Hagopian is of Syrian descent and was previously guitarist in the band “Nu.Clear.Dawn”, which in 2003 the first Syrian metal album ever being released. After he moved to Canada in 2005, he has set up own business and as a result this album, he gets help from bunglers as Virgil Donati, Derek Sherinian and Ric Fierabracci. Not the least so artists.

The music Hagopian and his colleagues make is the last song of the album after completely instrumental and is really true crammed with guitar elements. Not quite illogical course. The prog rock and metal that gives us the opportunity formation, combined with elements of jazz but also allows such slick toetsenriedels hear from Derek Sherinian. So Lost And Found – Insanity by a simple button on the ear tune very nice to listen and get on the Dream Theater inspired music with a modern touch. Vigil Donati has used such a direct way of drumming and is also on this album several signatures on combining unparalleled manner, although its share me personally a little too far forward is mixed. As mentioned, the album focuses on the arts of guitar Hagopian, but he knows his art intelligently to showcase on the CD. I never get the feeling of: “I look at what I can do with guitar”, what guitar virtuosos a control means. No, Hagopian goes for entertaining riffs, exquisite melody, controlled tempo and complexity. The addition of Vanden Plas vocalist Andy Kuntz in What If We All Stop is therefore a perk, but was ultimately no need to get things “to spice”.

Ultimately, not only the first impression strong, but also the whole package that Hagopian shows and hear. The production is more than okay, the music is definitely for lovers of instrumental music with preference for the guitar a must. Personally I would have liked a little more vocal contribution heard and then preferably also another singer, but here is the golden rule: to each his own taste.

Ruard Veltmaat

April 11, 2013May 31, 2018

Progressive Area reviews Solipsistic

Olivium from the French web’zine Progressive Area reviewed Solipsistic on April 7
Here’s the original review in French, and the Google’s English translation attempt below it.

Et oui je le sais, je vais encore me comporter comme une midinette ang??lique qu???un petit rien ??moustille, mais avoir entre les mains une nouvelle galette de pur Rock Metal Progressif sur laquelle joue Virgil DONATI (PLANET X, Steve VAI, Tony MacALPINE, etc???) et Derek Sherinian anciennement dans DREAM THEATER, est un instant jubilatoire et excitant.
Bon, commen??ons par le debut. SEMANTIC SATURATION n’est pas ?? proprement parl?? un groupe, mais un projet n?? de l???esprit de Shant Hagopian (guitariste de NU.CLEAR.DAWN), compos??, autofinanc?? et produit par lui : donc autant dire que comme il n???y a pas de label ou de maison d?????dition ?? r??tribuer ; quand vous achetez l???album, l???int??gralit?? des dividendes tombent dans son escarcelle. ?? Solipsitic ?? n???est pas cher (un peu moins de 9 ???), son packaging est superbe, mais surtout???son contenu musical ne peut que f??d??rer un large panel de fans de gros Rock, allant de Steve VAI, Joe SATRIANI, John PETRUCCI ou RUSH.
Une petite pr??cision tout de m??me, les 53 minutes de ?? Solipsitic ?? sont essentiellement structur??es par des morceaux instrumentaux, sauf ?? What if We All Stop ??, sur lequel chante Andy Kunts du groupe VANDEN PLAS.
?? Solipsitic ?? est un album qui me convient ?? 800%, pour la simple et bonne raison qu???il n???utilise pas tout ce qui me fait mourir d???ennui dans le Rock ou le Metal : la surench??re de technique pour la technique, les sons de batteuse genre ??????mitraillettes blast??s?????? au taquet, un son actuel hyper st??r??otyp?? et manquant profond??ment de chaleur. ?? Solipsitic ?? est justement tout l???inverse !
Je retrouve tout ?? fait l???univers m??lodique et ??pidermique transmis par les 3 ??????guitar h??roes?????? pr??cit??s plus haut. Chaque riff est construit pour v??hiculer une sensation, donc pas de d??ballage de notes ici, mais de la fluidit?? ?? ??????fleur de peau??????. L???expressivit?? est de rigueur et chaque solo raconte une histoire, surtout quand toute la place lui est fait comme sur une composition telle que ?? Point of Singularity ??, ??pur??e et jou??e ?? la guitare acoustique.
La construction rythmique globale pousse cette logique jusque l?? aussi ; allant dans le sens de l???efficacit??, bien souvent Shant se dispense justement de soli car les riffs principaux, bien structur??s, ??tayent largement l???ambiance en richesse harmonique, donc il n???y pas forc??ment besoin d???en rajouter.
Virgil DOANTI avec son jeu reconnaissable d???entre tous, met ??tonnamment beaucoup de r??serve dans ses d??veloppements, apurant au maximum pour mettre en avant l???aspect ??????faussement facile?????? des titres. M???enfin, ses breaks restent toujours spectaculaires ?? entendre.
Ensuite, et l?? cela m???a presque fait un choc???non j???exag??re un peu, mais la l??g??re folie cr??atrice ?? laquelle nous ?? tr??s souvent habitu?? SHERINIAN est elle aussi mise de c??t??. Hormis sur ?? Lost and Found Insanity ?? o?? il se fait novateur aux niveaux sonorit??s, le reste du temps il adopte un jeu classique de ?? question/r??ponse ??, ou de renfort harmonique sur les soli de la guitare auquel tout le monde est habitu?? dans le Progressif. Attention ce n???est pas r??dhibitoire, et j???imagine que c???est ce que Shant voulait lors du processus de cr??ation des compositions.
Par contre je trouve dommage que Andy Kunts n???ait pas ??t?? mis plus ?? contribution, il apporte beaucoup sur ?? What if We All Stop ??. Lui aussi a su s???y faire ??volutif, doux et pos??, la Setlist est assez ??clectique et connaissant l?????tendue vocale du m???sieur, il y a fort ?? parier que le r??sultat dans son ensemble en aurait ??t?? rehauss??. Bon, par contre je pense que cela ne regarde que moi apr??s tout.
?? Solipsistic ?? est une excellente rentr??e de d??but 2013 en mati??re de Rock Metal Progressif, soutenons, et ne boudons pas notre plaisir.

Source: http://www.progressive-area.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2776&Itemid=2

[Translated by Google]

And yes I know I’ll still have me as a shopgirl angelic little thing that tantalizes, but the hands have a new slab of pure Rock Progressive Metal Virgil Donati plays on which (Planet X, Steve Vai, Tony MacAlpine etc …) and Derek Sherinian formerly in DREAM THEATER, is a joyous and exciting time.
Well, first things first. SEMANTIC SATURATION is not strictly speaking a group, but a project born from the spirit of Shant Hagopian (guitarist NU.CLEAR.DAWN), composed, self-financed and produced by him so far as to say that there no label or publisher to reward, when you buy the album, all the dividends fall into her purse. “Solipsitic” is not expensive (just under $9), its packaging is gorgeous, but mostly … musical content can only unite a wide range of fans of big Rock from Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John PETRUCCI or RUSH.
A small precision anyway, the 53 minutes of “Solipsitic” are essentially structured instrumental tracks except “What if We All Stop”, on which Andy Kuntz from VANDEN PLAS group sings.
“Solipsitic” is an album that suits me 800%, for the simple reason that it does not use anything that makes me die of boredom in Rock or Metal: the escalation of technology for technology, sounds like thresher” blasts” the cleat machine guns, sound current hyper stereotyped and lacking deep heat. “Solipsitic” everything is just the opposite!
I find the world quite melodic and epidermal transmitted by 3” Guitar Heroes” above above. Each riff is built to convey a feeling, not unpacking ratings here, but the fluidity” edge”. The expressiveness is required and each solo tells a story, especially when it is all over the place is like a composition such as “Point of Singularity”, refined and played acoustic guitar.
Overall rhythmic construction pushes this logic up there too along the lines of efficiency, often Shant dispenses precisely because solid riffs major, well-structured, largely supports the atmosphere in harmonic richness, so there not necessarily need to add.
Virgil with his game DONATI recognizable among all, is surprisingly great caution in its development, auditing up to highlight the look deceptively easy”” titles. I finally breaks his spectacular remain to hear.
Then and there that I was almost a shock … no I’m exaggerating a bit, but the slight creative madness that we often used to SHERINIAN is also set aside. Except on “Lost and Found Insanity” where he is at innovative sounds, the rest of the time it adopts a classic game of “question / answer” or reinforcing harmonic guitar solos that everyone is accustomed to The Progressive. Warning this is not prohibitive, and I guess that’s what Shant wanted in the process of creating compositions.
By cons I find it unfortunate that Andy Kunts has not been more involved, it brings a lot of “What if We All Stop”. He also managed to make it scalable, sweet and laid the setlist is quite eclectic and knowing the extent of voice sir, it’s a safe bet that the overall result would have been enhanced. Well, by cons I think it is my business after all.
“Solipsitic” is a great start back in 2013 in Rock Progressive Metal, support, and do not spoil our fun.

April 4, 2013May 31, 2018

Review on Ages of Rock – Italian Web’zine

Here’s another review for our Italian fans.

Semantic Saturation Solipsistic 2013

Pubblicato: marzo 29, 2013 in Recensioni Uscite 2013
Etichette: Andy Kuntz, Derek Sherinian, Prog Metal, Recensione, Review, Ric Fierabracci, Semantic Saturation, Shant Hagopian, Solipsistic, Virgil Donati

Un funambolico chitarrista canadese, Shant Hagopian, chiama a raccolta un drappello di “vecchie volpi”, nomi molto noti nell’ambiente ed insieme producono un sostanzioso album prog metal (Solipsistic) che va a nome di questa project/band denominata Semantic Saturation. Allo stato delle cose non è dato sapere se questo progetto potrà comportare un tour oppure un eventuale continuazione discografica ma , considerando la caratura dei partecipanti, ho ritenuto utile segnalarlo.

In rapida ma necessaria sequenza; Derek Sherinian (tastiere, DreamTheater-Black Country Communion); Virgil Donati (batteria, Planet X-Ring Of Fire); Andy Kuntz (voce, Vanden Plas); Ric Fierabracci (basso, ha suonato con Chick Corea, Franck Gambale, Dave Weckl e molti altri). In ultimo il formidabile chitarrista e mastermind Shant Hagopian, canadese di origini siriane dal grande talento.

Come dicevo gli innumerevoli impegni dei singoli musicisti rendono difficile ipotizzare concretamente la possibilità di ascoltare live questa band ed è un grande peccato. La tecnica e la qualità espresse in Solipsistic sono davvero elevate, si tratta di un album dall’impatto realmente deflagrante.

Quanto al futuro infatti Hagopian ha dichiarato di vedere Semantic Saturation come un cantiere aperto, immagina un prosieguo magari di volta in volta con altri musicisti (si parla di Anneke van Giersbergen) pur non escludendo la collaborazione con gli attuali: il tempo dirà.

Prog metal dunque, suonato come meglio difficilmente si potrebbe ma non mancano qua e la pure tenui sfumature jazzy; le diverse esperienze, le capacità ed il gusto sia nella composizione che nell’esecuzione lasciano ampi spazi di manovra. Il Cd è pressochè interamente strumentale ove si eccettui l’ultimo brano, What If We All Stop che vede coinvolta anche la voce di Andy Kuntz

Difficile individuare le cose migliori perché ci si imbatte in un song writing robusto e variegato, con numerosi parti solo a svettare su una coralità solida ed inscalfibile, non sono presenti momenti di particolare cedimento a fronte di una qualità a tratti incredibile. Volendo cercare il pelo nell’uovo ho trovato giusto in due passaggi, Lost and Found Insanity e Armchair Activist, un lieve spostamento verso il basso; la prima pur mantenendo uno standard qualitativo di tutto rispetto (grandissima costruzione armonica, chapeau!) poggia su di uno spunto melodico non particolarmente inebriante.Finale epico in ogni caso.

La seconda è una traccia adrenalinica che vede di nuovo Virgil Donati in bella evidenza (ben assecondato dal basso di Fierabracci) ma un pò “prevedibile”.

Esaurite quelle che possono essere le “magagne” per il resto…bene, anzi, benissimo tutto ! L’ emozionante ed incredibile Stardust, che mette in evidenza il talento chitarristico di Hagopian da un lato e la potenza e la classe della band dall’altro; l’iniziale Ambivalence, ottimo biglietto da visita, un pugno di granito possente ed ultimativo. Due brani da vertice qualitativo.

Il sound quasi romantico della chitarra in Blessing in Disguise con il suo mood epico e drammatico; la brevità di Point Of Singularity non deve trarre in inganno perché in quei quasi 4 minuti Shant compie meraviglie sullo strumento e nella composizione, misurata e di gran classe.

Ancora potenza e fantasia insieme al potere in Time Is An Illusion in una galoppata a perdifiato, così come in Make Believe.

In ultimo What If We All Stop, unico pezzo cantato, aperto da un arpeggio sognante della chitarra; la prova vocale di Kuntz regala emozioni, assistita egregiamente da una trama musicale all’altezza dei migliori episodi del disco.

Un ottimo paio di cuffie, non lesinare sul volume ed un pò di tempo a disposizione; queste le prescrizioni ideali per gustarsi completamente un album eccellente, che spinge molto, suonato in maniera impeccabile, prodigo di dettagli e raffinatezze. Quando i musicisti americani (o comunque di tale estrazione) interagiscono tra loro a questo livello, in ambito prog metal fanno faville ! Ad oggi un serio candidato come migliore album di genere per questo anno.

Max

source: http://agesofrock.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/semantic-saturation-solipsistic-2013/

April 1, 2013May 31, 2018

Review on Background Magazine – 5 Stars!

Here’s an interesting review from the dutch Background Magazine

Rating score: 5 stars out of 5 !

Semantic Saturation – Solipsistic

(CD 2012, 51:14, Cornless Unicorn)

The tracks:
1- Ambivalence (6:33)
2- Make Believe (5:06)
3- Lost And Found: Insanity (5:26)
4- Stardust (6:49)
5- Blessing In Disguise (4:48)
6- Armchair Activist (4:10)
7- Point Of Singularity (3:50)
8- Time Is An Illusion (5:43)
9- What If We All Stop (8:44)

Sometimes it pays off when you’re searching on YouTube for music that might be interesting. When I heard the first notes of the opening tune of Solipsistic, the debut album of Semantic Saturation, I was completely flabbergasted. I found out that the initiator of this band was a Canadian guitar player of Syrian-Armenian origin by the name of Shant Hagopian. After contacting him through Facebook, he was so kind as to send me the complete album to review for Background Magazine.

What do you get when you bring together a stunning, but fairly unknown songwriter and guitar player – which will soon change I guess – with some of the finest musicians in both prog rock and fusion? The answer is Solipsistic: heavy instrumental progressive rock and metal crossing the edges of fusion. I say instrumental, but that’s not completely true since vocalist Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas) lends his remarkable voice for the final piece. The great instrumentalists are keyboard wizard Derek Sherinian (Planet X, Black Country Communion, ex-Dream Theater), bass player Ric Fierabracci (Planet X, Frank Gambale and Eddie Jobson’s UK) and drummer Virgil Donati, who also participated in Planet X and recorded solo albums as well as albums with Tony MacAlpine, Derek Sherinian and Frank Gambale. These musicians don’t need any further introduction, because I think that many BM-readers will possess one or more albums on which they play. With musicians like these, it’s hard to imagine that they’re able to create a bad album.

After listening to the first song Ambivalence I immediately knew that I got a winner here. On this track the spirit of Dream Theater wanders about. It’s a powerful instrumental piece with guitar work that reminds me of John Petrucci. The keyboards just add that little extra; they sound quite differently from the way Jordan Rudes plays, but Derek Sherinian clearly leaves his mark. At the end it’s melodic but heavy. Make Believe has a fluent guitar line and, as in the previous song, you’ll notice the strong drum sound of Donati which I think has been mixed perfectly! In this song Hagopian duels with Sherinian; in the solos his guitar play seems to be slightly influenced by Steve Morse (Deep Purple, ex-Kansas). First thing that came to mind when Lost And Found – Insanity started was Beyond The Realms Of Euphoria, the latest Galahad album: many modern influences and the guitar that basically tells the story and again that perfect mix. Fierabracci’s bass stands out and listening to the music I have to refer to Planet X, but a more heavy metal one. Stardust is a perfect showcase for the guitar of Hagopian, who again tells the story by mixing melody lines with a heavy riff and a Dream Theater-like structure. This almost seven-minute monster completely blew me away with its combination of piano, guitar and keyboards.

They slow down a bit with Blessing In Disguise; you may call this piece an instrumental ballad wherein Derek Sherinian excels, while Shant Hagopian plays the acoustic guitar in order to create an intimate atmosphere. His sustained notes on the electric guitar perfectly combine with the bass and drums. In Armchair Activist the band regain speed and power with energetic drumming. The bass creates a foundation for two different sounding guitars and Sherinian’s keyboards. The guitar line sounds as if it’s easy to play, but experience shows that easy sounding passages are often the more difficult ones to play. Point Of Singularity contains the combination of an acoustic guitar with quirky background sounds while Shant plays sustained guitar notes; it slightly differs from the other compositions. Fluent guitar lines over impressive drum chops create a stunning combination in Time Is An Illusion. Donati’s typical drum sound is being highlighted in this fine piece. As I mentioned before, the only vocal song What If We All Stop is also the final song on Solipsistic. This impressive epic shows great songwriting skills. It’s good to hear Andy Kuntz supported by a different guitarist instead of Stefan Lill, who has a totally different sound with Vanden Plas. Although I like instrumental music very much, What If We All Stop is so impressive that it became my personal favourite of Solipsistic. By the way, the last four seconds really did the trick!

I’m glad to have found Shant Hagopian on YouTube and I’m grateful that he has sent me the album to review. I think Solipsistic really is a perfect album for all progressive metal and guitar fans. Hagopian made his debut on the highest possible level that can only be demonstrated by a five-star rating! I’m anxiously looking forward to his next effort.

***** Pedro Bekkers (edited by Peter Willemsen)

source: http://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/QLinks/SemanticSaturationSolipsistic.html