This whole album is phenomenal. I love a good concept album and this one delivers in spades.

So the album is a concept album. It's a storybook style concept of a fox and bird (hence the title and that track) going on a journey to end a drought that has struck the forest they live in. All the tracks named after animals detail them coming across others on their journey, usually in opposition to them. So this track is where they meet the Bear, who attacks and chases them. From my interpretation, the Bear believes in survival of the fittest and sees the Fox's willingness to take this journey for the betterment of the entire forest as a weakness, therefore being unfit for survival. Basically summed up by Casey (as The Fox) singing "Together we survive" vs Elizabeth (as The Bear) singing "I alone survive"

@muskett00

4 ай бұрын

Great explanation

I was really pleased to see this show up on a fellow community member’s list. This album was absolutely in my top albums of the year. It’s such a varied album, with a lot different influences coming in, so each song feels distinct and yet still part of a cohesive whole. As you suspected, the heaviness here is for the personification of what's going on, but there's more flavors to the tracks on the album -- even one that reminds me of a movie score (The Nightmare). Yeah, it’s a concept album, but what sets this one apart from other concept albums for me is just how much of the story is told by the music, rather than the lyrics. I see the lyrics as touching on the big story beats, but they don’t tell the complete picture on their own; the music is there to flesh in the details and imply much of the story’s events; that sets the album up to be open to the listener’s interpretation, which I think is neat. It’s def too bad it didn’t make it in time to (possibly) make your best of year list, but I’d still love to hear what you think about it, when you get around to it :)

@progperljungman8218

6 ай бұрын

❤

@muskett00

4 ай бұрын

100% really well put

Did not know these guys had a new album out! I really enjoyed their last two (LP + EP) so I'll be getting this one as well. Will probably listen within the next few days and then get back to this, but even your title has me hyped!

@muskett00

4 ай бұрын

What did you think?

Bryan, please tell me if you've listened to this album yet, and whether it will be in next year's AOTY so far? Excited to see this, as I recently reviewed the album in the album club. Great band! The album got top 3 from your community, and well deserved in my view. Surprised that the singer was from Atomic Guava, since this seems like 100% established band, and AG seemed more like a breakthrough artist, although i loved their album too. For those who enjoyed the song but not the harshes, I can confirm they barely feature in the album, and overal the album is massively beautiful and well worth your time. I gave it 10/10, but would probably go down to 9.5 based on longevity, as its not one for a sing-along. Elizabeth is featured elsewhere in the album and on other ep., but the band get it perfect for me. Get this album listened to. You got the right song for the channel tho.

@CriticalReactions

4 ай бұрын

I still haven't listened to the album but it's in my to-do list this week since I'm caught up on 2024 releases at the moment

You nearly lost me at jazz fusion. My pet hate. But this was very nice. Loved the riffing and the vocals were amazing.

The bass in that band is played by the invisible man!

@CriticalReactions

6 ай бұрын

I didn't catch that but you're right. I had to go and check the band list just in case they didn't actually have a bass in here. At the very least though, there is a studio bassist .

@greggerypeccary

6 ай бұрын

@@CriticalReactionsLive videos show a wanky 6-string Ibanez (to compete with the wanky 7-string Strandberg).

@CriticalReactions

6 ай бұрын

@@greggerypeccary Sounds awesome! I might need to check out some live videos of theirs and see it.

@articircle

6 ай бұрын

The bassist who worked on the album is now a full time band member: Peter de Reyna. He's also Seven Spires' bassist, if you know them

@CriticalReactions

6 ай бұрын

@@articircle That's awesome! I look to look the band up to make sure it was the one I was thinking of and in doing so I found out that their drummer left the band last year. :(

i think the special project you’re thinking of is Cult of Luna + Julie Christmas’s Mariner album.

@smilingcorpse6258

6 ай бұрын

That album is tits

@ShadinCore

6 ай бұрын

i think it's more likely he meant "bloodmoon: I" by converge + chelsea wolfe

@articircle

6 ай бұрын

@@ShadinCore ooo that is another good choice

@CriticalReactions

6 ай бұрын

ShadinCore was right, it's Bloodmoon. But thanks for the reminder that I need to check out Mariner. I think I'm gonna do that tomorrow after the stream, before I forget about it again :)

@articircle

6 ай бұрын

@@CriticalReactions alas, I've lost my pub trivia crown to @ShadinCore 😔 ah well, long live the new king 🕺

Bryan do you know band called To-mera? They also prog metal with female vocal.

@CriticalReactions

6 ай бұрын

I don't think I've heard of them. I'll check 'em out.

@progperljungman8218

5 ай бұрын

@@CriticalReactions You def should. There's a Haken connection as well (though very different from them) 🙂

My long comment has disappeared........ 😢

@CriticalReactions

6 ай бұрын

Noooooooooo! I checked my "Held for Review" section and don't see it in there so it looks like KZread ate it. I lose about 3 comments a week so I got in the habit of coping every comment to a text document before sending it, just in case. That has saved me so much heartache over the years.

@articircle

6 ай бұрын

aw dang ☹ would've liked to see your thoughts, especially since it was your pick

@progperljungman8218

6 ай бұрын

@@articircle I'll try to collect myself and do a reconstruction... 😅

@muskett00

4 ай бұрын

​@@progperljungman8218 where's your comment :p