Style: Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Tool, Soen, Karnivool, Wheel (the alt metal one)
Review by: Doug
Country: Colorado, United States
Release date: 13 October, 2023
It goes without saying that Tool cast a long shadow over the progressive music scene. As one of the most mainstream-recognizable bands in the genre, they represent the starting point for many long-time prog fans and an aspiration for lesser-known bands trying to find their footing. It’s no surprise then to see the parade of imitators that they inspire, each bringing the same imperious bass, groovy but thoroughly undanceable rhythms, and bored-sounding vocals to a new generation. Source settle themselves right into this well-worn niche, adorning themselves with the same garlands and promising the same pretentious, “profound” insights through their music; what emerges instead is unfortunately rather less impressive.
I’m sure many of these aforementioned fans will rejoice, as I did, as the Tool-esque bass kicks in at the end of the intro “Crack In the Shell,” followed up by the guitars picking up the same melody to open the title track. Unfortunately, this sets forth a promise that Source are unable to keep, as the impactful moment is immediately undercut by the introduction of Benjamin Gleason’s uninterested-sounding vocals. Now, I understand that musicians carry a long history of acting too cool for whatever they’re doing in order to appeal to their likewise-too-cool fans, but in this case I don’t think the affectation lands. Gleason’s vocal delivery lies somewhere between Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and that of a more basic alt-metal vocalist like Benjamin Burnley of Breaking Benjamin, but lacks both the veiled mystique of the former and the raw emotion and energy of the latter. He’s not aided at all by the production, either: where the bass and guitar (mostly) come through crisp and clear, his singing sits mired in needless reverb effects that rob his voice of the gravitas typically accompanying this somber vocal delivery.
Strangely enough for a prog album, Emergence seems its best when not trying to be too fancy. Although the musicians make an admirable effort in their songwriting at adding depth and complexity, in places where more than one element is given the spotlight (such as around the two-minute mark of “Emergence”) their focus falters and all that effort gets lost in a muddy mess that obscures all the best parts. When instead, the bass, guitars, percussion, and optionally vocals can each carry their own rhythmically deep but self-contained part rather than all trying to interface with each other, everything plays much more tightly and smoothly. In that context, bassist Pascal Faurie is by far the hero of this album, managing to most consistently land his parts in that sweet spot of complexity and clarity without stepping on his bandmates’ toes as he does so.
Sadly, most of the album does not land so well. Even within the first minute of the title track which starts out so strong, its precision-crafted mystique gives way to a loose soup of poorly-integrated parts. Those positive elements nevertheless make their way back later in the song, alternating roughly every minute between high and low quality, offering at least something enjoyable to latch onto; the same is not true of the next song “Vesica (The Path In),” which spends its whole runtime unsure of which part should be headlining, allowing them all to trample over each other instead. With the latter half of the album featuring three songs that amount to little more than interludes, the closing ten-minute epic “Mandala” carries a lot of weight on its shoulders to provide a final positive impression, but it manages no better than the opener. Applying much the same alternation of focused and unfocused segments, the closer likewise leaves this album feeling like sure, maybe some of it was okay.
Featuring a tone and style that calls to mind several bands I like much more than this, Emergence sets itself up for stiff competition right from minute one. Even compared to other lesser-knowns like Traverser, Source experience significant troubles with cohesion, constantly losing track of their own hooks and leading parts amid a bland fog. With so many others to compare to and little to take away as positive or memorable, Source’s failure to distinguish themselves leaves them in the same predicament as Faurie’s admirable efforts on bass – obscured by blank expanse of mediocrity.
Recommended tracks: Emergence or Mandala, I guess, if you have to listen to one
You may also like: Diagonal Path, Traverser, Mantra, Mother of Millions
Final verdict: 5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Source is:
– Benjamin Gleason (vocals, guitars, keyboards)
– Justin Mirarck (drums)
– Pascal Faurie (bass)
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