Style: Progressive Rock, Alternative Rock, Post-Hardcore (mixed vocals)
Review by: Dave [editor’s note: this is his first review here, say hi!]
Recommended for fans of: The Mars Volta, Circa Survive, Coheed and Cambria
Country: California, United States
Release date: 20 April 2009
Prophecy and prophetic visions are an ancient staple of stories told by humans. They offer pivotal plot points and add an air of mysticism to a tale. Rarely does the prophet take the main role in the story, however. Usually, they are relegated to the moment of central plot point, never to be seen again. What of the prophet themselves? What is the emotional and mental toll of prophecy, and how does this change the prophet as a being?
These are questions explored by San Diego group Children of Nova on their 2009 debut, The Complexity of Light. It is a dense concept album featuring the moody and atmospheric songwriting of Rishloo, the pop sensibilities of Coheed and Cambria, and the high-pitched vocals and a slight touch of Latin flavor found in bands like The Mars Volta. These influences are brought together to create a sound that’s familiar but still very fun to listen to and full of passion, technicality, and energy.
The Complexity of Light is about a man who has single-handedly built a kingdom and falls to corruption at the hands of prophecies, known as the Second Sight, all while he is at odds with a mysterious group known as The Order. Prophecy and its psychological implications centralize the album, with common lyrical references to crows, used here as a symbol of death, along with references to light and visions. The first half has an optimistic sound to it with bright chords and soaring vocal melodies, but takes on a much darker and more twisted sound in the second half: the occasional falsetto vocals on the first half are joined by high pitched shrieks and darker chords within an urgent atmosphere that eventually capitulates to defeat.
Thanks to a combination of excellent songwriting sensibilities and a relatively short runtime of around 33 minutes, The Complexity of Light has exceptional pacing and flow throughout. Every song is packed with ideas and explores a large range of volumes, emotions, and speeds. There are slower sections with a smooth tranquil atmosphere that sit perfectly alongside more energetic and grand sections. For example, the title track starts off the album with some hand percussion and a quick drumbeat similar to “Xanadu” by Rush, but halfway through, the song slows into a smooth bassline and a falsetto vocal performance, meanwhile “Second Sight Blackout” begins with a slow and tranquil Pink Floyd style passage that transitions into fast, complicated drum work and finishes off with some quasi-blastbeats.
The vocals definitely capture the most attention here. Teo Lopez, who does vocals and hand percussions, uses three main vocal styles: a melodic mid-range, a high range falsetto, and the occasional harsh shriek. The vocals shine the most when Teo is able to hold a note for a long time over energetic drum patterns, the most notable examples being the first verse of the title track, the post-chorus of “Arcaedion”, and the chorus of “We Collide”. He has a very strong sense of melody and is skilled at creating catchy, high-energy vocal leads. Falsetto vocals and shrieks are used prudently to great effect: he knows when to step back and let other instruments shine. The drums present lots of fast and challenging patterns often complemented by an excellent bass line, particularly on the title track, “Arcaedion”, and “Second Sight Blackout”. There aren’t many guitar solos on this album, but the guitar does its fair share of work from the great staccato riffs in the intro to “Arcadeion” to the spacey intro of “Second Sight Blackout”.
Every song on here has something fun and unique about it, but some songs do have weaker moments. “The Fall of Aphonia”, likely the weakest song here, has a decent enough introduction but is easily eclipsed by both the second half of the song and the tracks before and after it. “We Collide” suffers from the same problem near its end, where a calmer section gives way to the end of the album with a vocal performance that is somewhat less compelling than earlier material, giving the album a slightly weaker finish. It is important to note, however, that these issues are minute and do very little to detract from the exceptional quality of the rest of the material.
Overall, The Complexity of Light is an all-time favorite album of mine with little to pick at aside from a couple of weaker passages and an opaque storyline with little context given. Not only is this album short and addictive, but every song is tightly packed with everything there is to love about progressive rock, containing lots of dynamics and excellent instrumental performances that build on each others’ strengths. There’s a lot to discover here despite its short length. If you consider yourself a fan of prog at all, especially bands like Rishloo, The Mars Volta, and Coheed and Cambria, this is a must listen.
Recommended tracks: Arcaedion, The Order, Second Sight Blackout
You may also like: Closure in Moscow, Rishloo
Final verdict: 9/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
Label: Independent release
Children of Nova is:
– Teo Lopez (vocals)
– Matt Pozzi (guitars)
– Nick Bonnell (guitars)
– Colin Ingram (drums)
– Mario Montaño (bass)
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