Style: progressive metal, power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Seventh Wonder, Darkwater, Circus Maximus
Country: Thailand
Release date: 23 February, 2024
One of the best parts of being involved in a music community is experiencing moments of discovery—leading someone to a great new band that they’ll love, or receiving the same guidance yourself, and feeling that spark of novelty. Writing for the Subway is my small way of giving back to all the people in the prog community who have, with or without their knowledge, been the catalyst for me to discover something incredible, whether it’s past Subway reviews that introduced me to new favorites like Kingcrow or Karma Rassa, or random reddit posts that got me started on underappreciated gems like Ostura. In this case, Triton Project take center stage to receive their introduction. I’ve seen next to no buzz about this debut, and all the other Subway writers looked at me like I was crazy when I started babbling about how great Messenger’s Quest is. But this is the real deal, I promise.
This brand new project, although headquartered in Thailand, features musicians from all over the world, including Sean Thompson (Odd Logic) on vocals and Olivier Allard (Cydemind) as guest violinist on the closing epic “Lighthouse of the World” (and boy is it epic). Their music likewise showcases a world tour of minor genre influences from djent to latin jazz, although the primary style still very much lands in the realm of traditional prog with just a splash of power metal. Messenger’s Quest is the kind of epic, keyboard-heavy, story-focused prog-power album with virtuosic musicianship and boundless energy that Spheric Universe Experience tried to create with 2022’s Back Home, but twenty percent bigger and way better. Although the variety of styles helps keep the experience fresh and exciting, it also stands as really the only detractor from the experience in the sense that occasionally the well-built momentum and careful orchestration gets momentarily cast aside for a brief tangent that doesn’t feel well-integrated with its surroundings (such as around 3:15 in “Messenger’s Quest” or 9:30 in “Everdream”). With that out of the way, I can gush about the music for the rest of my allotted word count.
When it comes down to it, though, it’s hard to know where to begin said gushing. Fundamentally, Messenger’s Quest is just excellent on every level, and Triton Project stay absolutely on point with their musicianship, songwriting, and overall presentation from start to finish. The biggest props should probably go to Title Tanpawat Suttipong, the composer, keyboardist, and mastermind of the project; one of the most common stumbling blocks for inexperienced traditional prog bands (especially on their debut albums) is the matter of songwriting and an album’s overall structure, but Messenger’s Quest moves along at an efficient clip, never feeling rushed nor dragging on despite featuring not one, but three tracks over ten minutes long. On these longer tracks, Triton Project adopt a structural approach reminiscent of Seventh Wonder’s incredibly epic “The Great Escape,” breaking the songs into smaller, bite-sized moments that allow for more immediate and accessible impressions of the music flowing by while still (in most cases) allowing each segment to lead effectively into the next and maintaining the feeling of a cohesive song. Such impeccable pacing demonstrates a heady talent for composition, as does the effortless prog veteran’s ease with which they integrate complex and varied rhythms and time signatures throughout each song.
Despite the small lineup, each member leaves an outsized impact on the music’s mood, particularly driven by Sean Thompson’s extensive vocal range and epic tone which perfectly fit the album’s adventurous aesthetic, just as suited to Mike Mills-esque high-pitched intensity in the opening of “Beyond the Mazes” as it is to the softer balladic opening of “Lighthouse of the World.” The guitars and keyboards also help elevate the mood, with rich backing parts to support Thompson’s vocals as well as strong—if not quite virtuosic, except perhaps in the case of Allard’s violin solos—instrumental breaks and solos to mix things up. The final product is extremely hard to poke any holes in: whether topped by vocals or simply letting the other instruments speak for themselves, every moment lands just right with graceful rhythms and full-bodied tone. Even the lyrics, although pretty basic in their prose, evoke a greater epic context surrounding the relatively straightforward and personal story of the album, with tantalizing glimpses of the background worldbuilding which remains only implied. Through a handful of especially compelling moments of revelation in the story, the songwriting successfully conveys the intended drama and sense of solitude infusing this quest for a higher purpose in life, even if the precise details of each event don’t always come across clearly (as is typical with story-focused concept albums).
With their stellar debut, Triton Project remind us that new music is still good, actually. Although there are doubtless missteps here and there, the average snapshot of this album feels rich, intense, and expertly crafted, owing to both masterful progressive composition and impressive individual performances by all involved. Although its great intensity and complexity carry Messenger’s Quest to its highest highs, occasional moments of relatively straightforward structure and more subdued tone help keep it grounded, especially in the shorter opening tracks. I urge prospective listeners not to balk at the hefty runtime, both of the album as a whole and of its epic tracks. In defiance of typical debut expectations, Messenger’s Quest does just about everything right, never feeling bloated or overwrought, only deep, immersive, and well-paced.
Recommended tracks: all of them, but try The Key if you want a short sample, or Lighthouse of the World if you want a long sample
You may also like: Dimhav, Spheric Universe Experience, Daydream XI, Odd Logic
Final verdict: 9/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook
Label: Independent
Triton Project is:
– Title Tanpawat Suttipong (keyboards, programming)
– Sean Thompson (vocals, guitars)
– Kieran Pope (bass)
With guest:
– Olivier Allard (violin, “Lighthouse of the World”)
