Style: progressive metal, heavy prog, progressive rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Neal Morse
Country: United States-UT
Release date: 28 June 2024
Progressive metal is notorious for long songs. The majority of genre staples, particularly if we look back to before the djentrification of prog, easily surpass the ten minute mark; I’m more shocked by two minute (non-interlude) songs than twenty minute ones on an average prog album. Hourglass got the memo—or more precisely, were part of it. My introduction to the band—as should be everybody’s—is 2002’s hefty The Journey Into with its twenty-six minute closer which I still return to on occasion. Their other three initial albums all contain some chunky tracks, too, and in the fifteen years since Hourglass’s last release, the proggers are back at it with their longest average song length yet, every track handily eclipsing the impressive twelve minute mark and half (of the four) hovering at a cool 25:00. I’ve heard a plethora of flawless prog epics, but with each passing year it’s gotten harder to impress me by sheer volume: do Hourglass write the next “A Change of Seasons” or “The Odyssey”?
As a wise man once said, “it’s not about the length, it’s what you do with it,” and Hourglass are clearly more interested in showing theirs off than mutual pleasure. Not one of the tracks deserves to be as prolonged as it is. For instance, opener and last year’s twenty-five minute single “Void Within” is rather pleasant sonically, drawing on a relaxed heavy prog style with a pleasingly bright bass tone often taking an equal share of the guitar’s lead. But as the epic evolves, I find few of the transitions engaging, feeling more like distinct vignettes of micro-prog stitched together than a more compelling single piece. Hourglass also incorporate little variation beyond riff style, relative heft, and vocal or vocal-less sections—that is to say, this is a bog-standard never ending stream of mediocre riffs with nothing interesting to change the flow. At 12:30 there’s an acoustic section which is a welcome change from all the electric before, the minute of 22:00 has a somewhat exciting keyboard lead (only exciting, in truth, because there aren’t many keyboard leads at all)… that’s about it. Voids and Visions offers few surprises if we don’t count lackluster section transitions. The rest is a stream of standard heavy prog. The other three tracks function similarly, though mercifully “The Hour Grows Late” and “Vision of the Blind” show the band restraining themselves to tolerable song lengths.
While I complimented the relaxed heavy prog style, I think Hourglass work at their best when they lean more into metal like during the several-minute intro to “The Hour Grows Late.” The heavier riffs of guitarist Brick Williams inject some desperately needed energy into Voids and Visions which suffers under stagnant chunks of songs, sounding like single, indistinguishable bricks (oh my god, that’s the guitarist’s name!). In fact, the songs are built out of these bricks: Imagine we have one-to-three-minute discrete units of prog metal instrumentals with some vocals thrown atop on occasion and that these units are Lego. Hourglass build their songs out of many of these Legos, but the problem is they’re all standard, primary-colored 2x4s. The house they make is safe and sturdy, but it’s as simplistic as it gets for the genre. Nearly every section is moderately-paced riffs with Dream Theater-lite keyboard backing, repetitive rhythmic patterns, and occasionally bland vocals. Voids and Visions doesn’t feel like it progresses much at all despite the endless prog-isms.
Performatively, the only remaining founding members, John Dunston (drums) and Brick Williams, showcase their several decades of experience in the prog metal world with technically stellar, albeit restrained, performances, injecting groove and riffs, respectively. The true standout member, however, is Brian Hancock on bass who carries this album, both figuratively and literally propelling the songs forward with his leads. Unfortunately, new singer Yahosh Bonner is the weak link, alternating between monotone singing and really strained high notes. He fluctuates between sounding far too relaxed and not enough, never finding a happy medium. His tone isn’t very smooth either, sort of shouting even his relaxed, monotone lines. With more finesse and a focus on range, Bonner could become a more fitting replacement for Michael Turner, but, for now, he sounds like an amateur among instrumental professionals.
At just under eighty minutes, Voids and Visions is no joke to listen through, yet beyond a general vibe, I don’t think most listeners would recall much about this album; there aren’t stunning solos, interesting climaxes, catchy choruses, or unexpected surprises to be found. Voids and Visions is a collection unworthy of being labeled epics.
Recommended tracks: Void Within, Vision of the Blind
You may also like: Shadow Gallery, Ice Age, Circus Maximus, Temic, Explorer’s Club, Magellan
Final verdict: 4/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: independent
Hourglass is:
– Yahosh Bonner (vocals)
– Brick Williams (guitars)
– John Dunston (drums)
– Brian Hancock (bass)
– Eric Robertson (keyboards)
0 Comments