Norchestrion: A Song for the End

There could not have been a better way to emerge out of the shitstorm of cancelled shows and postponed releases that was 2020. The new year brings a clean slate and hopes of a new beginning for many, but for others ‘The End’ seems to take center focus. Bear with me though, I still don’t know the end of what we’re talking about here, but it’s the end of something and it does sound kind of important. It’s a commonly known fact that your probability of getting away with pretentious philosophic concepts increases proportionately with the amount of prog that your band plays, and fellow Greek veterans Need seem well aware of that. However, ‘Norchestrion: A Song for the End’ doesn’t sound snobbish at all, but instead it seems to offer a bunch of conceptual themes that express themselves as an invitation for the listener to think and feel, with the most delightful soundtrack to boot.

As happened on the previous 2 records, Need continue to invent words and get away with it, as well as close their albums with 20-minute long epics and inspiring anthems. Also as happened on the last 2 records, there doesn’t appear to be much concrete evidence or debate on what the album is about, and Need leave their ideas open to interpretation, thus for my share of analysis I’ll happily conclude that this album celebrates the end of 2020. And it seems to me that the band appeals to parts of themselves and their audience that are personal and intimate. To some degree then, it makes sense why the real meaning of the music is unraveled in people’s homes, hearts and minds rather than on interviews and blogs over the all too polarizing internet. Having connected with the previous record, 2017’s astonishingly beautiful ‘Hegaiamas: A Song for Freedom’ exactly in the way that I have described I fully understand the high level of abstraction in Need’s albums. There seems to be a lot in common with the latest 3 releases. They have a very similar format, abstract concept and they’re all songs for something. But the song for the end does have a distinguishing feature. It’s the end of the trilogy (see what I did there) which also means that, in case you were worried, Need are not becoming formulaic, and their next record should step out of the pattern of these last 3 (who knows, it might even be a song for nothing). But that’s about all I got for you on the fronts of heated debate about we don’t really know what, so let’s move on to territory where Need get precise, their outstanding music.

Well for starters, it’s precise! The band’s attention to detail is something to admire and it seems there’s very little left to chance in the actual sound of their songs. Structurally, expressively and from a production perspective the songs and their sum speak balance on all fronts. Let’s do some background check. Need’s music plays along the lines of classic prog with a modern twist, best associated with the likes of Dream Theater, early Haken, Evergrey or Soen (that was a sort of FFO). There’s plenty of intricacies to unpack from their music, but they keep it tidy and pretty in easily digestible form, and they don’t push any extremes in terms of technicality or extremity. The songs have verses and choruses, bridges and solos, all easily distinguishable separate parts, glued together by elegant transitions. To the degree to which Need’s music is intricate which is actually not a little despite the easy-going nature of the songs, everything is purposeful, every tweak in rhythms, melodies or sound textures makes sense in context. I get tired of saying this, more so as a counter to the idea that prog is unexpressive, but I see no purposeless flashing about in these songs. Need’s sound is a great balance of food for the mind and food for the soul, never becoming boring nor overbearing.

Norchestrion presents itself elegantly, but darker than the previous 2 releases. it’s captivating, it’s emotionally compelling, it’s got that Greek vibe that only Greeks have and an undertone of melancholy or even despair at some points. It’s not a one-sidedly dark record but it does take a more sorrowful turn than Hegaiamas. The atmosphere of the record is dictated by the keyboards, melodies and vocals. The synth part of the keyboards sounds more analog than before and you can hear that clearly in the intro to ‘Avia’ or the background to ‘V.a.d.i.s.’ (which is a rather unconventional track as I’ll let you discover yourself). There’s a lot of harmony to be found here, but there’s also some soloing going on with the keyboards and tasteful piano sections. As solos go, primarily they are cohesive in context blending beautifully into the songs and to me appear somewhat bitter-sweet soothing the melancholic tone of the album. An touch of Greek music or maybe oriental vibe sure helps with this feeling too. Norchestrion evolves on the contrast of hopeful feelings peering from the darkness and I feel that is very well expressed in the way melodies and solos play out above the riffage and atmosphere. I’d say there seems to be a feeling of acceptance and not in a defeating sense that comes with the attitude towards the dark nature, and it seems to me that the music doesn’t create the darkness but rather evolves as a response to it. Jon’s vocals also display this contrast with a highly emotional performance, slightly gritty occasionally, and highly cathartic. I love his style of waving between softer and more hot-tempered singing along with the way songs evolve. While not in any way shockingly proficient in range or technique, he must be one of the most effective singers I know for delivering a heavy emotional package.

Credit where credit’s due however, guitarist Ravaya appears to me at the center of the storm, playing right between the melodies and rhythms, the feelings and the thoughts, the darkness and the peering lights. We’ve been over the melodies though so I’m using some flattery to the band’s rather peculiar double agent to transition to the rhythm section and by God do they deliver some chunky riffs. The riff machine that drives Norchestrion relies on a well-oiled mechanism of grooves, surprising dynamics and intricate structures, delivered with tasteful guitar and bass tones. The guitar and bass are easily distinguishable from each other and bring out the best of the best when it comes to riffage for such a context. They’re catchy, crunchy and delicious, sticking to their guns in tandem with everything else. I love that Need always play as a team and don’t throw spotlights around for showmanship, which makes their assets so much more effective, thus the rhythm never breaking the emotional continuity of the record. And hey, the drums are sick too but this review’s getting way too long so I’ll leave it at that.

There are plenty of moments in this album that I could spotlight now, but man it’s such an experience to discover it yourself. I’ll leave it to you to decide what you like most about Norchestrion, but I promise you, you won’t regret it. This record is the epitome of progressive music of the not quite so extreme end, and it’s as emotionally compelling as music in general can get. And by the end of the song for the end, you’ll wish it didn’t end. But hey, at least 2020 did! And Need made sure we start the new year with a resounding promise that if the end is to come, metal will not go with it. Check out Norchestrion: A Song for the End at Bandcamp!

Enjoy!

Originally written for The Metal Observer