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

The prog scene in Greece is lit. This little country is one of my favourites on the list of where to look for when trying to find some good new progressive music. And of all gems that it has churned out, Need might easily be the best one. I’ve been following these guys for a while, and their 2017 effort “Hegaiamas: A Song for Freedom” made a long-lasting positive impression on me that hasn’t been shaken to this day. Now, they just released the closure to their “A Song For” trilogy with the new album “Norchestrion: A Song for The End”. And with a few listens into it, my fondness of this band only grows.

“Norchestrion” follows a similar structure to “Hegaiamas”. It is a majestic 60+ minute journey consisting of a series of phenomenal prog metal tracks, suddenly interrupted down the middle by a theatrical spoken word dialogue track ‘V.a.d.i.s.’, and culminating with a prog epic, the 19 minute long ‘Ananke’. Numbers out of the way, what I’m trying to spotlight is that this album is big, whether you’re talking about the length of the material or about the intricacy and sheer scale of the composition. It’s a lot to take in, and it is an album that I will keep spinning for a long while before I feel I’m done with it.

When it comes to songwriting, they are masters at keeping things complex and interesting but balanced out nicely. The songs go on incredible passages of technicality and complexity but keep them brief and contained within a more or less verse/chorus structure that is easy to follow. The main melodies, riffs and vocal lines are very captivating and the songs are usually built fully around them, so it’s not like you’re listening to a tech display. However, the details and flashes of speed and technicality will squeeze their way in almost every aspect of the music, and purposely too. Stuff like quick licks, momentary ruptures in rhythm or snappy strums and accents on drums always work wonders in dressing and surrounding the main themes, giving a whole bunch of boost and flamboyance to the songs.

Guitar-wise, George Ravaya is, simply put, a genius. His riffs are super hooky, agile and headbang inducing, but never too simple, so if you just go full on throwing your hair in all directions, you will suddenly find yourself off-beat from time to time, and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s very stimulating for both energy and focus and it has that very rewarding feeling of having to put just a little effort in your engagement with the music to fully connect to it. And the solos are really beautiful. They have melodic themes, shreddy technical passages and a cool flow into the changes of the background grooves. In fact, in all lead parts of this album (guitar, keys and even a bit of bass) there’s fantastic feedback between the spotlighted instrument and the background that sprinkles details forward so that you don’t forget that it’s there. It has this feeling of more things happening at once so that changing your focus from an element to another can provide slightly different experiences of the same song.

The drums are phenomenal. I always liked the fat and ballsy kick sound that Stelios Paschalis puts forward and I’m delighted to see that it’s still going strong on this record. And the fact that double bass patterns keep coming in and out contributes a great deal in the ups and downs of the instrumental mix, basically adjusting the ratio of “metal” to “prog” constantly. And damn do I love the strumming and cymbal work. Next up, bass! It’s a bit muffled at times, a bit more clear and brought forward other times, just as much as the music needs. Since the guitar sounds a bit light and agile (though it presents its fair share of Chonk), it is often in the bass duties to keep the music properly heavy and grounded. And for a few special moments, Viktor Kouloubis gets to show some super-power effects that I can’t help nerding out over. The tapping intro to ‘Circadian’ must be one of my favourite moments on the album, and the meditative bass tune on the intro to ‘Ananke’ can only get so dreamy.  Basically, all instruments breathe a different vibration and they feed off each other to create a diverse and cleverly structured mix of sounds.

Keyboardist Anthony Hadjee seems to work more on the emotional side of the music. Not to think however that he doesn’t get his share of prog nerding, he even has some beautiful solos in there (the one in ‘Avia’ really got to me). But the “breathy” aspect of the keyboard parts are what I love the most, like the piano and bass duo right after the aforementioned solo, the swirly effects when ‘Ananke’ kicks off and the overall string or organ layers he uses to fluff up the sound (‘Beckethead’ kick-off). And he does some growls here and there (DEATH METAL!!! No not really though…)

The cool thing about an album from Need though is not just the music itself. It’s the ‘big’ that I was talking about in the beginning. From the lyrics to the emotional expression and feeling of development that it goes through as it progresses, an album of this sort has everything it needs to fully immerse you into the listening experience. It’s not a concept album but the deep lyrics and the BIG song in the end do make it feel like one at least a little. When it comes to the emotions, it’s all in Jon Voyager’s hands and his vocals are brilliant. I never thought he was a very impressive vocalist in terms of technique, range and what not. He is obviously very capable and in control of what he’s doing but not one to blow your mind like some of the most appreciated vocalists in prog. However, I find myself enjoying his delivery just as much or even more due to the sheer passion he puts in the notes and the emotional diversity he is able to achieve. From angry, frustrated sounds (‘Bloodlux’ verse) to longing belting (‘Avia’ chorus), somber tones (‘Norchestrion’ start and end) and serene reciting (first verse in ‘Ananke’) there’s really nothing more that would be needed on this album’s vocal front. There are even the occasional growls from Anthony’s side completing the spectrum with an extra punch of aggression.

And then we get to the theatrical part. The first 4 tracks are very much progressive metal bangers with a strong emotional component. But once ‘V.a.d.i.s.’ kicks in, the album seems to change tone. It gets darker, more philosophical and they start asking the big questions that’ll keep you up at night when you have an exam the next morning (Not cool guys! NOT COOL!). ‘V.a.d.i.s.’ is a spoken dialogue between two people that alternates between silly or funny moments and a dark underlying essence of contemplation. I especially love how it builds the pressing slightly apocalyptic image of where our planet might be headed. And I also love how the title track ‘Norchestrion’ seems to kick off from that feeling of aftermath. And just like with “Hegaiamas”, after the whole album feels like a struggle, a back and forth between needs, fears, hope and frustration, when ‘Ananke’ hits, it feels like it all comes together, not exactly as if the answer to the turmoil is revealed, but rather like it doesn’t really have to and also like we kinda knew this all along. This one has a feeling of deep wisdom and seems to make peace with things, bringing forth a meditative and calming approach at least as far as the beginning and end is concerned. It’s a true prog epic and it will mess with your emotions in many that you may not fully understand.

As far as progressive metal releases are concerned, I can hardly think of any better way to kick off the new year. I knew this was gonna be an album of the year contender and it only came to confirm that as strongly as it possibly could. I still have a hard time deciding whether I prefer it to “Hegaiamas” but I do feel it’s slightly more progressive, technical and darker, which is totally down my alley! Pick up any song from this album, listen to it once, and you will certainly NEED to hear more.

Originally written for The Progspace