Retribution

Every so often there comes along a musician who is capable of immense diversity in the genres they choose to perform. Many times their projects don't always match their level of talent or their rate of releasing albums becomes concerning. Very rarely can someone transcend genres, write memorable music, work on the production quality of their own albums, and not have at least some of those projects seem forced or stagnant. Although known mostly as the death metal mastermind behind Edge of Sanity, Dan Swano is far more than that. Ever since his first major release in 1991 he has been sort of a renaissance man, yet unsung hero of heavy metal. Contributing music to well over 30 different bands, on top of producing, mixing, and mastering albums for hundreds more he has been someone who never seems to get enough credit for the level of brilliance he is capable of. Although taking a bit of a break from recording he managed to release an album in 2013 as Witherscape and another EP with them a year later. Although it seemed like he was in a bit of a progressive death metal swing once again it was announced that at the tail end of 2014 he would be releasing the first album in seven years with his prog rock band Nightingale. Although drastically different than some of his other projects, it is one of my favorites and probably his most accessible.

With the release of Nightingale's album Retribution we see a drastically different and more emotional and vulnerable side of Swano from his recent works. Although he has been known primarily as the kind of musician who performs as essentially a one-man band a substantial amount of the time, Nightingale has always been a full band in which Dan has bonded with his older brother Dag. From the very beginning we can see the time away from the project only made it stronger.

Songs like On Broken Wings instantly display Dan's musical ability with a very memorable keyboard intro leading into a rather clean and emotional vocal delivery. The technical ability of this band is rather subtle at times, but by listening closely you can hear many small nuances that display their progressive aspects while being able to keep a person focused on the actual song. The chorus to this song is extremely memorable as are many on the album and the backing vocals give it an extra dimension. The guitar parts are incredibly clean, but still have a bit of a traditional lighter heavy metal aspect to them.

By the second track Lucifer's Lament their influences begin to shine through. This track very much reminds me of groups like Asia, Toto, and mid 80s Rush. Very intricate keyboards on top of very soft vocals and thought provoking lyrics make this one of the best tracks on the album. There is a lot of emotion displayed here, not to mention the theme of memorable choruses is continued. If only more progressive bands could take notes from Nightingale. Their sound from album to album deviates slightly, but not so much that it would completely alienate their fanbase.

Around the middle of the album the displays of progression become a lot more obvious. Especially on tracks like Forevermore. The main riff is relatively basic, but the vocals are delivered with a bit more intensity and the guitar and keyboard solos are extremely intricate and greatly display the more technical and heavier side of the band. After listening to this song I actually felt compelled to listen to it again. I can tell its going to be one of those where you find something new every time you listen to it. It is definitely one of my favorite tracks on Retribution.

The real highlight of the album for me is the Voyage of Endurance. The primary keyboard riff is extremely memorable and keeps being reintroduced all throughout the song. Although it has a bit of a mid-paced tempo I feel it is definitely the catchiest song on the album. Dan's vocals are also some of the best I've ever heard out of him. There is a moment where the music stops and his voice comes out with such raw emotion that leads me to believe he potentially has some personal attachment to this one. The keyboard solo here is also one of my favorite solos on the album as well. Although very similar to the main riff it is definitely taken to the extremely progressive side of rock music.

My only complaints about Retribution is that a few of the songs aren't immediately identifiable after listening to them. The songs do have an immense amount of emotion to them and the musicianship is incredible, yet not so far in left field you can't enjoy it. I feel that is essentially what makes a great prog rock album along with being able to discover something new with each listen. I have a suspicion that the more plays this album get the more I will grow to love it and at this point it is already extremely enjoyable. I would have personally liked possibly a couple more uptempo songs, but that is really just me nitpicking. I can see that the seven year gap in between albums really refreshed the band and is one of their most enjoyable and most progressive albums to date. I would easily give this album a 4 out of 5 stars and can easily see it gaining another half or full star within a year's time.

Originally written for The Metal Pit