Every now and then, we receive Progressive Rock albums to review. It’s a kind of tradition for us at Metal Addicts to open this cyberspace to all Metal subgenres and also the genres that have something in common with Metal music. Prog Rock has lots of things in common. I’d say it’s almost a common ground. Not to mention all Metal artists that love Prog Rock. That’s why today we’ve got Groove Therapist with “Monologue,” their sophomore album.
The band name Groove Therapist tells a lot about their musical ideas. They’re not that typical Prog Rock band with lots of classical music influences, lots of pianos and keyboards. Instead, they delve deep into genres with a greater grip on grooving as Jazz and some Funk. Of course, the band maintains the high musicianship level required to Prog Rock. Besides that, there are here and there some dashes of Metal and Hard Rock to spice things up. So, while listening to this album forget all your solid ideas about Prog Rock. “Monologue” sure does one hell of a difference especially when it comes to a Metal fan who’s not used to Prog Rock.
First of all, “Monologue” is a concept album telling the story of Kassandros, who is finding out that time is short and due to a most serious illness, his own time is borrowed. The dude goes through a lot of emotions as denial, anger, sadness and sentimental fall, a smidge acceptance, down to the “final agreement,” all the colors of emotion, all gray and black shades, are portrayed in the most graphic and prolific way, through the music prism and own adaptation of Groove Therapist. Second of all, the album shifts a lot its moods, tempos, and cadences. As I said, the album is pretty much varied.
“Monologue” commences with that kind of news nobody wants to receive. Apparently, it’s placed at a doctor’s office where the doctor gives Kassandros the worst news ever. Then comes “Denial” whose contents are self-explained by the tittle. Wisely, Groove Therapist chose to give it a Metal wrapping to express all the anger and denial their character would be feeling. The band was also pretty wise to name each song with each state of mind of the main character giving them the proper musical wrapping they found necessary. Interestingly, by the end of “Denial” there is a plot twist with a Latin music sequence that changes everything in the song. However, the track I guess represents better the album is “A Second Chance” where the tries lots of plot twists with Jazz, some Metal, a Prog Rock as intent main sequence, and others. Just all the ideas the band passes to the fans.
“Monologue” is a very interesting album mainly to Prog Metal fans. It’s interesting to see how they treat their music with the proper emotional content required by each track tittle. As I always say music is all about emotion.
Groove Therapist “Monologue” will be released on February 15th.
Track Listing:
- The Announcement2. Denial.3 Inner Turbulance
4. Morbid Alliance
5. A Second Chance
6. Broken Dreams
7. Time To Bow
8. The Touch of Hades
9. Dive Into Nothing
10. Epekeina
Watch “Mirror of Reality” official music video here:
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