To-Mera - Delusions - review
To-Mera - Delusions - review
Tracklist
01. The Lie02. Mirage
03. The Glory Of A New Day
04. Inside The Hourglass
05. A Sorrow To Kill
06. Asylum
07. Fallen From Grace
08. Temptation
A review by
Ivor February 18, 2008
What To-Mera delivers is not something easily digested. If you don't know what challenge is, here's a thought - To-Mera is challenge. If you don't know what complexity is, here's another thought - To-Mera is complexity. Listening to To-Mera is a constant mind exercise. It's "like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick" (R.I.P. Douglas Adams). To-Mera is a blast when you reach Mach speed. In short, To-Mera is awesome.
Musically To-Mera have become a bit heavier. One may ask how, given the sound of their first album. However, the comments the band released during the recording do seem to hold up and indeed are true. To-Mera can be classified among the modern Prog bands that try to make their sound as thick as possible with heavy riffs, full bass, excessive double bass-beat and an overtone of symphonic sounding keyboards. Normally I find the result a bit one-sided. But there are two differences that make To-Mera stand out.
First, other bands don't have Julie Kiss on vocals. It's not easy to follow her voice and singing style. Her voice is versatile and she's not all that much following the rhythm or melody of the underlying song. It's like trying to follow two paths at the same time going in different direction at different speed. It's like trying to drive a car with two steering wheels, one for the left and one for the right front wheel. Navigating the vocal and instrumental melodies together is sort of an adventure where one is bound to discover much with every listen. Julie's voice is a great counterweight that balances the music, that seems to bring order to chaotic nature of the songs.
Second, other bands don't have To-Mera's song writing. The music is constantly changing and ranging between two extremities. On one side there is this wall of sound, strong and forceful, blasting away full of anger and aggression. On the other side there are beautiful breathers and Jazzy interludes that calm the storms of the instrumental insanity. Everything else falls between these two sides. It's quite hard to listen, as just about the moment that I decide that some riff or passage is extremely cool, it's already past and a couple of others have passed as well. Feels like chasing a rabbit all the time being a couple of turns behind.
"Delusions" is considerably better flowing than "Transcendental," it has a couple pointy corners less and feels generally less edgy and more coherent. While it is at least as good as the début - and that took quite some time to figure out - To-Mera is yet to reach the heights they can reach. When they manage to glue it all together, the result may be a monumental piece. So far it's a little step closer towards that result, a little step but a worthwhile effort and great listening.
Comments
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Posts: 5725 Written by Spyroid on 18.02.2008 at 14:00 Most likely yes. I preordered my copy before I got the promo edition but I still expect it to have additional value over promo.  If you liked the first one, you'll pretty much like this one as well.I.
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| Kamilbolt
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Posts: 1464
I like this band, one of the best new bands around, but their stuff is hard to find  I hope Candlelight Records takes care of that from now on.
---- You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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Posts: 6941
Well written review my dear Ivor! I just ordered this album today (without having read about it) but now I must say I'm VERY excited 
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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Posts: 5725 Written by Susan on 08.04.2008 at 02:06 Cheers! I'm pretty positive that you will like the album. Let me know when you've listened to it. I.
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Posts: 3523
Sorry I didn't get a chance to comment earlier, but this is one of the more accurate reviews I've read on a metal CD  I have found it has that rare cross-genre appeal that diehard jazz fans can appreciate as much as adventurous metal fans. It's more intelligent than their debut, but you are right: the band has got more in them, and while I will still be discovering nuances in this CD for the next year or more, I'm already awaiting a future release!
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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Posts: 483
I'm really liking this release. The songs tend to have a doomy kind of quality i think.. I see adds about this album on a lot of sites. Didn't expect it to be so good.
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 Posts: 2574 |
Posts: 2574
Spot-on review... Damn, I am going through a time of reevaluating music. I think it was a little too weird for me before, but now I am totally getting Delusions... A real treat, and yes, songwriting is unique. Bravo, To-Mera!
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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Posts: 2311
Weird, seems some of us got notifications of this old review like if it were uploaded recently.
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Posts: 5289 Written by Unhealer on 15.04.2014 at 15:58 yep, i did too
---- rekt
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