Band:	Trioscapes
Album:	Digital Dream Sequence
Style:	Jazz Fusion
Release date:	August 19, 2014
A review by:	Auntie Sahar

01. Digital Dream Sequence
02. Stab Wounds
03. From The Earth To The Moon
04. Hysteria
05. The Jungle

When can a band you really don't care for yield one that you do? Why, when the band in question has a member who forms another band that's overall better and more enjoyable, of course. Enter the case of Dan Briggs' Trioscapes.

The side project of the Between The Buried And Me bassist is a curious jazz fusion of sorts. Horns and intricate bass lines abound, in complex, off beat rhythms similar to what you'd hear of modern prog metal. At some points throughout Digital Dream Sequence, Briggs' bass makes use of some heavy distortion (see the opening title track) to sound a bit like an extremely fuzzy, down tuned guitar and make the music feel a little bit more metal-like.

There's a lot going on on this album musically: some might be overwhelmed, and others who like a wide variety of instrumentation will surely be pleased. Whether it's flute ("Stab Wounds"), xylophone ("From The Earth To The Moon"), or the sax and bass that really form the core of the album, Digital Dream Sequence is a clever layering of various sounds and an excellent testament to the composing abilities of Dan Briggs, a pleasing alternative to BTBAM that perhaps shows us his true potential more than the aforementioned band.

Listening to Trioscapes, there's no denying that Dann Briggs is a well accomplished and potent musician. But there's something more enjoyable here than with BTBAM, perhaps in the fact that this project is purely instrumental, lacking the potential distraction of vocals and allowing each player's skills to really shine. Is this "jazz metal"? Not really, even if some of the rhythms executed may sound a little metal-ish. But at the end of the day, who really cares, as long as it's good? If you're like me, a sucker for jazz, or just complex music in general, you'd be doing yourself a solid by giving Digital Dream Sequence a spin or two.