Band:	Canvas Solaris
Album:	Cortical Tectonics
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	2007
A review by:	Herzebeth

01. Berserker Hypothesis
02. Sinusoid Mirage
03. Interface
04. Gamma Knife
05. Rhizome
06. Reticular Consciousness

People got all excited when bands like Liquid Tension Experiment and Spastic Ink arrived to the world, their music "for musicians only" began to expand in a massive extent, it was complex, intricate and insanely multi-faceted; all of a sudden the people who, not only did not understand what the band was doing but also wasn't able to appreciate neither the songwriting nor the structures of the music, began to love what their ears never actually processed, the genre became "popular" in fewer words...this fact resulted in a new wave of "Technical Bands" flooding our precious metal scene. Let's now analyse Canvas Solaris

This band actually stands out from the rest of the names, they don't sound as complex as Behold...The Arctopus or as crazy as Dysrhythmia, Canvas Solaris works more on atmospheres instead of high-pitched guitar-work, their music is still quite oniric and intense, but in terms of patterns they go for a slower pace, so their music is obviously three times more digestible than what any other band has created until now.

I see some alternative elements here and there, but it's no way near bands like Lye By Mistake or The Dillinger Escape Plan, they took those slight Coreish elements and bind them into a violent onrush of Jazz, Ambience and some bizarre instruments. So, Canvas Solaris has a very original and fresh songwriting, they take many "known" elements (just see how many references I've used in the review) and twist them enough to form "unknown" edges, it's quite impressive to be honest.

I wish we could be able to go through a nice booklet while hearing the music though, there's none and this is pain in the ass, but it's not a big deal so let's not jump about this. The production is quite good, a little dry but we get to hear each and every instrument and that's what truly matters here.

The genre collectors will be pleased, I actually think most people will dig the music from the Pink Floyd-esque "Interface" to the violent "Berzerker Hypothesis" crafted in a bizarre Sleep Terror trick. As you can see there are enough styles covered in this album, give it a try someday, your favorite song might be waiting for you inside this disc.

Best Tracks: It's impossible to choose between tracks as they're so different with each other.