Turbulence – Binary Dream (Frontiers Music)
Friday, 8th March 2024
Eager to enjoy artists from every part of the globe, Turbulence is a progressive metal/ rock outfit hailing from Lebanon – not exactly a country known for artists in this style. Since their inception in 2013, they’ve released two albums Disequilibrium in 2015 independently and the follow-up on Frontiers Frontal in 2021. Which sets the stage for Binary Dream, an album that explores, questions, and awakens through its conceptual theme of 8b + 1 – an experimental robot taken through a carefully crafted storyline about consciousness awakening. You’ll get a nine-track odyssey that contains intriguing vocal-led material sitting side by side with thoroughly entertaining instrumental songs – traversing their Middle Eastern upbringing in waves of djent, jazz fusion, and natural progressive-laden tendencies.
When people experience progressive metal, worry often sets in that the intricate angles, tantalizing time signature manipulation, and fluid passages can be difficult to retain or grasp – only appealing to the most advanced musician-oriented communities. These gentlemen attain that necessary balance between showcasing obvious supreme knowledge and execution at their instruments, while also ensuring specific parts (and songs) contain the key hooks, melodies, or harmony-laden movements that capture your headspace. It could be a calmer, lower register vocal melody next to some ethereal, distant keyboards or reflective guitar lines during “Tenary”, the pulsating, robotic nature that moves into Pain of Salvation meets Tool in a Middle Eastern motif of bombast for the 1:31 “Static Mind”, all the way through to stunted, keyboard/guitar neoclassical synchronization next to a bevy of amazing off-tempo drum kit action in latter half album highlight “Hybrid” – the creativity fires on upper echelon cylinders. The scope of emotions Omar El Hajj executes in his voice gives Turbulence that extra proverbial cherry on top of an already delightful main menu – his range similar to that of Einar Solberg of Leprous, matching the moody shape altering nature of the mammoth, 14-minute plus title cut effortlessly.
Add in the modern, low-tuned guitars against the varied jazz fusion/progressive keyboard swirls, as well as forward-thinking bass passages that often prop themselves up to boost the adventurous angles and it’s easy to understand that Binary Dream for Turbulence could be their strongest record to date. This is a modern progressive metal recording that exudes confidence, hopefully garnering the best appeal from all parts of the world.
