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Mindwarp Chamber Releases Supernova album.
Mindwarp Chamber Releases Supernova album.
Review by Cathy Palmer. Photos by Mario Salazar
Mindwarp Chamber's new CD, SUPERNOVA is a fantastic collaboration of style, intensity and everything you'd expect from and eclectic group of gifted Progressive Metal musicians.
With a check your ego at the door writing approach, each band member made their musical contributions with the utmost respect and open-mindedness for one another's vision, talents and musical direction. Each track submitted raised the bar for the next, and all rose to the occasion and conquered!
Many people enjoy the behind the scenes or personal stories behind the songs so, as opposed to giving you a song by song review, I chose to ask each band member, "What is your favorite song, and what was your influence, mindset or approach to writing it?"
With a check your ego at the door writing approach, each band member made their musical contributions with the utmost respect and open-mindedness for one another's vision, talents and musical direction. Each track submitted raised the bar for the next, and all rose to the occasion and conquered!
Many people enjoy the behind the scenes or personal stories behind the songs so, as opposed to giving you a song by song review, I chose to ask each band member, "What is your favorite song, and what was your influence, mindset or approach to writing it?"
I'll start with SCOTT HUFFMAN, Vocalist and Lyricist:
"My favorite most meaningful song on the new record is the title track SUPERNOVA. The minute I heard the rough idea for this song I knew what I wanted to write about, as if it were always there waiting to be released. It's just simply about as if I was a traveler in outer space with more questions than answers that we have about who we are, how we came to be and what we hope is more than what we think. It's also about the awesomeness of our Sun, and the millions of things unknown and yet to still be discovered."
MARC MALITZ, Bass:
"Ok, my favorite song on the CD would have to be ON THE MEND. It has all the elements that I love about Progressive Rock/Metal. I think it stands out in many ways on this CD, although I don't think there is a weak track in the bunch. ON THE MEND is very dynamic, dramatic, melodic, and daring. It's a mini-epic that was a turning point in the writing of this record. We're all very proud of it. I am especially proud of my own bass parts and what I was able to contribute to this song. Everyone's performance really comes together to make this song very special. I also love the outro section of the song that reminds me of classic YES, one of my all time faves. It really let's the listener know we're not just about the modern Prog-metal thing. There's more going on here."
NOTE: Special guest KRISTIN JOY ELANE GUSTAFSON WALSH provided beautiful lead and backing vocals on ON THE MEND.
"My favorite most meaningful song on the new record is the title track SUPERNOVA. The minute I heard the rough idea for this song I knew what I wanted to write about, as if it were always there waiting to be released. It's just simply about as if I was a traveler in outer space with more questions than answers that we have about who we are, how we came to be and what we hope is more than what we think. It's also about the awesomeness of our Sun, and the millions of things unknown and yet to still be discovered."
MARC MALITZ, Bass:
"Ok, my favorite song on the CD would have to be ON THE MEND. It has all the elements that I love about Progressive Rock/Metal. I think it stands out in many ways on this CD, although I don't think there is a weak track in the bunch. ON THE MEND is very dynamic, dramatic, melodic, and daring. It's a mini-epic that was a turning point in the writing of this record. We're all very proud of it. I am especially proud of my own bass parts and what I was able to contribute to this song. Everyone's performance really comes together to make this song very special. I also love the outro section of the song that reminds me of classic YES, one of my all time faves. It really let's the listener know we're not just about the modern Prog-metal thing. There's more going on here."
NOTE: Special guest KRISTIN JOY ELANE GUSTAFSON WALSH provided beautiful lead and backing vocals on ON THE MEND.
The new album 'SUPERNOVA'
If interested in digital files of these photographs, or to inquire about booking a session for an individual or band, contact mariosalazar@chicagosrock.com
Now, as for my picks, I picked out SCOTT's vocals/lyrics and ED's keys on LAST EMBER FADES, (you guys almost made me cry) MARC's bass on THE FINAL ACT, (you have to hear that song live), MIKE's guitar work on STILLWATER, SCOTT's and JOY's vocals on ON THE MEND, and PAUL's ability to take all that everybody contributed and held it together with impecable timing and beats!
I do believe that if HOLLYWOOD presented MINDWARP CHAMBER with an opportunity to compose music for any upcoming movie, this talented group could write a spectacular music soundtrack for anything you could imagine.
MINDWARP CHAMBER'S CD SUPERNOVA and merchandise is available with DARKSTAR RECORDS. www.DarkStarRecords.com
For more band information, up coming shows and music, visit their webpage: mindwarpchamber.net
I do believe that if HOLLYWOOD presented MINDWARP CHAMBER with an opportunity to compose music for any upcoming movie, this talented group could write a spectacular music soundtrack for anything you could imagine.
MINDWARP CHAMBER'S CD SUPERNOVA and merchandise is available with DARKSTAR RECORDS. www.DarkStarRecords.com
For more band information, up coming shows and music, visit their webpage: mindwarpchamber.net
MIKE CERNA, Guitars:
"My favorite song is definitely STILLWATER.
For me, writing/composing is generally divorced from execution/performance. Sometimes, I'll write some killer ideas/riffs, and wonder what it would sound like if Queensryche, Dream Theater, or Frost* (guys with unlimited budgets and the tightness that you can only get from constant world-tours) would do to my song. With this album, it's different. These are our tunes, and no tune represents our quirks and collective musicianship more than STILLWATER. I'm sure you could bring in a bunch of Berklee-grads (Berklee College of Music) and have them perform our songs note-for-note, but, there is an indelible quality to this tune that reeks of our personalities and harmonic sensibilities. You can't emulate or reproduce that. Plus, I get to be a ham at the end!"
PAUL KILKENNY, Drums/Percussion:
"I think my favorite song off of the CD is THE FINAL ACT. I Like how the arrangement of the song starts out with a mello intro, and then kicks into a heavy groove throughout the track. Then once we come to the solo section, the song picks up a notch or 10 (haha) and goes into this fast and heavy moment of chaos, then comes back into this great groove with a very orchestrated sound towards the ending. I think the tympani drum added a dramatic feel as the song closed out the album in a very epic fashion. All the songs have special meaning, but that one for me, personally, makes me even more proud of the music we can create, the CD and this band!"
ED BETHISHOU, Keys:
"Its really hard to pick a favorite song, I have to say they're all my favorites. I guess if I have to pick only one I'll go with THE FINAL ACT. This was the one of the later songs that the band wrote for the CD, it also was the last song some of us recorded as well. It had a special place with me as being the last song I worked on. When you spend all the time and energy writing and recording a CD, it's a great feeling to get to the point of passing your music on to the Mixing phase. When in the studio listening to the mix, we heard a number of each others final parts for the first time and we were all blown away with the results. I don't know for certain how many tracks we used on this song, but it was a hell of a lot tracks and I'd be hard pressed to find a track that wasn't needed! Scott tells this great story in the song which combined with the music makes it fell like a movie, it has so many changes and different feelings all the way up to a this huge epic ending. If I smoked cigarettes I would need one after listening to that song. It's place as the last song on the CD was fitting, I just couldn't image another song on the CD after that ending. Scott had some ideas for a song title and we put them together to come up with THE FINAL ACT. It seems like it was fitting for a song that had theme of closure in so many ways. Playing the entire SUPERNOVA CD live and ending the set with THE FINAL ACT made me feel unlike any show I've played before, I really can't wait to do it again."
"My favorite song is definitely STILLWATER.
For me, writing/composing is generally divorced from execution/performance. Sometimes, I'll write some killer ideas/riffs, and wonder what it would sound like if Queensryche, Dream Theater, or Frost* (guys with unlimited budgets and the tightness that you can only get from constant world-tours) would do to my song. With this album, it's different. These are our tunes, and no tune represents our quirks and collective musicianship more than STILLWATER. I'm sure you could bring in a bunch of Berklee-grads (Berklee College of Music) and have them perform our songs note-for-note, but, there is an indelible quality to this tune that reeks of our personalities and harmonic sensibilities. You can't emulate or reproduce that. Plus, I get to be a ham at the end!"
PAUL KILKENNY, Drums/Percussion:
"I think my favorite song off of the CD is THE FINAL ACT. I Like how the arrangement of the song starts out with a mello intro, and then kicks into a heavy groove throughout the track. Then once we come to the solo section, the song picks up a notch or 10 (haha) and goes into this fast and heavy moment of chaos, then comes back into this great groove with a very orchestrated sound towards the ending. I think the tympani drum added a dramatic feel as the song closed out the album in a very epic fashion. All the songs have special meaning, but that one for me, personally, makes me even more proud of the music we can create, the CD and this band!"
ED BETHISHOU, Keys:
"Its really hard to pick a favorite song, I have to say they're all my favorites. I guess if I have to pick only one I'll go with THE FINAL ACT. This was the one of the later songs that the band wrote for the CD, it also was the last song some of us recorded as well. It had a special place with me as being the last song I worked on. When you spend all the time and energy writing and recording a CD, it's a great feeling to get to the point of passing your music on to the Mixing phase. When in the studio listening to the mix, we heard a number of each others final parts for the first time and we were all blown away with the results. I don't know for certain how many tracks we used on this song, but it was a hell of a lot tracks and I'd be hard pressed to find a track that wasn't needed! Scott tells this great story in the song which combined with the music makes it fell like a movie, it has so many changes and different feelings all the way up to a this huge epic ending. If I smoked cigarettes I would need one after listening to that song. It's place as the last song on the CD was fitting, I just couldn't image another song on the CD after that ending. Scott had some ideas for a song title and we put them together to come up with THE FINAL ACT. It seems like it was fitting for a song that had theme of closure in so many ways. Playing the entire SUPERNOVA CD live and ending the set with THE FINAL ACT made me feel unlike any show I've played before, I really can't wait to do it again."