INK

Spanish band PERVY PERKIN was formed in 2011, and consist of five fairly young musicians operating out of Spanish capitol Madrid. They are a self-described progressive rock/metal band, and self-released their debut album "Ink" in 2014.

I'll have to admit that I am charmed by the ambition of this band. It's not all that often that a new, young band makes their first foray into the world of recording artists with a double CD, and perhaps even more uncommon that said double feature is a theme album. It demands a lot by a young band to create such a production, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of emotion as well as time have been invested on this album.

They do have a lot going for them as well. They mention a stack of fairly different artists as sources of inspiration, and this is indeed one of the few cases where a band's cited influences, as varied as in this case, can be found also in their music. Most of the compositions does feature sequences that belongs rather safely inside a progressive metal context, so presumably most people will place them inside such a general context, and they do know their way around both classic guitar riff and keyboard arrangements as well as in more vibrant and energetic guitar driven ones. They are just as compelling when exploring passages of a gentler kind however, with wandering plucked and at times acoustic guitars accompanied by careful keyboards or piano and dampened rhythm details. One of the highlights of this production for me is a piece revolving around such features, the just over 11 minutes long Memories of the Water. They also master more atmospheric laden and electronic dominated creations extremely well it should be said, as exemplified brilliantly on Shades under a City Lamppost. Atmospheric laden progressive rock closer to the likes of Pink Floyd is more of a recurring feature however, as well as some vintage Deep Purple tinged moments, and we're also treated to select occurrences of reggae and funk-tinged rock Red Hot Chili Pepper's style along the way.

For me this album plays out a bit more like a move than a concept album however, in that we're moved from one location to the next, and in the album as a whole as well as in the individual compositions there's a tendency to go steadily onward. Some of the more memorable tracks does use recurring themes and motifs to good effect, but other appears intent on just moving on, and with multiple alterations in pace, style and intensity some of the compositions becomes a bit aimless for me and how I listen to music. I found this subtle details to be most profound early on, and as this album unfolds my perception is that this tendency decreases somewhat. I also get a feeling that the band have purposefully focused on not creating such an experience on the massive, sprawling epic Morphosis, a behemoth of a song that clocks in at 26 minutes and a bit.

A detail of more concern for me here are the main lead vocals however, which I generally found to be detrimental to the total experience. To weak in the gentlest passages, at times with for me odd choices in pitch, tone and intonation, and otherwise too thin and nasal - especially in the passages demanding a more powerful vocal delivery. There's a will and emotion present that will satisfy many listeners, as there are many that hone in on that aspect of the lead vocals, but for someone like me, who listen to the vocals as an instrument in it's own right, the end result may well be that it is detrimental to the end user experience.

I should perhaps also add that some of the theatrical sequences where spoken words are used to give life to the storyline aren't all that well written nor executed as I experience them: It takes skill both to be a playwright and an actor, and that skill set isn't automatically compatible with being a lyricist, composer or musician in a band.

While my personal opinion of this album is that it is somewhat flawed, a production with some specific shortcomings, how enjoyable or not this production is, that is a matter where opinions will differ, much depending on what kind of listener you are. Those not all that particular about vocals, and who find compositions with multiple alterations and changes in style, pace and intensity to generally be a good thing will get a lot of enjoyment from this production. Literally speaking as well, as this one does clock in at around 140 minutes playtime. Those with more sensitive tastes on the details described above should probably approach this one with a bit of caution.