KNOWN/LEARNED

Australia + Toolism + Prog + Double Album + ... = Arcane! Yes, the band that back in 2009 released the monumental "Chronicles of the Waking Dream" and 6 years later we can finally get the answer to the question "Could they release something better?"

Well I will tell you what they did: They delivered the perfect double album! This is their magnum opus. They took all their influences, evolved their sound and produced A LOT of music! Regarding inspiration you can call this an overachievement. 130 minutes but it is not only a matter of quantity. We are talking of top quality music and to label it, it is experimental prog alternative. From Toolism to Heavy Prog but with a coherent distinctive sound. A reminder that this genre of prog still has juice. A steady improvement of how their previous work sounds, especially in the production.

The 2 jawdropping things are voice and drums. It is beyond words the way the vocal lines are floating above music, perfectly delivered, he does a fantastic work. Now about the drummer on steroids he is in a zone especially in the 1st heavier CD. I don't like "names dropping" but he reminds me of the drumming in last years Karnivool album. Something marvellous is happenind down under...

Add to all this a storm of riffs and a layer of haunting keys and you get a picture of the 1st CD. To top this (yes it is possible) they close the 1st part with an epic 23 track that has everything a prog track needs.

Enough said about the 1st one, you move to the second CD and you get a mellow side, almost unplugged and (also almost) majore. From darkness comes the light. The melodies written here will stuck in your brain, a lot of hooks and this is a success since I remind you this is not commercial music (actually it is a success of crowdfunding). Top moment in my opinion is Nightingale's Weave, indredible build up and crescendo.

The duality of this double release is the final element of perfection. Black and White, it is here to fill your ears and fulfill your desire of prog music. An early candidate of album of the year, the comparison with all the other releases will be frightening. Arcane managed to pull through the obstacles of a double release and offered something really incredible! 5 stars!