BEAUTIFUL BEDLAM

Such a fascinating album should vigorously rouse progressive rock fans out of the dark bed(lam). A promising Melbourne-based combo BEAUTIFUL BEDLAM made an impressive debut with the debut eponymous album out in May 2021. This creation involves massive potentiality and incredible impact for the audience, regardless of the very first shot. They say their musical scope is blended with lots of rock subgenres like authentic progressive, alternative, heavy, metal, or jazz, and we can find some more elements like ethnic, pop, or folk, via this album. Not simple nor typical but quite polyphyletic and suggestive one ... we could call them and their opus like this. Difficult explanation aside, this album can be enjoyed by almost all progressive rock fans - not only heavy / progmetal but also art rock / jazz rock ones. Their positive sound construction and brilliant development would ring our bell loudly.

Give a listen to the first track "Flaking Paint" that gets started with mysterious jazzy oriental flavour. This approach reminds me of the similarity to some Japanese jazz rock combos. Even metallic tension following the departure sounds pretty soft and smooth. We can feel some humour via this heaviness. But their soundscape is very challenging. Deep rhythmic masses directly kick our inner brain and catch our heart soon. Their chorus is perfectly energetic. Appropriate for their sound journey prologue. "Breather" is another charming one featuring Xen's crystallized voices. Her vocals are not only delightful but sledgehammer ... fit for such a complex, dignified song. Their performances are also excellent, fully with sound variations, soft or hard. Dramatic is the development, and impressive is the fusion of all instruments and voices. "Life, Death & Cheers" is not so heavy but poppy and enchanting. Yeah no problem there is such a pretty flower on the heavy-metallic turf.

"Cocktail Crime Scene" seasoned with black jazzy pepper is mysterious but amazing. They give us even avant-garde distortion here and there. Also this track says their soundscape is not only heavy nor artistic. "Black World", filled with loud, dark power and obvious intention, would call our memories of the garage alternative rock scene e.g. in Seattle in our younger days. On the contrary, fantastic keyboard plays and synthesizer-oriented weirdness knocks on our mind door in "Open World". Some metallic extremity in the middle part is also interesting. The last song "Pigment" has a similar impression to this part. "I Adore" is one of my favourite songs. I do think this stuff should be kinda superb combination of heavy but beautiful melodic appearances, complicated but strict rhythmic bases, and mysterious but enthusiastic chorus of theirs. Furthermore, they do not forget heavy but catchy lines all around (I guess non-prog rock fans feel acceptable for this one). "Silent To The End" possesses pretty serious phrases and risky vibes but prominent melodic movements can naturalize tough moments. What an elaboration, of course not only this track though.

Currently the progressive rock world wants to find a sort of bright hope through studio-based creations under the pandemic situation but let me say that I don't think any 'superficial' 'so-called' progressive measure is needed. This creation definitely has a musical power for the whole audience. Anyway, I love "Dog's Breakfast" as a friend of my favourite beverage, actually!