SKYWOUND

As a music reviewer, your first task is to accurately convey what you hear. Usually, this isn't too difficult, but when I got my hands on "Skywound," the sixth album by the Belgian prog-metal band Transport Aerian, it took me a few listens to piece together the musical puzzle.

The band, under the inspiring leadership of singer, bassist, and producer Hamlet, defies categorization and creates music on their own terms. We hear an idiosyncratic blend of progressive metal, classic hard rock, electronica, jazz, avant-garde, grunge, and cinematic soundscapes. How intriguing can you get? It ranges from brutal to tender and goes from hard to soft, with nothing coming out of nowhere.

Everything is held together by Hamlet's poetic lyrics and his extraordinarily expressive way of singing. "Skywound" is a concept album about the tragedy of an ordinary loving couple caught in the turbulent events of a world on the brink of catastrophic war. Hamlet sounds surprisingly good without losing control at any point. He has a rich palette of vocal colors with a tone reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne, Maurits Kalsbeek (Egdon Heath), Peter Hammill, and Jargon (Verbal Delirium). His voice is a significant unifying factor in the whole, and there is also the addition of Rachel Bauer with extra vocals and spoken word.

Initially operating as a project, Transport Aerian presents itself as a band, as a quartet, on "Skywound." Besides Hamlet himself and his regular companions Stefan Boeykens on guitar and the aforementioned Bauer, there are two new recruits: Umut Eldem on keyboards and Paul De Smet on drums.

They hit it off right away with the Black Sabbath-like Shall Not Be. The song takes a pleasant, almost psychedelic turn complete with rocking cymbal use while furious soloing ensues. Comparing it to Pain Of Salvation is not far-fetched, especially when the bizarre At The Cliff comes along. Dark ominous electronics alternate with heavy guitar chords. It's a dynamic whole, as the entire album constantly surprises you with contrasts. The intro of Lunatic, for example, features bright guitar plucking that is reminiscent of Pendragon's The Black Knight. The song then bursts at the seams with power and frenzy. Meanwhile, there is also a more subdued fragment with beautiful high bass playing because don't forget that Hamlet is not only a good singer but also an excellent bassist.

The album also includes a suite called Fracture. The four parts are spread across the album, and since the acoustic guitar is central to these parts, they provide some lightness, which is much needed.

The atmosphere of the album is quite pervasive; you can't ignore it. What personally appeals to me the most is the passage with the sinister violin in Latgalian Gothic. That the song has an aura reminiscent of Van Der Graaf Generator is not only delightful but also reflects Hamlet's versatile mindset. The closing title track is another example of brilliant composition. It's a theatrical piece with much grandeur and a surprising ending with spoken word by Bauer.

"Skywound" is an intriguing album that will undoubtedly appeal to metal enthusiasts. However, there is so much progressive ingenuity in the music that the target audience is much larger. Clear?

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com