HIDDEN TIMBRE

German band HIDDEN TIMBRE was formed back in 2003, and released their first EP two years later. Their self-titled debut album, which is described here, was released in 2007 through Red Farm Records. Following this production they have issued a further two studio productions: "Hereafter" in 2009 and "Triangulate" in 2013.

The promotional copy of Hidden Timbre's debut album that found it's way into my possession is one that I can't really find too much information about on the internet, which to me indicates that on some level the promotion of this album may have left a bit to be desired. Because this is a production that does warrant quite a bit more publicity than it appears to have been given at the time of it's release.

It's not that this is a band that rewrites the rule of their chosen territory, which is progressive metal by the way, in any spectacular manner. They don't bring anything truly new to the table as such. But they somehow manage to create a sound that doesn't hit you in the back of the head with distinct associations from the get go. They do manage to come up with the occasional unexpected twist now and then, but this is first and foremost a case of high quality craftsmanship to my ears. Well made, produced and performed material made with quite a few thoughts along the way on what might appeal to a broader audience, while also seeing to it that the compositions contains ear candy for those who usually doesn't enjoy material of an easy to like nature that much.

The compositions are all fairly sophisticated creations, with ample amounts of alterations in pace, intensity, mood and atmosphere. Light toned, gentle passages followed by darker toned, majestic ones, slow and massive riff driven crawls alternating with spirited, intense staccato riff and rhythms driven constructions, fairly often with a bridge section or elongated intermediate insert along the way. The lead vocals of Anja Braeutigams are utilized to very good effect throughout as well, Hidden Timbre is among those bands that can be described using words like sexy and quirky in the same sentence.

Some careful and some blatant psychedelic tinged effects does add a slight touch of Porcupine Tree to the proceedings, while the quirkier as well as the darker and grimier guitar driven escapades does bring Dream Theater to mind. As far as possible references go, I'd suspect that a meeting of those two with a female lead vocalist might be a fairly suitable description for the landscapes explored by Hidden Timbre, and that they manage to combine the accessibility of the former with the punch of the latter as well I guess.

As taste does differ I won't claim that Hidden Timbre's debut album is a production that needs to be in the album collection of everybody and their grandmother. Personally I found it to be a tasteful and intriguing experience however, to my ears this is high quality all the way. Those most likely to find this disc as enjoyable as me is hard to pinpoint though, but an estimated guess would be those who enjoy progressive metal with a strong female vocalist, who find quirky details just as alluring as accessible arrangements, and who enjoy bands like Dream Theater just as much as aforementioned Porcupine Tree.