AS THE WORLD

After the release of "Suffocating the Bloom," Echolyn reached the height of their success as a band, as that album is what got the band signed to Sony Records. Unfortunately, Sony failed to promote the following album, "As the World," because (I'm assuming) it was inaccessible in their eyes. Ironically, I would argue that "As the World" is more accessible than "Suffocating the Bloom." It begs the question: Why sign a band that are overtly progressive and all of a sudden decide that you aren't going to follow through with what you promised for them the moment the band produces a new album? As a fan, I was infuriated when I heard that that's how Echolyn went on hiatus for the second half of the 90s. Especially after hearing some of the songs on "When the Sweet Turns Sour," it made me think, "What if there was an alternate universe where Sony supported the band properly, and they were able to continue making records throughout the nineties and possibly still to this day?" Nevertheless, I am grateful that Echolyn reunited by the turn of the century and continued making beautiful, timeless music that has changed the world of prog.

On "As the World," Echolyn took the sound that they had perfected on the previous record and refined it on this record. For example, they brought in an orchestra that played on the tracks "All Ways the Same," "Entry 11-19-93," and "Never the Same." Echolyn would go on to work with orchestras on subsequent albums such as "Mei" and the Windowpane album. Another aspect of Echolyn's sound that is augmented on this album are the vocal harmonies, which are tight as a result of years of refining them on previous records and in live performances. If you want to hear more about the recording process and lore of "As the World," I would definitely recommend watching the "Stars and Gardens" documentary, which delves into this album at length.

The orchestral "All Ways the Same" crescendos seamlessly into the title track, which is an energetic start to the album with Gentle Giant-esque contrapuntal vocals between Ray, Brett, and Chris. "Uncle" and "The Cheese Stands Alone" are more on the rock side with heavy guitar riffs. "Letters" is a twenty minute suite of music that is comprised of five parts: "Prose," "A Short Essay," "My Dear Wormwood," "Entry 11-19-93," and "One for the Show." I love every moment of this epic, making it one of my favorite Echolyn songs. "A Habit Worth Forming" is a delicate, lullaby-like song that calms the listener into the final track, "Never the Same." This song is definitely a contender for my favorite Echolyn song. The lyrics in particular never fail to bring tears to my eyes. I know I'm not the first one to say that I want this song to be played at my funeral.

In conclusion, "As the World" is a masterpiece, and is more refined than its predecessor, "Suffocating the Bloom." That should say a lot, as I gave "Suffocating" five stars, so this album, by default, is a five star album in my mind. The nineties is viewed as a dark period of prog in the eyes of many, but I couldn't disagree more in terms of the quality of music. In terms of success, I understand why people would think that. Even in the eighties, prog was more successful with bands like Marillion. While I'm sure it felt like prog was becoming gradually less appreciated by the music industry as a whole in the nineties, that doesn't diminish the greatness of bands like Echolyn and their contemporaries. 10/10