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Might
I suggest Din Within for those of you who took issue with the
backwards-compatibility of Spock’s Beard Two Point Oh?
Alternatively, those lighthouse customers who stayed onboard for the
upgrade may also find usefulness as well as practicality in the
go-to-market mechanisms stored on this disc.
Whatever the chosen model, there are checkmarks in each column of the
option-laden matrix. Mark Gollihur’s bass rumbles in the vein of Dave
Meros whereas Nick D’ Virgilio’s awesome groove is heard in Mike Ian’s
drumming. Josh Sager, no doubt, embodies much of the same in his
guitars.
Besides the rhythm section, the vocals and synthesizers – also
architected by Gollihur & Sager - really spruce up their interface for
better usability with power users and active listeners.
Also
integrated into the system are Easter eggs from NDV, Kevin
Gilbert, and Genesis. For instance, “Turn it Around” is
encrypted with the granddaddy in that list. Once scrambled by the
algorithm, it seems a lot like “Turn it on Again” as if it were
instantiated by Kansas.
“Hey
You (Part I)” and “For What It’s Worth (Hey You Part II)” fit together
like keyed connectors even if they are separated by a lot of wireless
space.
On
another wavelength, the title track is patched with Transatlantic. Even
if it ain’t the real McCoy, this well-laid track is tempered with lush
keyboards and gladly handles Big Big Train’s Difference Machine
with absolutely zero strain.
Once
these works were scoured and searched, I decided that the opener,
“Better Than Before”, was my overall favorite. The revealing clue could
have been the fact that I played it a million times or memorized its
words. To give it away, I just love the instrumentation, the lyrics and
the singing, or in other words; everything about it.
It’s
“Duel with the Devil” meets “Scenes from a Memory”. Plus, there is a
smattering of “Cutting it Fine”, and “Distance to the Sun” is thrown in
for good measure. If I were asked to submit a song that best represented
progressive rock, this might very well be it.
By the way, if you’re clueless to my references, you have a lot of
catching up to do. As for me, I’ve been an early adopter to these
various product lines through each and every lifecycle.
A
year or so ago, I took part in the beta program -- as they let me
evaluate some cuts before they were fully cooked. Even though the music
was still scheduled for quality assurance; back then, I was already
thoroughly impressed. At a minimum, I was confounded by the consonance
between the various core components in their dynamically comprehensive
merge modules.
To
decipher what I’m saying, they not only borrowed from bands that I’ve
adored since square one; they made sure their innovative medleys were
extensible.
Now
with a successful twist on several standard packages, Din Within is the
ideal crew to compile the next generation of progressive rock. Outside
the lab and no longer prototyping, Awaken the Man marks the launch of
their ultimate edition. Not to mention, this particular critic can
honestly vouch for it. After a series of rigorous listens, it’s proven
to me to be 100% bug-free.
9/10
Reviewer: Josh Turner
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Awaken the Man (2007) |
