Evan Brewer - Your Itinerary (2013) [Gorgatz]

Evan Brewer - Your Itinerary (2013) [Gorgatz]



INFO:

Evan Brewer took the metal world by storm with his 2011 album, Alone. Alone was an album that showcased Brewer's abilities as a bassist and a composer for the instrument all by itself. Not that his talents were a secret until then, given his prior recordings with Animosity and Reflux, and even more recently The Faceless. Now with his newest release, Your Itinerary, Brewer expands his horizons to an entire band's worth of sounds to very good results. In short, think of the album as a more concise Animals as Leaders with a whole lot more jazz.

Focused is a good word to describe Your Itinerary. Sure, Brewer could go nuts throughout the entire record and fill it with shred, but he doesn't. In fact, the majority of what you'll be hearing on the record is keyboards and fantastic drum work with an emphasis on the bass, rather than Brewer shining the spotlight on himself the entire time.

Overall the songs take a very jazzy approach, but in that Animals as Leaders way where it's only jazzy in theory and not so much overall sound. Though there are plenty of super jazz-laden moments on the record, like the end of "Full Circle" or the strange tempo-changed breakdown thing on "Microscopic Scale." Those moments are welcome, if only to break up what you're hearing into more digestible bites that make the record work as a whole piece… because who wants to sit through the exact same thing for an entire record?

Brewer's compositional skills shine bright on this record, far exceeding that of Alone. Alone could only accomplish so much with bass(es), and while it did so with flying colors, Your Itinerary allows Brewer to really dig deep into his ideas and flesh out some really interesting material. Just the opening track for example, "The Adjacent Possible," takes a strange approach to guitar-less music, allowing two basses or more to hold down all that a guitar would while keyboard patches make quick work of a melody. There's a certain magic about a few basses in place of a guitar too: the tonal qualities in conjunction with the keyboards just…. works.

Everything about this album just works. It's intelligently written jazz metal that doesn't try to be more than it is.

After, a two year wait from Evan Brewer stellar album 'Alone' we have "Your Itinerary".
There is much to say about this record. Unlike his previous album "Alone" he has brought more of a band experience to the record. Partnering with such names as Navene Koperweis (ex- Animals as Leaders) and Paul Allen such to name a few. There combined work brings us a experience which blows the minds of listeners to even higher place.


The elements on this album are varied and interesting. Varying from play styles such as jazz to blues and even some electronica. These styles are woven gently by the hands of masterminds proficient on their particular instruments. The additions are superb and bring dynamic feeling to each individual song on the album. There is so much experimentation that individuals who didn't enjoy this previous work 'Alone' will immediately enjoy this album.

Evan's bass work is excellent and more intrinsic to the flow of the album. His bass is essential as it brings complex melodies to the table. As a catalyst in this regard; leading his colleagues follow him upon this journey. On tracks such as "Microscopic Scale" and "Another World" shows you what this album is. A brilliant experimental ride across the passageway to your ear drums and ultimately to feelings of euphoria.

Overall, I did enjoy this record and the beauty it has presented me. My only negative is that with a masterful ride such as this record presents to the listener is it cut by it's very short run time.

TRACKLIST:

1. The Adjacent Possible 3:54
2. Microscopic Scale 3:30
3. Another World 4:21
4. This Seems Familiar 6:06
5. A Little Goes a Long Way 2:31
6. Cause for Concern 5:11
7. Home Away from Home 3:20
8. Full Circle 6:47
Total length: 35:36

Bitrate: 320 k
Genre: Progressive
Subgenre: Instrumental Progessive Metal
Size: 81.01 MB

Credit Goes To fdsarawr Of Rockbox