TesseracT's 'War of Being' - Album Review

I always find it strange when I like the 'idea' of a band, but struggle a bit with their actual music. I suppose this is an acknowledgement that some music is objectively original and interesting but that it is just not for me. Lots of 'good' music is not for me, as I assume is common with most people, but some of the bands which I think that about I often find myself coming back to - in an attempt to 'get' them. Sometimes this works and sometimes it does not, but a band which I have definitely started to enjoy more in recent years is the Milton Keynes-based progressive metal act TesseracT. I am not exactly sure when I first came into contact with TesseracT, but I started to take notice when lots of the members of a music-based Facebook group which I am a member of started to talk a lot about the band's second studio album Altered State when it was released in 2013. The group is often dominated by progressive rock, with some of its members not so keen on heavier music, so I was intrigued that a metal band was getting so much love. I do not think that I properly checked the band out at that time, though, and it was not until 2016 when I gave them a proper listen - due to the fact that they played a local show here in Plymouth. I picked up the band's three (at the time) albums and went to see them live - and I had a good time at the show despite the band's angular and techy music not really hitting the spot. What impressed me, though, were the vocal talents of Daniel Tompkins. There are lots of bands that play the kind of djenty progressive metal that TesseracT have helped to pioneer - but TesseracT have always stood out to me because of Tompkins. Following that Plymouth show, I have seen the band a further three times live by default (once at a festival and twice as a support act) and each time Tompkins impressed. His soaring clean vocals are some of the purest in the progressive metal world, and his minimalist stage presence just oozes class. He is also a capable harsh vocalist when required, too, meaning that TesseracT can shift effortlessly between atmospheric sections and those which are much riffier. I still would not exactly call myself a fully-fledged TesseracT fan, but I am continuing to make an effort with the impressive five-piece - so much so that I pre-ordered their fifth studio album War of Being, which was released last month. It is the band's first album in five years, following on from 2018's Sonder, and it seems to be their most impressive and expansive to date. It is also probably their heaviest since 2011's One - their debut album. Altered State, the band's only album not to feature Tompkins, stripped away all of the harsh vocals which had been featured on One - but they were gradually reintroduced on 2015's Polaris and Sonder. They are much more prevalent again on War of Being, and the album as a whole feels much more progressive than the two shorter albums which came before. It is also a concept album, featuring a story put together by Tompkins and bassist Amos Williams - whilst the band's driving force, guitarist, and producer Acle Kahney is once again responsible for the polyrhythms, grooves, and techy riffing which make up the album's nine songs.

This re-established heaviness is evident from the off with the explosive Natural Disaster kicking things off. Those expecting a gentle, atmospheric intro will be shocked - as the sound of distant, angular guitars soon gives way to stabbing riffing. Tompkins screams atop this rhythmic groove, and the band's flirtations with metalcore are showcased early on. The song is very much mid-paced and staccato, but the screams really introduce the band in a big way - before the tone shifts to something more typical of the band's core sound with shimmering synths and a soaring vocal from Tompkins. Many of the songs here are not arranged in a typical manner, and Natural Disaster moves from section to section with a snaking ease. Tompkins' harsh vocals resurface occasionally, but much of the song is sung clean - albeit in a more forceful manner than is typical. There are floatier sections, but this is more a riffy song overall - with Kahney and James Monteith's mechanical guitars laying down groove after groove. As such, the song is fairly melodic - but the moments that really focus on melody shine the brightest. The early soaring clean vocal section already highlighted is one of the best moments here, but there is another interesting section which sees both clean and harsh vocals mixed together to create depth. The song does get more epic as it moves along, too, and the progressive nature of the band shines. The final third of so of the piece is much more cinematic in scope - with chiming clean guitar melodies sitting atop some slab-like riffing, which allows Tompkins' expansive range to soar. Due to the album being a concept album, many of the songs run into each other - and a brief drum roll from Jamie Postones heralds the arrival of Echoes - a track which harks back somewhat to the band's last couple of albums. There is less of the overt heaviness to be found here, and the track is instead very melodic - with a pretty strident chorus, with more of an overt classic rock strut, whilst slow-burning atmospheric sections feature some of Tompkins' high-pitched delivery. Much of the riffing throughout the song is based around the band's typical juddering approach to rhythms - and these techy grooves help the song move along at a strong pace, with clean guitar-led sections providing something of a contrast overall. The song may not be as expansive as the previous cut, but it channels the band's trademark sound perfectly - with plenty of big riffing present to please the metal fans. There are brief heavier sections, which feature some harsher barks from Tompkins, but these are generally still cinematic in scope - and the piece feels more atmospheric overall. The Grey is more of a straight forward song arrangement-wise, with a strong chorus which the whole piece is built around. Much of the album is significantly more progressive, so having a song like this is welcome. The main slab-like riff is typical of Kahney's style, and the stuttering grooves it creates pair nicely with Postones' simple drumming. The track moves back and forth between heavier and more melodic sections - with the song opening with a bit of a harsh vocal bang, before the chorus is a floaty and built around some snappy bass playing. Williams' bass playing is as busy as ever throughout this album, but verses here showcase his off-kilter style - before the chorus takes over with its more straight ahead vocal hooks and rhythms. Later the chorus backing is used for something akin to a guitar solo, whereby a few guitar leads mimic the vocal melodies. TesseracT rarely use guitars in such a way, so the passage stands out - and it helps to reinforce the more traditional arrangement used here.

Legion opens with some pretty cold synths, and the track is another which feels more like the style which the band employed on their last couple of albums. Once Tompkins starts to sing, there is more weight to be found - with Williams' bass forming a rumbling, stabbing foundation alongside Postones' staccato drum rhythms. These grooves, particularly those which comes from the drums, increase in complexity as the song moves forward - but the atmospheric nature remains. Synths and clean guitars add depth early on, but as the song grows in stature it does get heavier - with stabbing riffing incorporating nicely with the aforementioned bass groove. Harsh vocals are used occasionally to create punctuation, and there are also a handful of riffier sections to break up the more atmospheric flow. This gives the song a more progressive feel, and the heaviness they create is welcome - with some great interlocking riffs seeing Kahney and Monteith teaming up. Elsewhere, Anathema-esque spacey sections are some of the album's most mellow up to this point - and the whole song is a great mix of styles which come together nicely. Tender, unsurprisingly, is the album's main ballad, and it is easily the slowest piece here. There is little of the band's heavy riffing to be found here, with the track instead being more traditional arrangement-wise. Those Anathema vibes are present again here, particularly early on, with Tompkins' array of vocal harmonies creating a rich tapestry against a backing vocal clean guitars and synths. Postones' drums do add some basic rhythms later on, but for TesseracT the song is rather minimalist in tone. Occasional rock sections only serve to focus on the song's atmospheric bulk, and the moments which do feel a bit riffier are generally short in length. The focus on atmosphere and Tompkins' beautiful vocals is welcome, given the album's overall drive, and the song acts as a bit of a calm before the storm which is to follow. That storm is the album's lengthy title track, which was the first song from the album which was released online. It is one of the band's most ambitious compositions to date, and the heavy opening once again recalls those metalcore vibes previously referenced. Postones lays into his double bass drums a lot during the early part of the song, whilst the riffing of the two guitarists is tight and heavy. The band's trademark grooves are still present, though, and, as is to be expected, the song takes many twists and turns as it moves along. Tompkins gets many opportunities to stretch out, with plenty of vocal-led sections serving to really showcase him. He often transitions between clean and harsh vocals during these sections, giving the song a dynamic edge, whilst elsewhere the riffing takes over and the song sits back on one of the many infectious grooves which are included. There are lots of instrumental sections here, but they do not tend to last for a significant period. TesseracT are not the sort of prog band to indulge in lots of soloing or complex melodic playing - with the interlocking riffing and the band's want to shift the tone and time signature regularly contributing to their prog credentials. As such, there is always something new around the corner throughout the album's title track - with some strident vocal-led sections providing plenty of metallic hooks, whilst elsewhere the polyrhythmic riffing airs the band's trademark sound perfectly.

Following the expansive title track, Sirens opens slowly - with synth-based grooves, chiming guitar melodies, and some breathy vocals from Tompkins. Whilst not exactly another ballad, the song is another slower piece - and there is plenty of atmosphere to be found here. Postones' drums soon take over from the synth grooves, providing a bit more of an organic backing to some slightly more upbeat sections - but generally the song is another which shifts back and forth vibe-wise. The drum-led sections feel more like choruses, with layers of vocal harmonies befitting the larger arrangement - whilst the core sections are very synth-driven, with a more honest vocal display overall. There are a few groove-based moments, but overall this song lacks much of the energy of TesseracT's core sound to create a strong atmosphere - with the few moments of bona fide riffing just acting as brief reminders of what the band typically do. Burden feels more unsettling from the off, with Williams' bass being the driving force as the song opens up. Pulsing synths and wordless vocal hooks add additional melodies early on, but once the verse proper kicks off Tompkins' confident vocals sit perfectly against a knotty rhythm section pattern that showcases exactly what Williams brings to TesseracT. The guitars are not particularly prominent this time, with the bass playing getting plenty of screen time. The guitars tend to sit more in the background here, adding clean melodies when needed - with the occasional spacey lead adding lots of colour. The song is another atmospheric one, then, but again it does not feel like a ballad. In many ways the song has a strong old-school prog vibe, with lots of genuine lead guitar playing and shimmering synths. The grooves of the bass keep things interesting - and there is still plenty of choppiness as a result, with later verses also benefitting from a bit more of a guitar presence. These slightly heavier sections also see Tompkins singing in more of a gritty way - although he generally stops short of genuine harsh vocals until the closing moments. The album then comes to a close with Sacrifice, another pretty lengthy track which is packed full of progressive moments. Like many of the songs here, it opens pretty slowly - with synths and gentle guitar melodies growing in stature before Tompkins starts to sing and a more groove-based verse takes over. Despite these grooves, the song is not especially heavy early on. Tompkins is the centre of everything, but the piece grows around him - and it does get heavier as it moves on. The early grooves get thicker with each bar - and it is not long before the riffing overall is more metallic and Tompkins adds some weighty harsh vocals. The presence of the synths helps to retain the song's overall atmospheric feel, but there is certainly plenty of riffing here - and there is even a fairly lengthy section early on which features Williams' bass playing pushed to the fore. The song is another strong mix of light and shade, then, and given that it is the album's closing piece it feels more cinematic than ever. Everything about the song feels big, and Tompkins' vocals are heroic in stature during the more soaring sections - whilst the heavier riffing elsewhere has a finality to the overall crunch. It is a great way to end the album, and it caps off a quality release with real flair. I am familiar with all of the band's albums, but War of Being feels like the first which I have really digested. There is a lot to like here for fans of the band's core sound, but it feels more expansive than ever. The album is heavily recommended to anyone who likes things a bit out of the ordinary and the quality of the songwriting throughout is strong.

The album was released on 15th September 2023 via Kscope. Below is the band's promotional video for War of Being.