Review Summary: Despite progressive rock being a tough genre to create something completely original in, Aeonic Impulse devises an album that gives the world a taste of something new
Every once in a while in the midst of the bland and repetitive music of today, a beautiful artistic achievement will emerge. Some people will completely dissociate themselves from listening to music due to the crippling state it is in. But others will persevere, try to push the boundaries of music, and stay true to the fire that burns inside them. It is blatantly obvious many other new rock bands do not value musical authenticity in the way Aeonic Impulse does on
A Night for the Troubled.
Despite some aspects of this album bringing back memories of other progressive acts such as Pink Floyd, or Dream Theater, it still manages to stand on its own two legs as something unique. Prog-haters might groan when they see the thematic track listing, but preconceived notions will only spare you from listening to a beautiful collection of music such as this one.
According to Jordan Salfity, the group’s lead guitarist, Aeonic Impulse is influenced by the aforementioned Pink Floyd, yet they certainly don’t rely on nostalgia to showcase their musical talent. Salfity’s lead guitar playing is genuine and fresh, switching off from beautiful clean tones to “super shredding” akin to guitar gods such as Dimebag Darrell and John Petrucci. During the last minute of “Part V: Awaken Away” Salfity demonstrates a perfect example of how to shred while still evoking emotion.
While every band member certainly shines, the vocalist Gasper Gray is everything you would want in an enigmatic prog rock frontman. According to Gray he is influenced by Claudio Sanchez’ vocal style, but this album shows him branching out into unique territories of his own. In
A Night for the Troubled he swiftly and smoothly shifts from melodic to abrasive, and the screams are very powerful without being overbearing.
As with most thematic albums the songs segue into one another slickly, and before you know it the album will be finished. The final track “Part VI: View of the Sunrise” starts with a post-rocky section with mellow tones and a spoken word section pleading humanity to unify. Spoken word sections can be a bit cliché, but this one shows other bands how it’s done.
While listening to complex time signatures, one can often feel dizzy and complain that they cannot bang their head, but here there are plenty of groovy and “catchy” moments here such as “Part II: Regretful Insomnia” with its infectious chorus. With relatable hooks these guys separate themselves from the generic “we can play one billion notes per second” prog band. Dynamics are quite important in being “progressive” and that is in a nutshell this band’s strongpoint. With that being said, there are spectacular odd time signatures thanks to drummer Fernando Guerrero, who is the real driving force of Aeonic Impulse. A real highlight of his drumming is on "Pt. IV Existing Within the Rem" during an instrumental section where the guitarists Jordan Salfity and Ryan Rappaport lightly strum beautiful, melodic chords.
While progressive music may not be on everyone’s minds in 2017, these guys surely seem to be reviving the genre with their originality, spontaneity, and advanced songwriting.
