Review Summary: Terrestrial is solid, refined and genuine.
Sean Hall, ex-Elitist. After being a positive presence in Elitist’s
Caves and
Earth, Sean decided to go solo for the sake of his professional goals.
Terrestrial is the result of more than one year of songwriting, recordings and production.
Terrestrial opens up with a simple introduction that goes by the name of
Terraform. From the first minute, literally, it’s noticeable that Sean heavily relies on Djent to deliver. Such fact is far from surprising, as he walked amongst the boys of Elitist, which can be described as a bunch of
Djentlemen themselves (
pardon me the French). Despite the similarities, when
Arrival drops, it also gets obvious how
Terrestrial is the result of a different, perhaps more focused approach.
Terrestrial has in fact the linearity that you wouldn’t expect out of anything Elitist might put out anytime soon. As a result, either it’s the beautiful melodic
Orrery or the lively
Xenomorph, or any other song for that matter; you will easily get familiar with the riffs, the structures, the whole mood
Terrestrial engulfs you in. Onward, fair is to state that Sean Hall delivers with high expertise in all departments. The drums are precise, well executed and sound wonderful in the mix. The bass remains an active presence throughout, and of course, the guitars are well executed. The purpose put into the rhythmic guitars is obvious, like so everything was cautiously planned. The layering of lead guitars and ambiences is what gives
Terrestrial its’ color, and it is there where Sean displays the sophistication of his vision. Take
Orrery as an example of guitar layering done right (so right). For production matters, Sean went after his good friend Diego Farias (Volumes) to give him a little help. Having that said,
Terrestrial is nearly flawless, but surprisingly enough for something this
Djenty , it’s not too polished and still holds up a raw sound pretty well. Good stuff. In
Terrestrial every track has its’ own strengths (and well, weaknesses if you will), but it all comes down to which track seduces you more. Each one of them is presented with distinctive riffs that eventually grow in you for their beauty and/or catchiness. Sean elegantly sweeps and soloes throughout the 15 minutes, never going too over the top. One track that must be referred to as a showcase of Sean’s prowess at its’ finest is
New World, in which Sean’s capabilities as a guitarist come into evidence. It is also a great finisher for this experience.
Despite the very achievable chugs and the track-long breakdowns, there is a lot to be looking at here. It’s not pretentious at all; it’s very authentic, balanced and fully hearted. There’s always an atmosphere flowing, almost acting as a backbone, something that helps
Terrestrial reach a higher sense of existence and purpose.
Terrestrial is beautiful, almost as in “simplicity is beauty”. This is one great effort, by one very capable musician.
