Review Summary: The descent into madness.
One of the biggest challenges in instrumental music is to enthrall the listener within a record. Common themes in this style include technical riffs, eclectic instrumentals, varying time signatures, and even chord progressions for the consumer to fully grasp while listening to an album. The summation of these traits makes up the identity of a record, and that can be portrayed in the manner of storytelling. This certain task, however, might be daunting to some, but solo progressive metal artist Nick Lent sees this as a gateway to portray a musical narrative without words. As their record "The Fog" is self-proclaimed to be a narrative of depression taking over one's mind, it is ultimately portrayed in music with a tonal duality in sound. With this in mind, we appear to venture through a metaphorical story of a deteriorating state of mind, and it seems to be quite the journey.
Upon listening to numerous concepts and ideas as the album progresses, themes of tranquility and chaos will eventually be deduced. The melodic passages, specifically, being heard in the album's former half with inclusions of uplifting riffs and its trance-like soundscape. The opener "City Untouched" being one of the best examples of this with angelic ambiance accompanied by soothing strums and echoing keys. As you might find yourself entranced in its essence, the context eventually comes into fruition as the record hits the ground running. Bouts of chaotic compositions appear in the mix while soaring riffs on tracks akin to "Shenanigans" continue the sonically upbeat theme. Accompanied by synths and powerful chords, the energetic passages reflect a positive outlook, however, there appears a turning point. What lies ahead is a much darker route in tone as the sound progressively becomes more aggressive.
It might seem that a sudden change in tone would clash with an album's concept, but The Fog's transition into a foreboding nature does anything but that. Rather, it builds upon previously established themes. That change in tonality occurs with beautiful eighth-note compositions found in "The Arrival" followed by a much grimmer soundscape within the title track and its successors. The theme of disarray itself becomes more prevalent and takes the frontlines with crunchier guitar tones complemented by the inclusion of keys. Effectively showcasing this descent into chaos with songs like "The Hunt", the listener is eventually hit with one last glimmer of hope before being tossed into the album's frantic and aggressive book-end "City Shrouded". All aspects of peace and destruction become realized as Nick Lent ties the bow with one last frenzy to conclude the overarching narrative.
As it stands, The Fog emulates the proclaimed theme of depression well as its portrayed in numerous passages with the possibility of different conclusions being drawn from it. As mentioned earlier in regards to metaphors, the "City" that appears in the track titles can attribute to one's state of being as it starts untouched and ends destroyed. Again, it might just be open to interpretation, but there is no doubt that the shift in tone from uplifting to unsettling will elicit common traits in most interpretations. Clocking in at roughly 37 minutes, The Fog doesn't overstay its welcome and provides the listener with an identity packed with enthralling passages of lush and disarray; all without straying too far away from instrumental cohesion.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Standout Tracks: Shenanigans, The Arrival, The Hunt
