Sometimes it is important to step out of one’s comfort zone to, afterwards, be able to re-focus on one’s main focus and projects. Brann Dailor does exactly that with the help of Arcadea, his Synth-Rock/Prog-Funk project in which he is not only the amazing drummer animal but also the vocalist. And as if that change of role would not be enough, the whole thing also needs to be a Sci-Fi-epic set 5 billion years in the future. Of course.
This is Arcadea’s second release since their inception in 2015, after their 2017 eponymous self-titled full-length (also on Relapse Records) and the two constant band members are Brann and Zruda guitarist Core Atoms. After a change on the synths both are now joined by João Nogueira and together the trio set out on the second part of their post-apocalyptic voyage through Arcadea, a place set in the very far away future after the second extinction level event literally blew every natural life-form from this planet so that only the machines remain, who were the fittest for survival in a world where a lot of things we take for granted are not there anymore, like gravity for example. Hard for us to imagine, right?
However, please do not expect any kind of Terminator meets Fear Factory Industrial Metal sounds, that would be the worst thing you could do. What the three give you is a pure 70s orgy between Funk and Prog, early Synth and classic Rock. The fact that Brann sings on these tracks might already be an anomaly in itself, but remember how many great singers at first set behind the drum kit. Nevertheless, I here have to contradict many people who would scream “PHIL COLLINS!” – no unacceptable answer, because Genesis were best, when Phil sat behind his kit and did not attempt to imitate Peter Gabriel’s voice because that’s what he did after they kicked Peter out. No, the best Genesis years are the one with Rutherford, Hackett, Banks weaving their instrumental magic, Collins drumming the hell out of every track and Gabriel giving us vocal performances the machines will even remember in 5,000,000,000 years.
In the Arcadea storyline we are now following our protagonist along their voyage through the world of New Arcadea where everything and nothing “has” gravity, everything “floats” and what metaphor could be better for that than a hot, fiery ocean of lava? Right, nothing more suitable. On this ocean there are floating icebergs (right, icebergs floating on lava, so there also seems a different understand of hot and cold!) and our protagonist is searching for the lighthouse from which the ever-present light is coming from in New Arcadea. One can see a lot of contradictions coming our way, right?
One seeming contradiction musically might be the connection of the words “Prog” and “danceable” – most people imagine Prog-Rock concerts to be filled with nerds who do not move, but merely nod in acknowledgement. To quote Brann what he wants to achieve with this band: ” “I don’t wanna look out and see a bunch of guys with their arms crossed. I wanna see some asses wiggling.” Mission accomplished, some of these tracks will surely make you move your feet, your knees and subsequently, also your hips and butts, because they are just too much fun. There is a certain level of “over-the-top-ness” to the record that will simply make you smile. Take the somewhat quirky synth-lines in ”The Hand that Holds” or the the Arcade-game like elements in the title track.
Oh, by the way, the whole idea, the storyline, the cover artwork, the synths, the vocals – basically everything screams 80s Arcade Hall with the magical machines called Out Run, Gauntlet or Dragon’s Lair, pinball machines like Fathom, Medusa or Heavy Metal Meltdown (!). This is THE fun outlet for Brann and his bandmates, full stop. Nevertheless, to point this out – the record is not a quickshot, there is a lot of thought put into these twelve tracks and nearly 50 minutes, because with all these influences and ideas it would be easy to do too much. Imagine too much Prog-Rock keys in the veins of Genesis or Yes combined with too much Disco Funk – cheesy. Not enough fun elements to outweigh the difficult story – boring. To melt all of these into such a tasty dozen tracks demands attention to detail, for example, how long can a synth solo be going before people lose interest? Take ”Fuzzy Planet” as your answer! After a number of spins it becomes clear that this record will still be listened to in several centuries, the only question remains by who – man or machine? But does that matter anyway?
PS: This review was started before the sad news of Brent Hinds’ passing hit the Metal community and saddened all of us. It was in no way the author’s intention to discredit him by not mentioning his tragic death in this review, the focus of these lines was to review The Exodus of Gravity and thus the main body was not altered. Nevertheless, please note that Brent’s death hit me a lot and I wish his family and friends nothing but the best and to keep his memory alive and kicking, just like he was in life, a larger than life figure.
