After the recent arrival of Giant Sky III, my education in Scandinavian prog continues with an album by Confusion Field entitled Resilience Remains.
This one arrived through the letter box a couple of days or so after Giant Sky III and is another from the prolific Bad Dog Promotions stable
From the blurb sheet with the CD, I learned that Confusion Shield hail from Finland and was founded in 2017 by multi-instrumentalist Tomi Kankainen – who kindly sent me the review copy.
Resilience Remains is the third album. Tomi wrote the album, sings, plays all instrumentation bar drums, which are provided by Martino Malacrida.
The blurb sheet promised “elements of progressive rock, pop and metal, atmospheric keyboard textures with down-tuned heaviness and a sound which is progressive and accessible.”
This isn’t just prog. It bordering on prog metal in parts. And not without some more melodic passages to mix things up.
Whilst somewhat synth heavy, the drumming nicely and rhythmic underneath the heaviness. Strong basslines rumble away and there is some edgy guitar thrown in.
The album has a dark, stark and bleak atmospheric feel to go along with it as it generally crunches along. I’m enjoying it very much.
The opener of Maintain the Uncertainty come sin hot with the heavy riffage and thumping drumming and stabbing synths with an infectious chorus. A great start.
Sea of Irrelevance pares back in to a doomy, moody feel. Blame Gravity is electronically punchy also with the guitars, bass and synths creating an edgy electronic atmosphere and a great vocal hook. Rather catchy.
A New Code creates some dark tension. Bleak, heavy yet accessible. The Echo Collector has a sort of “fractured” feel and some of that edgy guitar and Restricted Area is a little bit spooky.
Perhaps the best song here is the magnificent closer of Graceful Deceit.
It starts slow before building up and breaking out with a glorious crescendo of heavy guitars, synths and drumming going this way and that changing pace. It’s not too far removed from Rush were doing in the mid-1980s on their Grace Under Pressure album.
Here it is:
With Resilience Remains, Confusion Field have a very nice, enjoyable and accessible album which does pack a punch. If you like your prog on the heavy side – check it out.
I think it’s a mostly digital only release.
Amazon Music: https://link.amazon/B0jcMLPNn
BandCamp: https://confusionfield.bandcamp.com/album/resilience-remains
The Confusion Field web site does show a couple of CD outlets:
https://confusionfield.com/home
P.S: another one’s arrived via Bad Dog – this time from a Swedish band called Prehistoric Animals. So with Giant Sky III (Norway), Confusion Field (Finland) and now Sweden, that’s the Scandinavian trifecta. I’ll get to Prehistoric Animals as it’s nearing the top of the review queue.
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