Check out yet another amazing review of KARMA SOWN by Scott Pierce, a longtime member of the American prog/power metal community: Music, much like the eyes, is truly a window into the soul. The expressiveness of even our fleeting glances are every bit as telling as the notes laid down in a verse, chorus or bridge of a song. If done correctly, the feelings and emotions come through uninterrupted, the message hits like a fist and you actually become part of the song. Such is the experience of Iris Divine, a Virginia based progressive trio, whose album Karma Sown has turned heads and caused the world to pay close attention to their unique style of deep, cathartic modern rock. Proving that the addition by subtraction theorem often works, this power trio downsized and made a few lineup changes before settling down to write this album. Guitarist/vocalist Navid Rashid, bassist Brian Dobbs and drummer/programmer Kris Combs peeled away elements of their successful EP from 2011 and added a few new ones to the mix as they were now writing their album as a three-piece. Condensing and capitalizing on exactly the sound needed without any fluff or filler, they were able to focus on the song and the feeling, equally creating eight diverse songs that balance out powerful modern rock riffs with deep, meaningful lyrics. Songs like The Everlasting Sea, A Suicide Aware and Prisms showcase a writing style that displays a sense of anger while retaining a hopeful undercurrent. The pitch-bending and staccato riffing, the thick, dense bass lines and the overflowing and ever-changing drum fills and sick cymbal work make these tunes rise above the current crop of modern prog bands that are without feeling, groove or soul. There’s more thought and emotion put into the chorus of Mother’s Prayer than in 95 percent of all the albums from these other so-called progressive, math metal modern djent bands flooding YouTube and bandcamp. Throughout the entirety of Karma Sown, there is a pervasive feeling of angst and frustration. But, anyone who has been through life’s trials that bring about such feelings knows there is also evidence of perseverance, and that is the primary attribute of Iris Divine of 2015. Through band and life changes they have rising like a proverbial phoenix to completely nail this emotional and gut-wrenching album. Without a single ounce of pretense or entitlement that many progressive bands exhibit, Iris Divine punches you directly in the mouth with a moving, impassioned set of songs that both push purgative buttons and engage the listener. That should be the definition of progressive music, and Iris Divine gives us over 48 minutes of their tribulations and deepest, inner feelings. It’s fitting that this was released just prior to the holidays because those minutes and those inner messages are both gifts.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 17:36:15 +0000
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