Album Notes

Since releasing their widely acclaimed debut CD manifest deNsity (MoonJune Records MJR028) in 2009, Seattle quintet Moraine have quickly built a reputation as one of the most electrifying and original instrumental rock bands anywhere, winning over listeners across the globe with their unique amalgam of art rock, forward-thinking jazz, world music, and a host of other musical ingredients. The band up the ante with their highly anticipated new release Metamorphic Rock: Live at NEARfest, a blazing concert performance engineered for maximum sonic impact by legendary Pacific Northwest producer Steve Fisk.

Metamorphic Rock captures Moraine in peak form at NEARfest 2010, the world’s preeminent showcase for progressive rock, where they wowed listeners with their inventive compositions, formidable musicianship, and tightly meshed instrumental interplay. The first Moraine release to feature woodwind virtuoso James DeJoie and powerhouse drummer Stephen Cavit, Metamorphic Rock marks a major advance in the group’s evolution from their chamber-rock origins toward a more forceful and dynamic sound. The album consists largely of new and previously unreleased material, including striking arrangements of ancient and contemporary Asian music, augmented by a number of radically retooled tunes from manifest deNsity.

Moraine have been compared to King Crimson, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Terje Rypdal, but though these comparisons are sometimes apt (and humbly appreciated by the band), the group has forged its own distinct sonic identity, whether engaging in jazz-inflected improvisation, executing intricate ensemble passages, or dishing out crushing, twisted riffs, while displaying a warmth and lyricism often lacking in avant-rock. As Metamorphic Rock amply demonstrates, Moraine, like their geological namesake, are truly a force of nature.