The Dark Aether Project
The Gentle Art of Firewalking
© 2002 Dark Aether Productions (791022199628)
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Dark polyrhythmic progressive rock that ranges from quiet ambience to extreme dissonance. Often compared to what would happen if King Crimson and Pink Floyd were combined and fronted by a female vocalist.
tracks
- 1 Crossing the Threshold
- 2 Night Embrace
- 3 The Gentle Art of Firewalking
- 4 Mask
- 5 3rd Degree
- 6 Shades
- 7 Sparks Fly
- 8 Embers
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notes
The Dark Aether Project has been an ever-mutating musical entity since the nucleus of the idea for the group first revealed itself to Warr 8 String Touchstyle Guitarist Adam Levin during an early Spring 1997 weekend of work with the Seattle Guitar Circle - a group that traces its origins to the work of King Crimson mainstay Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft seminars.
The initial lineup to perform in a public setting was a strictly instrumental trio which added occasional vocals by the time of their self-titled debut album's release in early 1998. The band quickly came to be recognized as one of the hardest gigging progressive rock bands on the East Coast in a short matter of time.
In 1999, the band's second CD "Feed the Silence" was released to high critical praise and saw their reach expanding as tours brought them up and down the east coast.
In mid-1999 writing began on what would eventually become the band's third CD. Early versions of music for the new CD were premiered as the band performed at the 5th Annual Progday International Progressive Rock Festival and subsequent shows throughout the end of the year.
By 2000, the band was even further lengthening its reach by playing festivals in Columbus, Ohio and Hartford, Connecticut, the main stage at New York's prestigious downtown avant/experimental club "The Knitting Factory" and accepted an invitation from the members of the reunited classic 70's progressive rock group Happy the Man to open their first concert in over 20 years at The State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia.
By early 2001 a completely revamped 5 piece lineup of The Dark Aether Project emerged to perform at the release party for a compilation featuring the brightest stars from Baltimore's vibrant progressive rock scene entitled "What's New in Baltimore?" which was included in the February 2001 issue of Expose' Magazine. The new lineup of the band contributed a new recording of a totally new arrangement of the title track from "Feed the Silence" for the compilation.
In October 2001 the band settled down into Levin's studio "The House of Dark Aether" in Severn, Maryland to record the tracks for the new album "The Gentle Art of Firewalking." Unlike the previous two albums where the recording sessions took place in little more than a weekend, the new album was recorded over a three month time frame with painstaking attention to detail and production.
The album features 8 songs which show a new Dark Aether Project with a fuller, more diverse and extreme sound - from quiet melodic ambience to full tilt adrenaline pumping displays of technical instrumental prowess. Four vocal tracks are balanced by four instrumental tracks. The lyrical subject matter deals with the ups and downs of interpersonal relationships experienced by certain band members in their personal lives during the writing and recording of the CD.
The music, while occasionally being reminiscent of classic artists like King Crimson's 73-74 and 80's eras, as well as others such as Pink Floyd and Mahavishnu Orchestra at times - is not a throwback to the past. It is very much forward-looking and contemporary featuring elements that stray into the realm of post-rock, world music, ambient music, math rock, space/psychedelic rock and contemporary hard rock. It's hard to pin a label on the music appearing on "The Gentle Art of Firewalking" because it is such a unique and diverse blend of styles and influences.
The Dark Aether Project's lineup, in addition to Levin features drummer/keyboardist Allen Brunelle who joined the group shortly after the release of "Feed the Silence" and was previously a member of fellow Baltimore progressive rock group "Iluvatar" and also has his own electronic music project "Tempustry; vocalist Jennifer Huff who joined in the summer of 2000 and cut her teeth performing and recording with the group "The Treblemakers"; guitarist John McCloskey who joined in the Fall of 2000 and is also known for his work with the band "On the Rocks"; and finally keyboardist Marty Saletta who joined in early 2001 and was a member of Baltimore progressive rock groups "Chaos Code" and "The Web".
reviews
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...an impressively performed foray into progressive music.
author: Music Monthly...an impressive album that pulls on influences such as King Crimson, Pink Floyd and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Joining [Warr Touch Style Guitarist Adam] Levin on the eight song disc (four are vocals, and four are instrumentals) are Allen Brunelle (drums/keyboards/ background vocals), Jennifer Huff (vocals), John McCloskey (guitars), and Marty Salerra [sp: "Saletta"] (keyboards, stick), making The Gentle Art Of Firewalking an impressively performed foray into progressive music.