'Guild Of Others' is a new supergroup created by drummer 'Tom Wallace' and guitarist 'Steve Potts' who went on to find other partners with keyboardist 'Derek Sherinian who officiates among others in the formation 'Sons Of Apollo', singer 'Mark Hammond' for most tracks and bassist 'Tony Franklin' ('Joel Hoekstra's 13', 'Unruly Child', 'Rob Moratti') joined by 'Michael Sadler' from 'Saga' and 'Henrik Bath' from 'Darkwater' singing on 'Elysium' and 'Balance' respectively.
Musically, 'Guild Of Others' is focused on progressive music with a fairly immediate accessibility thanks to catchy melodic lines. We therefore sail through a range of different atmospheres, starting with the energetic 'Otherside' (see video above) which could be described as progressive hard rock, the progressive side being brought by changes of rhythm, and which offers us a magnificent catchy guitar solo in the second part. Follows 'Balance', more refined, flirts more on the side of progressive rock with a long instrumental introduction, the parts sung by 'Henrik Bath' being more direct, then, 'Always There' offers a calm first part with a slow tempo then accelerates the rhythm in the second part which allows 'Mark Hammond' to show two vocal facets by adapting perfectly to both moods. With 'Memento', the atmosphere is softer for the power ballad of the album which offers a beautiful and long central instrumental part, then, 'New World Disorder' continues with catchy melodic lines and is one of the typical titles of an accessible progressive which alternates intensities and rhythms, the whole being sprinkled here and there with oriental sounds, and which has a remarkable instrumental section with an inventive guitar solo. We find this progressive style, closer to rock this time, with the following title 'Elysium' which seems to have been composed specifically for 'Michael Sadler' because we find a little of the 'Saga' style then, 'Veil Of Insanity' (see the video here) is yet another original and catchy composition with a remarkable new vocal delivery from 'Mark Hammond' who knows how to adapt his voice perfectly to the current intensity. And it is with the 7 minutes of 'Spirit Host' which offers us a good summary of this album with a patchwork of different atmospheres led by an imaginative rhythm section that the album ends with always an immediate accessibility.
In summary, this new project 'Guild Of Others' offers us a diversified progressive, sometimes rock, sometimes metal, which shows remarkable alternations between sung and instrumental parts and which presents an accessible face thanks to catchy melodic lines that which should fill a whole public loving the progressive and can be an album to introduce this style to another rock or metal audience... | |
