Regularly, the multi-instrumentalist 'Joe Bailey' offers us very good albums that he designs, performs, records, mixes and produces himself and, after 'A Price to Pay' in 2018, 'Less Than Nothing' in 2019 and 'Ghosts' in 2021, it's the turn of 'Devil in the White City' to see the light of day. This new opus is a concept album whose theme and story of 'Dr. Henry Howard Holmes', the 19th century serial killer. Musically, he continues to take us into his neo-progressive universe with dense and rich compositions and, for this opus, he has slightly hardened the subject, theme obliges, and brings a good touch of progressive hard rock throughout.
After the symphonic and cinematic instrumental introduction 'Devil in the White City' setting the scene for the album, 'Origin' opens the proceedings with an energetic title hardened by a raging rhythm section and muscular guitar riffs and vigorous keyboards but which presents a welcome alternation with a more calm chorus. Follows 'The Fruitful Dead' which is much more laid back and which is sprinkled with percussion programming bringing an electro side and which has a very nice alternation between faster verses and a chorus which runs off at a slow tempo with magnificent lines melodic, the whole being always bathed in a rather dark atmosphere. With 'Doctor Death', almost 10 minutes long, although the narrative remains sinister, the music is more playful thanks to a catchy rhythm and a catchy melody, then, 'Holmes Sweet Holme', which begins in a few calm piano chords, quickly gains momentum, and leaves a good place for provided instrumental sections led by a tumultuous rhythm section and with a beautiful break in the second part allowing to return to a very beautiful sung finale. We arrive at the longest development of the album with a succession of different soundscapes: a symphonic introduction takes us to a sung section which accelerates the rhythm in a tumultuous instrumental part with the use of the double pedal and, following a long part sung with a marked tempo supported by the catchy main melodic theme and with variations of intensities brought by an original rhythm section. With 'The Begining of the End' which is the final statement made by 'Dr. Henry Howard Holmes': "I was born with the devil in me", the musical theme in a melancholy atmosphere is always in keeping with the story, the sung parts with a beautiful musicality alternating with instrumental parts, further accentuating the dark climate of the whole and the beautiful piano break in the second part brings a magnificent crescendo finale. And as it had started, 'The Ignominious Death of a Murderer' ends this very beautiful album with an epic and symphonic instrumental with a lot of keyboards with majestic sounds.
In summary, 'Joe Bailey' continues on his merry way with this new album 'Devil in the White City' which deserves to finally know a greater notoriety because the whole of his discography, which is now 6 albums, shows all his talent (let's not forget that he is the sole master of his project) and should reach a fairly large audience who love a sought-after and imaginative progressive but nevertheless accessible thanks to melodious musical themes... | |
