Debuts stand as the single most important release in a band's history. They have the ability to literally make or break careers and exactly ten years ago, a very special one did the former and subsequently changed an entire subgenre. Welcome everyone to the first edition of my new feature Into The Vaults where I'll eternalize my favorite releases and explain what makes them so special. Our first induction is Tesseract's wonderful One, a record that was four years in the making. The relevance of this information lies with a band you're all familiar with, the almighty Meshuggah. Back in 2008, the world was still recovering from Obzen but in South Eastern England, five strapping young lads were working on an album after releasing a demo year prior. This demo became the foundation for not just One but the EP that predated it. All the ingredients were there but there was a problem, the vocalist.
Not many know this but Tess had a lot of line-up changes during their earlier days, most revolving around vocalists and Abisola Obasanya, the man in question, is the first significant one so to speak. He was, to put it lightly, lacking in the melody department which is one of the defining features of the band and I am very glad he was replaced with Daniel Tompkins.
Still, when listening to the demo, you can smell the vast quantities of potential, potential that would be showcased years later. The production in particular stands out with its meatiness, depth and superb sense of balance which is something that lead guitarist, producer, mixer and all around wunderkind, Acle Kahney will master badum ts in years to come.
Two years after the demo, back in 2010, Tess released Concealing Fate, a 27-minute long track consisting of six seamlessly connected sections: "Acceptance", "Deception", "The Impossible", "Perfection", "Epiphany" and "Origin". Immediately heads started turning as the five piece proved there was much more to djent than just emulating Meshuggah. Granted, Tess used a lot of the elements that the Swedish pioneers mastered but their approach was quite different. There was a big emphasis on atmosphere which was achieved by gentle, delay-filled open chords plucks you would usually find in post-rock and numerous ambient sections. Another change was in the vocal department. While there are parts where Daniel Tompkins is screaming his lungs out, most of the vocals are clean and extremely melodic which go hand in hand with the second guitar while the lead one is chugging. Simple yet effective method but Tess' approach was very refined, to the point it felt the band was a veteran of the scene which they clearly weren't... Or where they?
You see, as much as Tess are unique, they weren't the first big djent name in the South East, that honor goes to Fellsilent and Sikth, both of which are vastly underappreciated and unfairly overlooked bands. To put it in perspective, a year after Meshuggah's Nothing, Sikth released their insane debut The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild and that same year Fellsilent formed. The importance of Fellsilent lays not only in their sound but the bands that formed after their disbandment. Take a look at this picture below and see if you notice anyone familiar.
That's right, John Browne of Monuments played here as well as Noddy Mansbridge from Heart Of A Coward along Acle and the best part is, you can totally hear both Tess and Monuments in their songs, it's amazing actually so I'll just leave this here and get back to the record in question as we're dangerously close to veering off and going on a wild djent tangent which, when I think about it, sounds like a great idea! Seriously, if it weren't for these guys, Tess wouldn't have been what they are today and for that I am forever grateful. Back to the story.
After the initial wave of interest garnered with Concealing Fate, Tess went into the studio and on 22nd of March of 2011, One was unleashed and modern prog changed forever. Alongside Concealing Fate, there were five additional tracks that further cemented their style, my favorite being "Eden" but more on that later. As I mentioned, the quintet utilized ambience and clean vocals in a very distinct matter but what makes them so special is the bass. One of the worst things about metal is how neglected this wonderful instrument is. Apart from dj3nt, technical death metal and horrid groove/nu metal bands of the early 2000's, the bass is stuck in this void between three enormous forces, the main one being the guitar/s.
However, in the case of Tess, the bass is clearly audible and Amos Williams plays his role perfectly. It comes down to being a rhythmic anchor and more importantly, a stable one that keeps us grounded while the drums and guitars go ham, which they often times do, especially during the more aggressive sections. Interestingly, because this is djent, the guitars can serve as a bass of sorts but no matter how hectic things get, you can almost always hear that Warwick slapping through.
Amazing player but make no mistake, each member is but unlike a lot of prog bands, there is this unison and lack of ego in the presentation as each instrument works together in creating a complete, cohesive listening experience while skillfully showcasing chops from the players without ever stepping into the self-indulgent territory so many bands in the genre struggle with.
This is, after all, what makes Meshuggah so great but where they focus on dismantling the universe (and our brains) with complex math and constant repeating, Tess have a more flexible approach to their songwriting which gets to shine in nearly every track presented which is far and above the vast majority of debuts.
Take "Acceptance" for example and how its intro not only provides respite after the intense "Nascent" but how it sets up the theme of the whole cycle before going even harder than the previous track. Note what the second guitar is doing from the 2:23 minute mark while the bass is slapping apart the fabric of cosmos. These complex yet digestible interplays between the members never gets old as it adds so much replay value. So much that even after dozens upon dozens upon dozens of revisits, I am yet to get tired of it.
And now for the drums, my gods the drums. Jay Postones is a prime example of what I call a "groover", a type of drummer that specializes in creating energetic, driving and easily navigable drum lines, I say navigable because even though he throws some absolutely despicable fills and complex lines, you can always locate the main 4/4 pulse. He does this by smacking chinas and cymbals like it's no tomorrow like on "Epiphany" here. I also adore how he utilizes ghost notes and his limb independence, it's actually insane how complete of a player he is and how "early" he showed that. Easily among my all time favorites.
Daniel Tompkins is also among my all time favorites, regarding vocals of course. He's got an amazing presence, range, clarity, power and a superb ear for melody. He also loves trying out new things which becomes apparent with each following release but even on One he shows an insane amount of skill and confidence. That Middle-Eastern influenced section in "The Impossible" immediately comes to mind but albums closers, "April" and "Eden" showcase him operating on the highest level and coincidentally, these two tracks are my absolute favorites off of One.
The way he holds those notes get me every damn time, especially in "April" which is a very dark and deceptively gentle song. The impact is even stronger when you know what the song is about. For the uninitiated, "April" deals with sexual crimes Daniel Tompkins faced as a police officer years before he decided to chase a career as a singer.
To this day this remains the most harrowing song they ever done, rivaled partially by the middle part of "Smile" from their latest record Sonder.
And that brings us to "Eden", a spectacular finish to an amazing record. This nine minute epic showcases every aspect of the band in stunning fashion and no matter how much I revisit it, I have this need to immediately jump back in which I of course do.
The only downside to this is that there is almost no footage of "Eden" online, save for that Orlando gig from 2014 where Ashe O'Hara was the vocalist. This is because the song is THAT hard to play so imagine my shock when I saw it live from the comforts of my home back in December when Tess released their most ambitious project yet, the virtual live show Portals. Let me tell you, tears were shed that day.
And that my friends brings us nicely to today's Tesseract.
Since One, they've become a staple name in modern prog, constantly setting boundaries in terms of production, live shows and being one of the most successful DIY stories in all of metal. All of this was done by hard work, risk and both them and the fans know it and value it greatly. Today, on March 22nd of 2021, the world is still fighting the pandemic and many artists struggle (even more) because of it.
Below this picture I "captured" while watching Portals I'll include links to Dan and Acle's pages where you can learn about singing and production, Jay's Twitch channel where he plays, chat and sometimes games as well as links to James' and Amos' Instagram pages.
It's the least I can do for all the years of amazing music and equally amazing people, this goes out to you Hercog you beautiful bastard, hope I see you soon! As for the rest of you, stay safe out there and be ready for plenty of new content that's coming very soon, until then!
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