There are a lot of things happening, yeah? Music aside, our modern lives are filled with ever multiplying sources of information, experiences, and goals. Thus, it’s easy to lose track of what’s important, of the passion that brought you to this place in the first place. New genres, new places to go, new things to see, all of these tend to bury the source of what set you on your path. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, of course; pushing harder and further is an important part of staying fresh. But sometimes, all you want is something to reignite those primal passions within you. For me, musically at least, that’s great progressive metal; the genre was my entry point into metal and every now and again, it feels great to reconnect with that place within me, that just loves a good riff backed up by great synths.
One of the undeniable sources of such re-connection in recent years has been Distorted Harmony. The Israeli band is all about that passion for great progressive metal; their music hits all the notes that fans of the genre have come to expect but does it in a modern, professional, and intimately unique way. To our shame, we’ve been pretty quiet about their latest release, A Way Out. There’s no real reason for it expect that ever-growing feeling of drowning that we call “modern existence”. Fortunately, that silence ends today with a live video clip for what is undoubtedly my favorite track from the album, “Room 11”. It’s the perfect blend between emotional, heavy, and progressive that I love, moving effortlessly between dreamy passages and a heavy intensity. It works even better live; head on down below for proof.
What I love about this live performance is that it highlights the track’s best quality; it comes out of the gate kicking and screaming. There’s no lengthy intro here, just that super solid main riff, backed by the amazing synth parts that run throughout this track. Coupling them with the intense guitars creates an undeniable groove which launches this track forward, alley-hooping the vocals as they came in for their first part. Later, the vocals and the instruments merge along the evocative chorus, with hints of harshness introduced very well in this performance. By the time the heavier riff returns near the end of the track, we’re thoroughly sold; “Room 11” ends as it beings, on a high note of groove and aggression.
The band’s stage presence only amplifies these elements, taking the energy the track already has and laying out in front of an audience. As someone who has the pleasure of attending a Distorted Harmony show, their passion for their music shines through very well and a fraction of their impact is captured on this excellent live video. If you like what you’ve seen/heard here, A Way Out has a lot more of this for you; the entire album is a progressive metal fan’s dream, introducing a kind of lean forward-movement to Distorted Harmony’s sound. Be sure to give it a listen and order it from the band’s Bandcamp.