Review: Inchoate IV: The Revenant (2009)
I have been receiving an unusual amount of instrumental albums lately, but my latest arrival is nothing short of a mind bender. Solo project Inchoate, courtesy of Brandon Duncan, is not your stereotypical instrumental project. Most instrumental albums consist of a full band (or at least guest musicians), and usually provide a platform for an hour or more of progressive wizardry. On IV: The Revenant however, we are presented with a 32 minute single track of something that is clearly not designed to “show off,” instead, we are given a flashlight into the soul of something truly out of the ordinary.
Brandon’s delivery throughout this single tracked album instrumentally is quite noteworthy, and is what brings this aural imagery to life. Playing every instrument except for the drums which are programmed, Brandon has composed something that has just as much to do with examining a mural as listening to music. I use this analogy because IV: The Revenant is not something that can be summarized in a linear fashion, instead this whole 32 minute CD is seemingly designed to evolk the emotions of whatever the beholder wishes to experience. Brandon has written that this album is to convey the soundtrack to a fictional zombie movie, but it seems much more complex than that. Containing crunchy thrash riffs, atmospheric sludge, electronica and a slew of other odd combinations that while odd, are still undeniably metal. Inchoate represents the project of someone who wishes to tell a story through self-introspection that will leave you as much puzzled as satisfied.
Many people, I believe, will fail to appreciate the artistic merit of Brandon Duncan, but I get it, in my own personal way. I don’t listen to this album in the same way I do others, because other albums use lyrics and traditional emotive techniques to evolk what “they” want their listeners to feel. Inchoate is here to beckon you to relish in your own creative spirit, just as much as the music’s creator has. You have entered the world of an aural ink blot test, do what you will with it.
VERY GOOD
Top Tracks: Well, I guess I”ll go with track 1
Similar Artists: Liquid Tension Experiment, Scale the Summit, Pelican
1. Inchoate IV: The Revenant
Brandan Duncan – Guitar, Bass, Programming
Self Released
http://www.myspace.com/inchoatenoise
Review by CODY
