Thought Chamber is the brainchild of the prodigal genius that is composer & guitarist Michael Harris (also Arch Rival, Darkology, Vitalij Kuprij, solo artist). “Myst of Lyriad” is the third album by the ensemble that this time appears changed as far as personnel is concerned. While the core band remains the same as on the previous record, namely Bill Jenkins on keyboards (also in Enchant); Mike Haid, drummer extraordinaire from metal to jazz (formerly of David Chastain & Michael Harris solo records), and Jeff Plant on bass (Jimi Tunnell; Marcelo Berestovoy), who accompany and aid Michael in bringing his rich musical tapestries to life, the original singer for the project, Ted Leonard (Enchant and Spock’s Beard), seems to have abandoned the band to concentrate on the more lucrative proposition of fronting SB.
To cover for him, multiple lead vocalists have been used, including Travis Wills (who after recording this became the singer of Crimson Glory), the legendary Devon Graves (Psychotic Waltz, Dead Soul Tribe), and also John Jaycee Cuijpers (Praying Mantis, Ayreon, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), and even Michael Harris contributes on more than one occasion.
“Myst of Lyriad”, the album, ranges from prog rock (reminiscent of the better moments of Styx and Kansas) to prog metal, using the band’s signature “interplay” sound, dividing up riffs and solos back & forth rapidly between the instruments. However, it’s far from a stale display of virtuosity, with lyricism and smart arrangements going hand in hand and allowing the songs to develop organically.
Case in point is the album’s title track (which is a continuation of the “Psykerion” story), which despite being near ten minutes long and beside its jazzy solo section, is both really melodic and dramatic but also intricately laced with small details that really work wonders. It’s this ability of the band to exercise control and not go balls-out super-duper technical (which, if you hear almost any of MH’s solo albums, is something that could happen in the drop of a hat) but offer a superbly clean and precise soundscape that’s ever-evolving without becoming confusing or convoluted that makes it shine. Think some of the genres’ progenitors of the 70s, or dare I say even some of the penultimate jazz-rock fusionists, and this is influenced by that train of thought.
“Identity Theft” begins with some Spanish guitars that are not afraid to appear and dissipate throughout because – why not and soon evolves into a far edgier affair, with a vocal interplay between Harris and Wills that is quite interesting and fascinating; think of more earthly Crimson Glory lyricism, with Harris’ contributions bringing to mind somewhat of a clean Hetfield, sorta. Lyrically the song waxes philosophically about losing oneself in the modern world.
“New Dawn Sun Ride” is probably the easiest song to appreciate on the album, the closest thing to a single, as it goes from acoustic/stringed into an ever-ascending chorus that’s just superbly feel-good. I mean the main melody – I’m fairly sure Kansas would love to have written it. (Think “Carry on”… levels of feel-good). The song could have done with a little more oomph… that’s evident in the closing sections, but it’s still hugely enjoyable as it is.
“Rainless” is an almost hallucinatory and mesmerizing tune with some cool riffing and definitely far more dark hues in terms of its atmosphere, ever so slightly threatening and eastern. It allows itself to build and build over its middle section mainly on its rhythmic basis that antagonizes the vocal melodies with expertly placed guitar passages propelling it forward. It has a nice pseudo-resolution that is as dreamy and lyrical as anything Ayreon has ever come up, with and then, following a keyboard orgy, it picks up again but unravels slowly as it concludes, but does so in a highly spectacular and dramatic fashion. Had the late Midnight or someone of that ability sung this, it would have been considered a true genre classic. Not that it’s bad as it stands… but what if…
“Here Upon This Earth” has JCC taking over vocally, on what is probably the heaviest and most straightforward song on the album. That’s not bad, by any means, as he really puts forward a strong performance. The song dares to go very bare and acoustic for a couple of minutes with a strange and rare melodic touch that’s very reminiscent of Tore Ostby’s similar sensibilities before turning up again and concluding in a spectacular fashion. It also segues pretty neatly into “Shine Again”, which is a little quirky, but still fairly enjoyable, despite feeling a little underdeveloped. Still, it has a pretty interesting hook that’s hard to look past and a solo to match…
“Digitized” brings another layer of sophistication, with some superb interplay between Graves and Harris, who seem to complement each other interestingly. Probably on par with anything on the latest PsyWaltz, and with its solo section going into an overdriven barking mad section that makes its conclusion interesting to say the least… a great exercise in weirdness, if I ever heard one. And for those that might have felt a prog metal itch, developing “A Qwinkle in Time” is far closer to TC1 or solo Harris fare, meaning crazy cool metallo-jazz-rock or whatever the heck you want to call it.
“Nyctophobia” is about fear of the dark (no, not the song written by another Harris altogether), and here Devon Graves offers a very Dickisonesque delivery (in all verses past the first!?) in a bizarre haunting ballad that manages to really enchant (pardon my pun). Think of the mood that songs like “Lost Reflection” can create, but then make it super psychedelic for a twist. Probably the smoothest and most sensuous Devon vocal since “Lady of Rain”, if that’s anything to go by…. Fantastic.
Last but not least, “Leaving Lyriad” works as a coda to the album, reprising certain parts in a frantic way and closing with a bang… or is it? Since there is a little surprise at the end, probably more of a demo track that shows the dynamic that some of the songs might have had if they were given a more aggressive facade…. But that’s another story altogether.
All in all, “Myst of Lyriad” is a fine collection of prog tunes that evoke everyone from Styx and Kansas to Genesis, and when things get heavier, they are also reminiscent of the good old days of Fates early lyricism, and PsyWaltz’s uncompromising vision, via Elegy’s and Conception’s melodic sensibilities. And still, during certain moments, the genius of various Florida prog metal luminaries (Savatage and Crimson Glory come to mind) also shines through, particularly when it comes to some of the vocal melodies.
A little uneven in places but occasionally verging on brilliant, this album could have easily come out among some of the great 90s prog albums, and it would have easily been pronounced a classic.
