Singer/Guitarist with Blizaro and Orodruin, John Gallo adds a W and steps into an alter-ego here. Beyond some kind of true doom tinged guitar work though that gave me no other preconceptions which, as it turns out was probably just as well.
I think it’s fair to say that Violet Dreams is a guitarist’s album; we have riffs aplenty and widdly widdly by the bucket and a feeling that those six strings rule them all even when we have the vocals. It’s also over an hour long with fourteen tracks which would be a tall order for anyone but with something this eccentric then you can double the difficulty. Nope, not one to stick on and think you can get away with letting the hooks pick you up: Work, Gizmo, work!
It is difficult though. It sounds very much like a ‘live’ recording, a quality in the commendably stripped down sound and clear production that implies this despite overdubs. Part doom, part prog, part 70 s horror film soundtrack here and there. I think ‘Entrance To The Unknown’ neatly sums it up both in title and in music: The classic doom riff giving way to a top notch solo, passing through a kind of horror film soundtrack guitar and keyboard movement and into some proggy widdle fluctuating between discordant tinkling and some crunching guitar. If that sounds disjointed it’s because it is. Top drawer musicianship but a confusing landscape. ‘Dark Traveller’ weighs in with more doom riffing but, again, though shorter wobbles into the weird keyboard world. So by the time we get to the title track, at least the doom gone prog style is expected. I should also mention the vocals here because there is just as much effort put into expression here as there is with the guitar; not exactly normal but their often twisting, rise and fall tortured tone is experience and, fundamentally, totally suited to the off kilter music here. And the keyboards need mentioning: Often used as a counterpoint to guitar meandering they also, on ‘Ancient Tears’ have a very John Carpenter feel, those contemplative moments between the action in Assault On Precinct 13, which is interesting.
For me though ‘interesting’ is about as far as we get here. There is a vision and a thought here, that indefinable thing that in film we might name ‘auteur’. Singular, determined and superbly talented and stylistic. Yes, I guarantee that there is little or anything out there in doom quite like John Gallow. In places it’s as mad as that sole Sevenchurch album, in others way more. The guitar work is exemplary and I can’t even fault the song-writing on any of the fourteen tracks here. It is difficult to find your way in but most things worthwhile need work so again no foul. But once inside I felt as though I was inside an overstocked museum whose layout simply confused me and where parts of the exhibits caught my eye but too much simply was labelled ‘not for me’. For every bit like the driving solo in ‘Purple Room’ there were breakdowns and flights that just whooshed by with no mark left on me save acknowledgement of the talent.
I doubt I’m going to hear a doom album more impressive musically that I fail to connect to or get gripped by for quite a while. But sadly that is the case with Violet Dreams. We just live in different spaces I guess. But seriously check it out anyway because it is pure musical quality, just on a completely different emotional wavelength to me.
(6/10 Gizmo)
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