My fall down the Tech-Death rabbit hole continues. It’s been a wild ride, and it seems to have no end because another killer band has come across my radar. They are called Changeling, and this is a new project from Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger. Most recently he wrote  “Weltseelee”, the 15-minute epic that he composed for Akróasis as a member of Obscura. So there’s that, the dude is a bit of a big fucking deal.

Being a big deal means you can surround yourself with some of the most brutal musicians on Earth. Take a gander at everyone who plays on Changeling: Tom Fountainhead (ex-Obscura, Amogh Symphony, Belphegor, Defeated Sanity) – Fretted & fretless electric & acoustic guitars, oud, keyboards, composition and arrangements, Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy, Raven) – Drums, Arran McSporran (Vipassi, Virvum) – Fretless bass and Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) – Lead vocals & lyrics. And not just that but there’s a fucking orchestra to go along with it: Bill Hudson (Trans-siberian Orchestra, Doro, I am Morbid) – Guest guitar solo, Jason Gobel (ex-Cynic, ex-Monstrosity)- Guest guitar solo, Andy Laroque (ex-Death, King Diamond) – Guest guitar solo, Yatziv Caspi (ex-Orphaned Land) – Tabla, hangdrum, dabouka, riq & shakers, Ally Storch (Subway To Sally)- Violins, viola & cello, James Dorton (The Faceless, NeObliviscaris, Black Crown Initate) – Spoken words, Alexander Kerski (Vianova)- Backing & harmony vocals, Matthias Alexander Preisinger – Piano and glockenspiel, violins & viola,

*takes deep breath….*

……Martin Matiasovic – Horns & Wagnerian Tube, Jan Ferdinand – Vibraphone & marimba, Chris Rützel – Flutes, Ivar Ludvig Nitzler – Cello, Shiho Murano – Tuba, Juliane Erding – Wagnerian tube & horn, Eduard Cortez – Wagnerian tube & horn, Tillmann Schulz – Wagnerian tube & horn, Ava Bonam – Female vocals, Moran Magal – Piano, Cydney McQuillan-Grace, Lauren Gill, Shannon Bedford, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bari – Ben Francis, John Schaffer, Alice Williams, Cyd McQuillan-Grace; Alto – Lauren Gill, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bass – James Schouten & John Schaffer – Choir vocals, Krassimir Jossifov – Trumpet, Brandt Attema – Trombones & bass trombones, Kristian Petkov – Bassoon, Stefan Prost – Church organ, Seonghyeon Park – Clarinet, Arnfried Falk – Oboe, Rouven Haliti – Upright bass and finally; Dalai Cellai – Cello. LOOK AT THAT! Talent for days! How does it all sound together? HUGE!

From the first track “Introject” with its vicious riffing and battering blast beats Changeling grabs you and beats you senseless (not really, if that was the case, you’d pass out and miss the rest). So, “Instant Results” is next,t and it hits the ground running with a huge presence. Some big ass Obscura sweep picking and this absolutely sublime solo at the halfway point, gets a striding Cattle Decapitation vibe at the 3:46 mark and rides this twitchy guitar coaster to the end.

“Falling in Circles” has this otherworldly vibe to it with a very Alkaloid feeling. But then there’s the relentless “World? What World?” Soaring clean vocals against the equally soaring guitars. Check out what happens at the 4:20 mark and have your mind blown. It gets a bit Fear Factory-ish near the end with a fucking choir. Magnificent!

There’s the lull of “Metanoia Interlude” before the tectonic shifting of “Changeling” where things go fantastically crazy with World Music at the 4:00 minute mark; the song is easily my favorite on Changeling. “Abyss” comes in light at first and then starts dragging its knuckles across the floor to the 3:20 tempo changes when it slows down even more, to this beautiful solo, it roars and crawls it’s way to the end of the track. “Cathexis Interlude” is another lull in the brutality before my second favorite track comes marching in. Beginning with a deceptive, cold-blooded intensity and then then the drums come in along with biting guitars and “Abdication” hits you right in the giblets. It’s a magnificent song that gets super Jazzy at the 4:44 before Morean’s powerful roar brings you back to reality.

Reality is the 16:51 epic “Anathema” a Death Jazz workout if there ever was one. There’s so much going on that if you blink, you’ll miss it. Staccato riffing that aids the vocals being unleashed. It’s fucking massive all the way through even hitting a bit of a Pink Floyd-ish harmony.

You need this album. This is the album that Obscura should have made with A Sonication, but they didn’t; A Sonication isn’t a bad album by any stretch, but Changeling is just better. As soon as “Anathema” ends on a triumphant note, just let it play over and over. Get close to it and see it’s brutal beauty.

Let’s see, if you loved recent Obscura, Retromophosis, Replacire, and Alkaloid albums, and everything else Tech-Death, then you’ll eat this album up and allow it to have a symbiotic relationship with you. You won’t be disappointed.

[Visit the band's website]

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