Fretless Bassist Linus Klausenitzer (formerly of Obscura, Currently Alkaloid) shines with his solo record Debut Tulpa (based on the 18 73book “Die Sphinx”  by Emil Besetzny)  Having been familiar with his work in former projects I was excited to hear what Klausenitzer could conjure up.

Things kick off with “King of Hearts” which opens with an instrumental acoustic passage before the fretless bass work kicks in and the tempo picks up.   One thing that is noticeable off the bat is the keen sense of intensity and melody.  The production is also pristinely clean.  This is quite an ambitious release at a run time of over forty-eight minutes.  “Axiom Architect” is one of the most aggressive tracks. I am curious about what session members join Klusenitzer on this release as I was unable to find that information.  The guitar solo on this track sounds like it could have been done by either Danny Tunker (Former Aborted, Spawn of Possession) or Christian Muenzer (Obscura).

“Our Souls Set Sail” is another fantastic track that does an impressive job of building from an acoustic intro into some gorgeous melodies. The clean vocals on this one is in key and do not sound forced.  I am quite impressed with these arrangements.  This is a bit of a longer album with a run time of over forty-eight minutes.

 

I find it interesting that this release and the band Alkaloid both have releases this year. Both projects feature Klausenitzer and have similar vibes at times.  Check it out when it comes out. I cannot say enough amazing things about Klausenitzer’s bass work. “Sehraff Streaming” also opens with an acoustic introduction before things turn into a progressive death metal clinic. “Sword Swallower” is the heaviest track on Tulpa.  It also has some of the craziest lead work on the album.

“Sister in Black” opens with a clean tone bass instrumental with some synths added.  The placement of this track is at a great spot in the album as there is a lot to process up until this point.  “The Devil’s Tongue” proceeds to go back into a more aggressive arrangement. “Queen of Hearts” is one of two tracks on the album over seven minutes. “Dig Deeper” opens with more acoustic clean-tone guitars before things pick up.  One thing is for sure there is enough groove on this album to keep your headbanging throughout.

“Lunar Assailant” is the other song on here over seven minutes and has a nice melodic bill like a lot of the tracks on Tulpa.  If you are a fan of Obscura or Alkaloid, I cannot see why you would not dig this.  Thumbs up for this one.

 

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