Tesseract
Perspective

Couldn't all bands just release EPs instead of full length albums? How much easier wouldn't it be if I always had half the songs and half the minutes to work through? Well, on this EP we get five songs with a total of 23 minutes, but it's even easier on this one than normal because three of these five songs were actually released last year on Tesseracts full length debut 'One' but now they're rerecorded in acoustic. Besides these there are one cover and a new verision of a fourth song from the debut album, a song fans probably have heard before as it's been released as a sample of their new vocalist Elliot Coleman. Well about Coleman, shortly after this EP was made available (it's only released digitally) the band made news that Mr Coleman had left he band, which means this probably is the only release with him in Tesseract (one should never say never - he might return some day).

'Perspective' opens with three acoustic songs and as I said we've already had the chance to hear them all on the debut album. Two of these were part of the epic marathon track Concealing fate, namely Perfection and Origin. However, as they are acoustic this time and they have a new vocalist compared to the originals - which sounds more in the way of Devin Townsend, Textures and Meshuggah - they sound quite different compared to the originals. One could almost call it a dramatic turn of events but let me assure you one thing before you get to upset about it - they might be acoustic but they're not slow. You might have acoustic guitars and piano but they're not songs that can't set your head banging and body bouncing. And as the band has promised to return to the sound they've established on their debut EP and full length debut this EP is really a treat that you should cherish rather than grizzle, especially considering how good it sounds.

It's quite a 23 minute trip this, but I have my doubt on how acoustic it actually is as the bass sounds pretty much electric throughout the EP. I'm not complaining, though - the bass sounds really good and also the voice of Mr Coleman sounds good and he fits very well with the acoustic guitars and also the two non acoustic songs at the end. I really like how he's able to stretch the tones and almost fondle you with his high pitched tone.

As we reach the fourth track, the cover on Jeff Buckleys (RIP) Dream Brother it's not a very clear transition from acoustic to non acoustic and it's pretty difficult to hear anything different at all, actually. partly because they manage to turn the song in to their own, but also because more or less everything sounds just like the three opening tracks. The bigger is the difference to the fifth and concluding song, which is the new version on the concluding song from their debut album - Eden 2.0. This song comes with a much higher tempo and the electric guitars manage to create this massive wall of sounds and create a landscape full of grand and majestic sounds with the most obvious sound probably comming from Amos Williams thundering bass,

It might be an Ep with only five songs and hence improper to use words like "overall" and "wholes" but these 23 minutes are, despite the somewhat dramatic turn of events at the end still a pretty coherent album with five songs working well together. As a unit, that is. I think the band shows prove of great musicianship with these songs and I really think the second album will be a real treat!

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