Music
Album Review: Clandestine ‘The Invalid’
‘Fearless’ kicks off the album with an intro sounding like old Dream Theater. The first thing I noticed was the very solid sounding production. Everything sounded crisp and solid, although I could hear a few things that failed to stand out for me. The first time June started singing, it sounded off-key until I paid more attention to how the music changed. There are some interesting progressions and changes. In any case, ‘Fearless’ starts the album properly, letting the listener know what is coming.
The production of the album is pretty much spot on. The only thing that I was left craving was some more ‘sizzle’ coming from the cymbals. They seemed to have lost some of the higher frequencies in the production phase. The bass guitar sounds fantastic, especially when it comes to the front and takes the lead. The various keyboard and synth patches are often very interesting and curiously chosen.
The rest of the album plays with genres ranging from prog metal, alternative, jazz, ambient, electronica, and more. The multitude of genres makes it a great album for multiple listens. In the interview with Dan, he comments that some of his influences are Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree. It definitely shows. The last track, ‘Comatose’, ends the album on a strange note, as it is almost happy-poppy sounding, which does not reflect the mood that the rest of the album put forth.
The Final Word: Don’t be turned off by the “progressive” label, Clandestine have put out an incredibly solid first album that deserves to be checked out. I expect to see these guys reaching great heights and soon.
Check out: ‘Phantom Pain’, ‘The Invalid’, ‘Philistine’
AMC has announced that The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE, the standing-room-only performance celebrating AMC’s premiere of its newly-released The Vampire Lestat at New York City’s iconic Beacon Theatre last month, will debut on streaming.
The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE begins streaming on AMC+ on August 23.
Ahead of its streaming premiere, fans can preview the concert event, featuring original songs from series composer Daniel Hart and performed by Sam Reid, in Hall H at Comic Con International on July 24.
Our own Daniel Kurland attended the special event, highlighting how electric the Immortal Vampire is on stage: “It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.”
Based on Anne Rice‘s The Vampire Chronicles book series, The Vampire Lestat is the rock and roll-centric third season of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire” created by showrunner Rolin Jones.
The Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.
Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle star with Reid. Executive producers include Jones, Mark Johnson, Hannah Moscovitch, the late Anne Rice, and her son Christopher Rice.
The series finale airs this Sunday, July 19, on AMC and AMC+.