Tesseract – ‘Errai’ [Review]
Normally, nothing makes a potential listener’s ears glaze over faster than the words “bonus material”. A collection of letters that instantly bring to mind haphazard collections of half-hearted acoustic songs, iffy remixes, and just plain shitty live recordings. Bonus material is for superfans only; it’s a long-established fact.
Normally, anyway.
Tesseract are not a band known for settling for second best. Instead, they’ve forged an intimidating reputation for pioneering tech-metal delivered with pinpoint precision, pristine production, and an emotional depth rarely achieved at the heavier and more complex end of the spectrum. They’re also no strangers to controversy – especially controversy sparked by introducing new voices into the mix.
Tesseract’s latest new voice is that of Aidan O’Brien – not a newcomer to the fold by any means, but rather Tesseract’s longtime live producer and sound engineer. Who better, then, to reimagine an EP’s worth of Polaris tracks to accompany the brand new tour edition of Tesseract’s most recent album, one of TMMP’s top-rated releases of 2015?
In case you’re already planning to digitally eviscerate yet another creative direction changer, it’s worth bearing in mind that Errai represents a true team effort, with O’Brien backed up by Polaris producer Acle Kahney and Tesseract frontman Dan Tompkins. Also consider yourself warned in advance: This is not metal.
Imagine a triangle, each point representing a different genre – namely prog, metal, and trip-hop. Errai lies somewhere in the middle. Unsurprisingly given the minds behind Errai, Tesseract’s signature sound remains a core ingredient – but you’ll quickly catch elements of London Grammar, Massive Attack, Björk, and Trent Reznor’s more ambient work in there too.
Errai works as a fluid, seamless listening experience in itself, especially through headphones. The new version of Survival is spacious and delicate, chillout vibes interrupted by off-kilter beats; Cages contains some expensive-sounding string swells as well as a winning dynamic build; Tourniquet is the longest track, stretching toward the six-and-a-half-minute mark and proving a vulnerable highlight in the process; and Polaris closer Seven Names concludes Errai via exposed vocals, deep bass, and perfectly mixed beats. That’s not all, though.
There is of course a second way to listen to Errai, and that’s by pairing each reimagined track up with its original version via the joys of playlists. In that context, it becomes clear that despite the inevitable online outcries along the lines of “WTF MAN DIS AINT BRUTUL FUK U” that accompany any metal band’s forays into mellower territory, Errai doesn’t really represent that much of a departure from the Tesseract sound that fans already know and love. It’s more like a tiny rotation of the progressive kaleidoscope – one that results in a significantly different pattern while keeping the whole intact.
Overall, this is one bonus EP that’s not for superfans only. Prog is all about breaking the mould – and Tesseract and their team have done it again. Nice job.
TMMP RATING: 93% (Essential Listening!)
What do you think of Errai? Follow me on Twitter here and let me know!