(Cover picture by Kelly Thans Photography.)
“Can you expect to cure an itch, when you are wired to the core to revolve ’round it?”
A question that symbolizes the way it sometimes feels if you long for something dearly, but society just blatantly says ‘no’ to your face. This sentiment of frustration, disillusionment, anger and sadness forms the foundation for the brand new TDW songs featured on the ‘Aphrodisia E.P.’
Tom de Wit has helmed his TDW project for 13 years now, starting writing his first music at the age of 16. The proper start was made with 2008’s release of ‘The Haunts’, Tom’s first real album. After releasing multiple albums in its wake, 2014’s ‘Music To Stand Around And Feel Awkward To’ was a record that showed the diversity and intent of this musician’s output. Showcasing that the music of TDW could be intense, layered and heavy at one moment and intimate small and fragile at others.
The ‘Aphrodisia E.P.’ is a special release, part of a pre-ordering campaign that started in September of this year. This is a supporting campaign for the upcoming TDW album ‘The Antithetic Affiliation’, slated for an April/May 2017 release.
The four tracks on this E.P. are completely finished but will also change in their final incarnations on the album. More layers will be added and more nuances will be put into the final versions. Therefore, the songs on this E.P. sound genuinely different to what the final album versions will sound like. This E.P. is a gift for those who support TDW and the musical concept it stands for.
TDW are Tom de Wit (vocals, guitars and synths), Lennert Kemper (guiatrs and vocals), Vincent Reuling (synths and vocals), Hanna van Gorcum (violin, vocals), Peter den Bakker (bass) and Rik Bruineman (drums).
Guests on the E.P. are:
Radina Dimcheva – Vocals on Aphrodisia
Cailyn Erlandsson – Vocals on Dirge
Dave Mola – Guitar Solos on Aphrodisia
Sophie Zaaijer – Violins & Viola on Anthem
(picture by John van der Zee)
The opener on the E.P. is the title track Aphrodisia and it has a very calm and collected introduction with laid back music and delightful, hushed vocals of Tom de Wit and Radina Dimcheva overplaying each other with some lovely harmonised sections. The violin adds a particularly classy touch to the song and you feel that you are drawn along upon a lulling wave of emotion. This is the calm before the storm though as the guitars crash and the keyboards roar and the blue touch paper is lit! Bang!!! off we go on a powerful maelstrom that flings you forward through the sheer forceful power of the music. Excellent riffing and the dynamic voices of Tom and Radina give the song a real energy before we break into a keyboard section that Jordan Rudess would have been proud of. The technical instrumental sections have real virtuosity and skill at their core, proper progressive metal at its best. Trun the volume right up and enjoy the frenetically challenging guitar solo from Dave Mola that follows, this track has it all in spades! I love my mellow pastoral prog but every now and again you need music that just blows the cobwebs into next year and this delivers big style! Then a complete turn around and a beautiful closing to the track as Tom’s vocals deliver a wonderfully winsome ending.
This segues nicely into the melancholy and sombre feel to the opening of Dirge, a song that feels like a lament from the get go. Cailyn Erlandsson’s vocals add a wistful loveliness to the track and, yet, you cannot get away from that feeling of sadness that pervades all. The piano and delicately strummed acoustic guitar add a keen sorrowful edge to the fragile beauty at the heart of this song. A pensive, wistful track that leaves you in a nostalgic mood, looking back at what may have been, the fading glory of the past.
Anthem strides out with a bombastic glee, a thunderous riff and powerful drums powering this enigmatic song right into centre stage. Progressive metal tinged with a bit of power metal, forceful, compelling and dominant, with a guitar sound hewn out of graphite and drums that could fell mountains. The compelling, anthemic chorus adds a nice counter-balance to the mightily potent verse and weighty feel to the music. The guitar solo is mad, manic and, ultimately, a hell of a lot of fun and the way the track closes out is just sublime, I must have put this track on repeat about four or five times with the volume turned up to max, sod the neighbours!
The final track on this excellent E.P. is the electronica tinged Lovesong with its sci-fi sounding keyboards that open proceedings. Tom’s vocals are heartfelt and full of a laid back honesty. I really like the feel of the song as it is completely different to the rest of the tracks on the E.P. It just goes to show the diverse skills that this talented musician and his cohorts have. It is a song that puts you in a thoughtful and pensive mood and the use of Hannah’s soulful violin is perfect as it interchanges with the tender notes of the piano. A real change of pace for TDW that shows a graceful subtlety to their music and one that I hope makes an even bigger contribution to the new album.
So you will have to pre-order TDW‘s new album to get your hands on this little gem of an E.P. and I have to really emphasise the fact that you should. On the strength of these four very varied tracks, the new album is going to be something special indeed and, as a stand alone release in its own right, the ‘Aphrodisia E.P.’ is well worthy of being in your collection, the guest vocals of Radina and Cailyn adding another exciting dimension. Tom de Wit continues to impress me with every new turn in his excellent career.
E.P. released 19th September 2016 only with pre-orders of ‘The Antithetic Affiliation’ which will be released April/May 2017.
Pre-order ‘The Antithetic Affiliation from Layered Reality here and get the ‘Aphrodisia E.P.’