Search - Canvas Solaris :: Penumbra Diffuse

Kenneth W. (Eyesore) from TAUNTON, MA
Reviewed on 12/4/2007...

I am not a fan of instrumental albums.

Canvas Solaris was a name I began hearing after their Sensory debut, Penumbra Diffuse, was released this past January. The label website served me up an MP3 for the track "Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo" and I had to agree, this was a great track. A full album of this sort of thing, however, didn't intrigue me one bit. Musically this band was very much like Zero Hour -- one of the best bands I've heard in the past ten years -- but I pretty much assumed an album's worth of this sort of instrumental music would bore me silly. So I closed the door on this band, or, rather, I tried to.

As time went on, people kept suggesting them to me. Canvas Solaris just wouldn't go away. They were stalking me! Strangely enough, about two months ago I came across this album at a local record shop (Nuggets in Boston, Kenmore Square...GO!) for a whopping $2. I couldn't pass it up! It's most definitely worth the $2, I thought. Sure enough, it was worth it; worth more, in fact.

Penumbra Diffuse is a damn good album. What I like most about it is the fact that the band doesn't get excessive with anything, everything is precise. There is nothing self-indulgent about the songs, no excessive solos, noises or drumming to fill the space where vocals would normally be. While some songs are heavy, others are mellow with acoustic guitars and all manner of "non-heavy" instrumentation such as tabla, mandolin, clay drums and some light synthesizer work. It all flows seamlessly, melding metal with countless audio shapes and shifts that form a very solidly fused musical landscape. Precise.

Opening with "Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo," the song bolsters some of the album's heaviest moments, shifting from the riff-heavy sound of label mates Zero Hour to some tribal drum interludes to some slight keyboard-injected pyschedelia. "Accidents In Mutual Silence" and "To Fracture" are the closest relatives to "Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo," both mixing heavy riffs propelled by odd (read awe-inspiring) time signatures and lighter moments that recall new age and electronic dub. "Vaihayasa" is a Middle Eastern and Latin-flavored jaunt told by 6- and 12-string acoustics, supported and carried by myriad percussive instruments. That percussive support is further extended to "Pyshotropic Resonance," by definition an example of organized chaos, orderly disorder; the song is all over the map, discordant, and typical of what I usually fear with instrumental albums, though it strangely works within the more strict confines of the album as a whole. "Horizontal Radiant" and "Luminescence" are the album's two epic tracks, the latter just a hair longer at an even 12:00. "Horizontal Radiant" shows itself from all angles, it's heavy prog, it's mellow prog (think Dan Swano's Unicorn releases), it's got that new age vibe, rock, electronic undercurrents, synthesizers and percussion; a great song indeed. Not to be outshined, "Luminescence" takes a slightly subtler approach, it combines all the elements of "Horizontal Radiant," but it's an emotive song, it slowly builds itself up, crescendos, to only fall and rise again. Epic.

I still maintain my opinion of instrumental albums, I've heard too many for one band to convert me, but Canvas Solaris got through my defenses in a big way. I barely notice that there aren't any vocals, which is generally the biggest hurdle for me. Since buying Penumbra Diffuse I have purchased their Spatial/Design EP and Sublimation from their old label, Tribunal Records, and I am equally as pleased with both of them. I'm not a complete convert, but I'm now more open to the possibility. I do, however, find myself thinking of how much more amazing this band would be with a vocalist -- something they once had during the early days of the band -- but at the end of the day Canvas Solaris really have no need for a vocalist, their music says enough, and it comes with a glowing recommendation.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/canvassolaris

CS On The Cutting Edge

Russ Bellinger | Bradenton, Florida USA | 01/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The "Penumbra Diffuse" is an awesome piece of work. I didn't see how they were going to match "Sublimation" - which totally had me hypnotized and wanting more. The new CD focuses even more on experimentation, but in the best possible way, keeping things interesting throughout the entire CD. I recommend this CD to fans of Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, Fates Warning, Dream Theatre, etc. or anyone interested in progressive music that often breaks new ground. But remember this is an all instumental CD. No vocals. At times reminiscent of a modern day Brand X."

Astounding instrumental prog

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 01/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have no idea how Canvas Solaris' new album Penumbra Diffuse will sit with the band's fans of the earlier album and EP, as the band has embraced a quite different songwriting approach this time. No worries though, this is still the same band who released Spatial/Design and Sublimation, and the uber-technical riffs and intricate arrangements are still certainly widely available on this disc. However, Penumbra Diffuse has a more expansive sound, with the addition of a good dose of keyboards and dense guitar harmonies. Not all the songs are as heavy as they get here, the band has toned down their single-minded, heavy-for-the-sake-of-being-heavy attitude. The songs are infused with creative energy and a plethora of atmospheric passages laced with engaging synth sequences.



Driven by guitarists Nathan Sapp and Ben Simpkins (who also handles the bass), and amazing drummer Hunter Ginn, the songs on Penumbra Diffuse are a lot more atmospheric and midtempo. Contrary to their previous efforts, the band is unafraid to write and perform all acoustic tracks or pieces completely captured by Tangerine Dream-like synthesizers. "Panormaic Long-Range Vertigo" is a short cut that opens the album with the classic Canvas Solaris type of fretwork we've come to expect from them. As the song proceeds though, Micro Moog synthesizers and Ginn's unusual combination of conga and djembe rhythms turn the piece into a rather slowed-down number that segues into the lengthy "Horizontal Radiant". Over 11 minutes, the song is essentially formulated by semi-electronic keyboard samples that statitacally throb through the whole piece. Placed on these sampled sounds are gentle 12- and 6-string acoustic guitars that are occasionally replaced with hammering electric rhythms before they calm down and give way to tribal conga and shaker sounds. The guitars are almost hypnotic, particularly when Sapp and Simpkins decide it's time to duel over a random bass pattern. Similarly, on "Luminescence", another 12-minute track, the band dabbles with frantic electric piano, repeated guitar chords that build on until a fiercely melodic section develops out of the experiment. Unlike the Spatial/Design EP, the death metal elements in the duo's riffage is completely gone. Even Ginn refrains from fast, double-bass drumming, save for "Accidents in Mutual Silence", which is grindingly heavy and allows zero moments for acoustic or atmospheric passages.



The other songs are equally impressive, if not more. I'm a big fan of Canvas Solaris' intricate soloing and heavy tendencies, but to see they are also capable of writing other stuff is amazing. "Vaihayasa", for example, is an all-acoustic song beginning with a nice classical intro. Ben Simpkins also plays some mandolin here while Sapp's guitar synthesizers create an almost psychedelic landscape. The song becomes twice as experimental when Ginn introduces his unique tabla, Moroccan clay drums, tambourine, and other percussive rhythm work. Despite being acoustic, this is perhaps the most brooding song on the album, and I'll give the guys extra props for being able to capture that vibe without relying on cliche keyboards like some other bands. The band's most daring song, perhaps even their most avant garde work, "Psychotropic Resonance", is a mix of a multitude dissonant chords married with dark ambient sections. Eerie synths and atonal guitar rhythms join to generate extra texture and eventually spiral into searing twin guitar leads with segments of cold acoustics underneath them.



I love all Canvas Solaris releases, and even though this one will take many spins to fully absorb, I feel Penumbra Diffuse might be their best work yet. Now they aren't just a band with extraordinarily talented musicians, but they also understand atmosphere and composition. Signing to Sensory was a very clever move on their part too. Also, considering they dedicated this album to the memory of Denis D'Amour, I think the Voivod man would be proud if he heard this album.

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Tracklisting- Panoramic Long-Range Vertigo . Horizontal Radiant . Accidents in Mutual Silence . Vaihayasa . To Fracture . Psychotropic Resonance . Luminescence ."