Gordian Knot
Emergent

The admiration I feel towards Malone can never be expressed in words. It seems objective to start this way with the review of yet another masterpiece by the bassist of Cynic who, this time dealing with Gordian Knot (a jazz fusion project with metal elements), offers us "Emergent", an album primarily based on bass lines (what a surprise!!!) that is complex yet sweet and delicate. Accompanied by a band of great instrumentalists, Sean offers us an album completely different from what was heard with the Cynic works and the great Aghora. Completely instrumental, the album presents itself as extremely complex in its structures, a concentration of instrumental technique, into which the fantastic music blends well, ranging from light and dreamy tones to more determined and somber ones. The tracklist consists of 8 songs, all lasting over 5 minutes except for the intro and the seventh track, whose melodies do not make us miss a singer at all, but instead flow smoothly like oil.

The album opens with "Arsis", in which Malone imposingly performs completely alone a jewel of 119 seconds, of pure poetry and technique: the excellent melodic lines manage to engage the listener in a rather unexpected way since we must remember that we are listening to a bass solo. The second song: "Muttersprache", features the participation of the entire band that composes and plays highly complex music, full of tempo and tone changes. Important in this song is the contribution of a fantastic guitar and futuristic keyboards. Violent and gentle at the same time, the track flows with impressive speed despite its 6 minutes and 26 seconds. Then we move to "A Shaman's Whisper", the most metal song of the album, where frequent tempo changes abound and where Sean gives his best, always going solo along with the guitar, intertwining in dizzying evolutions. An excellent example of progressive played with heart as well as with the mind. "Fisher's Gambit" is the track that moves more towards jazz territories and where Malone's bass once again reigns supreme, but this time, the drums played by Bill Bruford (drummer, percussionist who has played with King Crimson and Yes, among others) are also prominently featured... An absolute guarantee. Fantastic also is the acoustic guitar solo in the center of the song. 4th track and another great piece of poetry, perhaps the best song of the lot: "Grace", never has a title been more fitting, the peace that this song transmits is unparalleled, the grace with which its notes enter our ears will stupefy you, making you want to listen and listen to it again until you're overwhelmed. We return to the more incomprehensible, tight, and beautiful prog with "Some Brighter Things", a song that makes tempo changes and speed its strong points. Once again, impeccable is the technical performance of the individuals, who give us a pearl of infinite beauty. We then move on to a distorted jazz with "The Brook the Ocean", a song where Malone and Bruford stand out thanks to their first-class evolutions, which are never excessive but still manage to show us the infinite technique of the individuals. Noteworthy is the drum solo executed with precision. As for the last song, I decided not to talk about it... I'll leave it to you (for anyone curious) to listen to a splendid track.

Ultimately, an album without flaws, neither from a formal nor an emotional point of view, played (and there was no doubt) with an uncommon technique, that will leave you completely speechless. Excellent and timeless, I strongly recommend you rush to buy it.