With Future Days, The Raging Project, fronted by Ivan Jacquin joined by an ensemble cast of other musicians, has a thumping album of interesting music which on balance I’d say is progressive metal. As Ivan is French there’s that angle to with with some songs sung in French.
Ivan handles keyboards, synths and the majority of vocals. His keyboard work is top notch and quite varied.
The long list of musicians he has worked with on this album all pitch in with style and aplomb making Future Days a superb listen and one which reveals hidden depths with each listen whilst being accessible at the same time.
Thanks to Ivan and Bad Dog Promotions for sending me a CD to review. A most pleasant and welcome surprise.
We have a dozen songs coming in at around a seventy minute running time. There’s no “filler” here to pad it out for the sake of it. The variance in composition and delivery make it all a compelling seventy minutes.
Ivan’s keys and synths dovetail with heavy, crunching guitars and a banging rhythm section to give that overall progressive metal feel – though there’s some more ambient, atmospheric, sensitive stuff going on as well. Not too sure how to try to summarise – perhaps more recent Opeth with 1970s Pink Floyd, ELP and Yes?
As to the music….. Warning a brief, mostly spoken introduction. Rage comes next and does indeed rage. Plenty of power and passion here especially the vocal delivery which fits with the lyrical concept.
Don’t Want comes in heavy with the superb keyboard, synth, and guitar interplay amongst the chugging, clipped riffing and more passionate vocals.
Colere has some thumping bass work and is more laid back than Rage and Don’t Want. The mid-section is sort of “retro-prog” before building in to a big, powerful finish.
Even if I Bleed is chunky prog metal with the short, hard riff, punchy drums and bass and more of the superb guitar and key/synth work all making a dramatic scene made complete by fine vocals to give a slightly dark, brooding feel to it all.
Ambient is just that – ambient. Well, until it develops later in to a thrilling latter half or so when the heavy stuff breaks out including a spectacular guitar solo. All wonderfully composed.
Turn throws in a brutal two and a half minute assault of big guitars and angst-ridden vocals.
Then it’s the ten minute mini-epic of On Earth. This one hits the spot squarely. Atmospheric understated piano keys giving a slightly melancholy feel as does the lyric – though building the tension gradually until the symphonic, proggy recipe of the latter half.
A couple of bonus tracks which are an English language versions of Colere and a French language version of Even if I Bleed.
As an example of what you’ll hear on The Raging Project, here’s the video of Wrath.
I’m liking Future Days plenty. Such an interesting, varied listen which hits all the right buttons to satisfy classy and inventive progressive metal all so well performed by Ivan and his cohorts. Why not check it out on their Bandcamp page? Various formats there:
https://theragingproject.bandcamp.com/album/future-days
My thanks again to Ivan and Bad Dog Promotions for sending the review copy.