Proghma-C – Bar-Do Travel
Tool fans, prepare to feel right at home. Proghma-C’s Bar-Do Travel is bar none the most Tool-like release I’ve heard in a long time. That’s not a knock, mind you. I always enjoyed Tool as a side-track from all the death metal I was consuming way-back-when. Sometimes, I needed Keenan and company’s industrial-tinged dark prog-rock to mellow out with when things got chaotic. Proghma-C takes an edgier approach, mind, but the comparison is vital.
From the first strains of “Kana,” the lead off track, you might feel as if you’ve stepped back in time. The vocals at the outset remind me a bit of the gruff, filtered vocals used by Dry Kill Logic. Then the crooning starts. The tenor of Kibner’s (lead singer) vocals is very droning and minor-keyed, much like Keenan of Tool fame. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to compare the two, though the prog elements and willingness to experiment certainly help. The only dig I have for Piotr’s vocals would be that he sounds, at least to me, the evil American elitist, too foreign. Screaming, he’s great. Crooning like Keenan, fine. When he starts the spoken word bits? Yeah, a total disconnect. That eastern European accent totally kills the mood for me. Call me a stupid, xenophobic American all you want. It just doesn’t sit right with me.
There’s not much here for you metallic extremists. Outside of some well placed and groovy hard guitar riffs, most of this album consists of synth and ambience. As the various marketing pieces suggest, Proghma-C is very experimental, perhaps more-so than the band they’re taking so much of their style from. These songs are marathons of change. You’ll never get too comfortable in any one section of a song, as the layers are constantly shifting underneath the main pulls of the songs. Oh, and take my marathon comment literally. There’s scarcely a song here under six minutes long. Some of these song lengths give Tool a run for their money. A good portion of all that time is taken up “exploring” a soundscape rather than hooking you with groove and sing/scream/crooning. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
This is a different brand of music, if you couldn’t tell by now. It’s weird and foreign, with strange, almost Engrish-level funny song titles; yet it is completely American in its Tool-ness. Quintessentially, that’s the crux of whether or not you’ll like Bar-Do Travel. Do you like Tool? Ever thought that hearing Tool with Meshuggah’s off-timed beats and riffs would be cool? Ever wished Maynard would stop singing so much and just let the prog flow? Consider those my selling lines to you. Answer yes to any of them and you need to buy this album.
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14 Comments
August 10th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
A well-structured review. Loved your "selling points" approach. Band seems interesting to say the least.
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August 10th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Thanks for this review! I may have not heard about this band for awhile otherwise. I've been listening to this album on myspace and, I have to say, it is amazing. The textures and atmospheres displayed are so cool. This will end up being one of those albums that I can just sit and listen to all the way through multiple times, I can already tell. I can't wait to buy this album…
However, back to the review… I don't agree with your assessment of this band at all. Your whole review is based around a comparison to Tool, and I've listened to the whole album and have heard very little that can be compared to Tool. I mean, if I hadn't already been a Tool fan, then I wouldn't have even bothered to check this band out at all. That would have been a tragedy. There are some vague similarities to Tool here and there, but, overall, they have much more in common with bands like Meshuggah, and their fellow countrymen, Riverside. I just think you've done Proghma-C somewhat of a disservice here. I'm not trying to tell you how to write reviews or anything, but you should be more careful with your comparisons. I just hate to see awesome bands get undeservingly painted into a corner. I can understand mentioning Tool, but to use such an overarching comparison throughout your whole review is a little ignorant.
I'm not trying to start any Avenged Sevenfold-style comment wars here. I'm just throwing my personal criticism out there. Take it or leave it. Thanks again for featuring this band! They are awesome!
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Jen replied:
August 10th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Hey Nitrohippie,
In Adam's defense, the band's PR sent us this album and their info sheet compared them to Tool. I'm not sure if Adam saw that and agreed, or if he made that comparison on his own. But, my point being, that seems to be a selling point for the band. It's cool if you disagree, but Adam's not the only one making that comparison.
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Luke Amos replied:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
I haven't had a chance to listen but I also was only interested because of the Tool comparison. And if they are even remotely similar I think I'll love it.
Great review Adam
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Nitrohippie replied:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Really? Then I guess I'll have to disagree with the band's PR people then, hehe. Every band needs a selling point, I guess, even if it is somewhat misleading. I'm still gonna buy this album regardless
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Jen replied:
August 13th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Yeah, sometimes we get stuff from PR people and think, "What?!?" haha
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August 11th, 2010 at 8:09 am
I remember when I first listened to this album, and must say that I was pretty amazed with it's quality… There is some awesome progressive stuff there with a great flaw and also it should score a bit higher mark, but mostly I agree with this review
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August 11th, 2010 at 8:12 am
and "the most Tool-like release I’ve heard in a long time" is Kaura – That which define Us (but it's more rock orientated)
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August 11th, 2010 at 8:20 am
actually it's more A Perfect Circle-like, and I'm really sorry for all this spam (too bad there's no option to edit comments)
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Jen replied:
August 13th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Sorry you can't edit them Adi. I think if you could, we'd have trolls taking advantage of it. We don't mind if you post more than one!
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August 11th, 2010 at 9:09 am
GO GO POLAND
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August 20th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
This has become one of my favourite albums ever. I'm a big Tool fan but I listen to lots of different progressive music and IMO the similarities with Tool are very slight. Proghma-C are much more technical and less rocky. I completely agree with Nitrohippie and think a comparison with Meshuggah would be more appropriate. They sometimes go a little over the top with the technicality (I'm always glad when the whole Spitted Out section is over) but they do such a good job of setting a mood. The feel and atmosphere is what ultimately does it for me.
Oh and by the way: Can you listen to FO without feeling the urge to bang your head to the hypnotizing beat? These guys rock!
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Nitrohippie replied:
August 21st, 2010 at 11:59 am
Thanks for agreeing with me, Josh. Not only are the Tool similarities very slight, as you said, but this band is way better than Tool, in my opinion. Tool is certainly a good band and they are very influential, but I feel like this band has much more raw talent and potential. Tool had to work and persevere to get where they are now, they didn't start out as good as Proghma-C already are. At least, not in my opinion. I can't wait to buy this album
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December 9th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I finally received this album today. It is everything I was hoping it would be and more. This is one of my favorite releases of the year
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