violent jasper - control - 2023
“..Do we control our emotions or do they control us? ...”
intro
Readers of progVisions will certainly know the German band Sylvan from Hamburg, which was founded in 1991. The band made a stunning impression with the album "Posthumous Silence", but their last albums "Sceneries", "Home" and "One to Zero" were also impressive. Violent Jasper is the solo project of their keyboarder Volker Söhl and guitarist Johnny Beck. And as guests you will find singer Marco Glühmann and multi-instrumentalist Jens Lueck who is responsible for the drum parts. He also co-produced the album alongside Johnny Beck and Volker Söhl and took care of the mix and mastering of this fine album. You will know him from his own project Single Celled Organism. Volker Söhl's love for film music and his wish for a solo album with female vocals lead to this concept album "Control". The role of the female vocals on this album is filled by Caroline von Brünken, who also works for RPWL. So it's not surprising that this album is released on the Gentle Art Of Music label.
Volker Söhl - keyboards & piano; Johnny Beck - guitars & bass
Guests: Caroline von Brünken - vocals; Marco Glühmann - vocals; Jens Lueck - drums; Katja Flintsch - violin & viola; Otfrid Beck - oboe
review
The concept of the album is as followed explained on their website:
"Feelings determine our social interaction, our everyday world and thus our entire life. In extreme situations, they can easily take control of our thoughts and actions. In order to explore the omnipresence and power of these emotions, Volker Soehl and Johnny Beck take the listener on a stirring journey in their new musical project. Two central questions are in the thick of things: Do we control our emotions or do they control us? And even more crucial – is a loss of control perhaps even desirable?"
The album contains ten tracks. Eight compositions are enclosed by the title songs "Control" and "Control (Reprise)". The album opens with the title track "Control" (4:25). After a short and delicate piano intro, the music really kicks in. But it only continues in the last minute of the song. In the meantime you can hear the beautiful vocals of both vocalists. As mentioned earlier, these are Caroline von Brünken and Marco Glühman. The female vocals sound delicate and fragile. The male vocals are provided by guest Marco Glühman and are presented as usual full of passion and emotion. Then the musical theme washes over you again. A wonderful opener with a somewhat cinematic structure. The capabilities of Caroline von Brünken's vocals are more visible in the next track "Breathe" (6:36). Musically speaking, it is a mix of a rock song and a ballad with cinematic atmospheres. The structure of the album and the telling of the story come across as a film. The combination of female and male vocals works very well. It sometimes reminds me of the Single Celled Organism albums. In "Promise" (4:31) you get a combination of the delicate female vocals that remind me of Isgaard (Single Celled Organism) and the emotional male vocals of the Sylvan vocalist Marco Glühmann.
The cinematic character of the music is further enhanced by the classical influences through the use of harpsichord sounds and the use of real strings of violin, viola (Katja Flintsch) and the oboe (Ottfried Beck) in the song "Masquerade" (5: 08). But we must also mention guitarist Johnny Beck on this song because he is responsible for the beautiful and melodic guitar work. Johnny treats us to a wonderfully powerful guitar solo full of emotion and delivered with passion. “Hail Thee Mockery” (3:30) is a short song with beautiful vocal melodies (Caroline) and delicate piano work. The use of some samples enhances the cinematic character. The music has some emotional outbursts. But it always comes back to those piano sounds that actually run through the entire album.
"Dark Flow" (5:48) has a quiet cinematic structure and a beautiful violin solo by Katja Flintsch. Caroline von Brünken convinces again in this song through beautifully sung vocals. "Stay" (5:48) is one of the songs in which the female vocals are supported by the male vocals of Marco Glühmann. The vocals get all the attention in this song. The musical decoration is never overpowering. The playing is in service of the composition. You can once again enjoy beautiful introspective and classical atmospheres and tasteful guitar and keyboard work. Both vocally and instrumentally, "Desire" (4:40) is a song with more powerful outbursts. "Frontiers" (5:39), a song about inner emptiness, includes a nice soaring electric guitar solo. The album comes to an end with the song "Control (Reprise)" (5:19), a true highlight in terms of instrumental emotion and passion. It has a beautiful classical keyboard orchestration and a nice build-up to a climax.
conclusion
With "Control" Violent Jasper has delivered an interesting debut album with a contemporary concept. Musically, most of the album has a cinematic character. A lot of attention has been paid to the vocal parts, which are performed very nicely. For the most part with the voice of vocalist Caroline von Brünken (RPWL), who has a beautiful voice and convinces on this album. On some songs she is assisted by Sylvan vocalist Marco Glühmann. One of my favorite singers in the scene because of his passion and ability to convey emotion. His input takes this album to an even higher level. Just listen to "Control" or "Promise". The structure of the album reminds me of the project Single Celled Organism by co-producer Jens Lueck. So fans of this project should definitely check out this album. The classical orchestrations with keyboards and real strings are very beautiful. The strong point of this album is that Volker Söhl (keyboards) and Johnny Beck (guitars) do not fall into the trap of expressing their technical and musical qualities in countless solos and ego trips. They play for the compositions and give the vocalists space to excel. You need to listen to this album in its entirety and let it grow. As a bonus, Sylvan fans will get their money's worth by the beautiful guest appearance of Marco Glühmann.