Athelstone, a progressive rock band hailing from Mosta, made a significant mark in the prog rock scene with their debut album, The Quiet Before The Storm, released digitally on Bandcamp on October 14, 2011. The album embodies the band’s eclectic approach to music, merging various genres, including progressive rock, jazz, fusion, and shoegaze, into a seamless blend. The band, formed in 2010 by guitarist Daniel Cassar and drummer/percussionist Matthew Vella, produced an album that reflects both the technical prowess of the musicians and the DIY spirit behind its creation.
Athelstone was founded by Cassar and Vella, who took six months to compose nearly an hour of music in 2011. This project soon evolved into a full-fledged band when they recruited bassist Ryan Vella Bonello to complete their trio. Driven by a commitment to retain complete artistic control, the band undertook a DIY recording process during the summer of 2011, converting a basement, living room, and bedrooms into makeshift studios. The album was engineered, produced, and orchestrated by Cassar and Vella themselves, ensuring that the final product was true to their creative vision.
The Album: Composition and Technicalities
The Quiet Before the Storm is composed of three expansive tracks: the titular “The Quiet Before the Storm” (22:49), “Jaaz” (08:09), and “Coming Full Circle” (23:20). These tracks are entirely instrumental, with guest appearances from Dana McKeon, Fabian Bonello on saxophone, and cellist Rachel Attard Portughes, enriching the sonic landscape.
The band’s creative intent was to push boundaries, blending contrasting genres to create a unique listening experience. The opening title track, “The Quiet Before the Storm,” epitomises this with its ebb and flow between atmospheric soundscapes and intense, distorted guitar riffs. As described in reviews, the track alternates between calm, dreamy sections and raw, chaotic passages, reflecting the band’s embrace of unpredictability.
“Jaaz,” the second track, takes a different approach, leaning heavily into jazz and bossa nova influences before exploding into heavy, distorted guitar sections, as one reviewer noted, creating an interplay between smooth jazz and unruly rock. The final track, “Coming Full Circle,” stands as the most ambitious of the three, introducing electronic elements, Mellotron, and even vocals reminiscent of Pink Floyd's The Great Gig in the Sky. The track moves fluidly between moments of tranquillity and explosive crescendos, ending with a psychedelic, feedback-laden climax.
Technical Execution and Sound
While Athelstone’s technical abilities were praised, the production quality of The Quiet Before the Storm became a point of contention among reviewers. The album was self-recorded and mixed by the band, which resulted in some sonic imperfections. Several critics commented on the excess of distortion and the occasionally murky sound of the guitars. Reviewer Andrea on Prog Archives remarked that the sound quality did not match the quality of the compositions, which were otherwise full of intriguing ideas and dynamic shifts. The heavy guitars, while central to the band’s sound, were described as “ailing” by some critics, detracting from the overall brightness and clarity of the album
On the other hand, some listeners appreciated the raw, unpolished aesthetic of the album, suggesting it added character to the music. The album’s experimental nature, combined with its DIY recording, gave it a distinctive charm. The band's ability to move between genres, fusing jazz, bossa nova, and post-rock elements, was largely seen as one of its strengths, as it kept the album dynamic and unpredictable.
Critical Reception
The Quiet Before the Storm garnered mixed reviews, with most critics offering three out of five-star ratings. The album was praised for its ambition and creativity, particularly in its ability to blend a variety of musical styles and textures. However, reviewers also noted areas for improvement, particularly in terms of production quality and coherence in structure.
Epignosis, a prog music collaborator, highlighted the album's ability to touch on every major progressive rock style, with jazz being its “home base.” Yet, he also critiqued the guitar tone, expressing a preference for a brighter, clearer sound. Similarly, AtomicCrimsonRush praised the band’s musicianship but pointed out the lack of a strong conceptual framework, which made it harder for him to connect with the music on a deeper level.
Memo_anathemo, another critic, echoed these sentiments, acknowledging the band's potential while also critiquing the predictability of the album's longer tracks. Despite these critiques, the band’s ability to create dynamic, non-repetitive compositions was often noted as one of their strengths, and the album was seen as a solid foundation for the band to build upon in future projects.
The Quiet Before the Storm was a bold first step for Athelstone. The album’s eclectic mix of styles and genres, combined with the band’s willingness to experiment, established them as a unique voice in the progressive rock scene. While the production quality of the album may have held it back from achieving its full potential, it remains an impressive debut that showcased the technical abilities of its musicians and their commitment to pushing musical boundaries. As the band’s mission statement suggests, Athelstone's primary goal was to make music for the pure joy of it, and in that sense, The Quiet Before the Storm succeeded in capturing the essence of their creative spirit.
Bibliography
Andrea. "Review: The Quiet Before the Storm." Prog Archives, November 17, 2017.
Epignosis. "Review: The Quiet Before the Storm." Prog Archives, August 17, 2013.
Memo_anathemo. "Review: The Quiet Before the Storm." Prog Archives, August 5, 2013.
AtomicCrimsonRush. "Review: The Quiet Before the Storm." Prog Archives, November 9, 2012.
MemoWakeman. "Review: The Quiet Before the Storm." Prog Archives, June 30, 2012.
Lazland. "Review: The Quiet Before the Storm." Prog Archives.
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