Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

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scarecrow
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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by scarecrow »

jfc maybe it's the cold brew but the title track still makes me feel like i could lift a goddamn car lmao

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by Schulzy »

scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 10:10 am Okay helllllllll yeah I'm getting into "Last Man Standing."
Yes sir! I effing love it!
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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Songs Ranking (Favorite To Least Favorite)
1.Fable of the Silent Son
2.Pawns & Kings
3.Last Man Standing
4.Sin After Sin
5.Stay
6.This Is War
7.Holiday
8.Dead Among The Living
9.Season of Promise
10.Silver Tongue

Solo Rankings (Favorite To Least Favorite)
1.Fable of the Silent Son (Mark)
2.Season of Promise (Mark)
3.Last Man Standing (Mark)
4.This Is War (Mark)
5.Fable of the Silent Son (Myles)
6.Last Man Standing (Myles 1)
7.Last Man Standing (Myles 2)
8.Pawns & Kings (Mark)
9.Pawns & Kings (Myles)

Favorite Sections
1.This Is War: 0:00-0:32
2.Dead Among The Living: 0:00-0:38
3.Silver Tongue: 0:00-0:41
4.Sin After Sin: 0:00-0:58
5.Stay: 3:02-3:35
6.Holiday: 2:28-2:55
7.Fable of the Silent Son: 5:00-6:29
8.Season of Promise: 4:06-4:51
9.Last Man Standing: 3:50-4:25
10.Pawns & Kings: 2:52-4:25

Vocal Performances (Favorite to Least Favorite)
1.Fable of the Silent Son
2.Stay
3.Sin After Sin
4.Pawns & Kings
5.This Is War
6.Holiday
7.Last Man Standing
8.Silver Tongue
9.Season of Promise
10.Dead Among The Living

Favorite Lyrics Per Song
1.This Is War: Chorus
2.Dead Among The Living: Chorus
3.Silver Tongue: Intro Verse
4.Sin After Sin: Chorus
5.Stay: Bridge
6.Holiday: Second Verse
7.Fable of the Silent Son: Bridge
8.Season of Promise: Bridge
9.Last Man Standing: Chorus
10.Pawns & Kings: Bridge

Track By Track

1.This Is War: (8/10) Love the choral intro paired with the heavy riffage. Enjoy that the verse riff skill keeps the heaviness up. Decent chorus, might be one of my favorites on the record. Great solo from Mark in the bridge. Nice high energy banger to start out the album.

2. Dead Among The Living: (7.5/10) I Like the lead up to the main riff in the intro, not sure if I like the way Myles sings the word "wake" in the pre-chorus but the chorus is fine. Nice little lead before the 2nd verse...bridge was kinda weak, but I love that breakdown + lead afterwards. Nice outro. Song could have used a solo.

3. Silver Tongue: (6.5/10) Nice heavy intro riff and choral intro like TIW again. And just like TIW I like how the verse keeps the heavy riffage going. Might have my least favourite chorus of the record just because I’ve heard it so much but not 100% sure. Decent bridge. Song could have used a solo and some mark harmonies.

4. Sin After Sin: (8/10) Nice little intro before the main riff kicks in. I like the slow broody sludgyness of the main riff, It never seems to get repetitive throughout the song IMO. One of Myles’ better vocals on the record. I love having Marks vocals in this song in the chorus and outro. Love the vibe/mood of the whole song but the chorus especially. Song could have used a proper guitar solo or two throughout but the lead work in the outro is nice.

5. Stay: (9/10) I Like the intro, always love Marks vocals no matter what. He doesn't disappoint. I like that they at least got his vocals placed in the mix properly this time around after Forever Falling. I could do without the Myles harmonies tbh. I would probably prefer Mark harmonizing with himself more for all the flack I give Myles for doing it. Song definitely sounds like it could have (and maybe should have) been on a Tremonti solo record. It's a nice feel-good song after the barrage of bangers to start out the record. I like it alot better than any of the ballads off WTS or TLH.

6. Holiday: (7.5/10) I like the effects in the intro and the pairing of the riff and Myles vocalizing. Myles sounds decent in this song and I like the groove/melody. Damn that chorus is catchy/swingy as fuck. Overall the song is a straight banger IMO. that bridge riffage was fire, wish it went on a bit longer. Nice high energy outro.

7. Fable of the Silent Son: (10/10) Love the acoustic/finger picked guitar lines and Myles softer vocals to start out the track. I can appreciate the song takes a whole 1:30 to get the heavier stuff going. Sounds very grandiose/epic. I didn’t expect the chorus to be sung the way it is, but it works for the song. Doesn’t ever feel like the song starts to drag on. Song could have used some good Mark harmonies higher in the mix or just some lead Mark vocals to change it up even more. Love the change up in the midsection and the high energy riffs, Great solos, I was worried that Fable’s solos would be lacking after hearing the pre-release solos but it seems like they delivered on this track. Nice outro.

8. Season of Promise: (7/10) I Like the instrumental vibes to Season of Promise so far. The chorus is nice and I like that can hear Marks harmonies more clearly in this song. Again, this song feels like a step up from the lighter tunes from TLH or WTS. Decent guitar solo to finish the song

9. Last Man Standing: (9.5/10) I Like the sound of the intro, whatever FX they're using. Myles sounds good when he sings the verse but sounds kinda strange to me when he sings these lines before the chorus, “You’re drawn to the flame before it’s too late”… Decent chorus, I like once again being able to hear Marks harmony vocals in this song. Nice bass work from Brian before the first solo. This solo section came out of nowhere but I like it. And a nice solo to finish the song.

10. Pawns & Kings: (8/10) Nice quiet intro with instant vocals, kinds of reminds me of TLH in the way the song starts. I like the intro riff but I wish it had been played a bit more by itself before jumping into the rest of the song. I love the bridge section in this song from 2:50-4:25. Highlight of the song for me. But the solo’s could have been longer to make it even more epic IMO. Great song to close out the album with.

Final Score: 81/100

Misc. Comments:
TLH still has the edge over P&K on solos and epics IMO. Otherwise P&K would have been 4th place in my ranking above TLH
Felt like the album needed at least 2-4 more songs on it.
Scott and Brian are as good as ever, I might not mention them enough but they’re still a top tier rhythm section.

Lyrics: 8/10
Vocals: 7/10
Instrumentals: 8/10
Album Length: 8/10
TOTAL: 31/40

Album Ranking
1.Fortress
2.Blackbird
3.AB III
4.The Last Hero
5.Pawns & Kings (If this album had 2-4 more songs w/ one more 6-7 min song It'd be in the #4 spot)
6.Walk The Sky
7.One Day Remains

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by maximzub »

Okay, I listened to the album again last night. I'm sorry, but this may be their weakest album to date. There's a lot that I would improve and I'll discuss that later, but let's first talk about what already is on the album. Here's how my opinions on each song have changed after the second listen. For reference, read my first listen review in the other thread. I can't quote it here as it gives me a 500 error.

This Is War: Nothing has changed. It's still one of the banger songs on this album. 10/10

Dead Among The Living: One thing I notice is that when hearing this song, I feel like I've heard it already so many times. That's because it sounds a lot like Still Remains and Last Of Our Kind, with a little bit of Come To Life as well. Still a standout track, but it could benefit from a better guitar solo. 9/10

Silver Tongue: Nothing has changed. Some people say it needs a solo, but I disagree. The only problem is that this shouldn't have been the first radio single. This Is War would have been better off in that spot. 10/10

Sin After Sin: I'm starting to pinpoint what exactly I don't like about this song besides the chorus. It starts out nice and keeps driving along for the verse. Then of course, that awful chorus comes in. Back to the nice verse. Back to the awful chorus. The bridge with the bendy riff, Myles's solo, and the repetitive "sin after sin" lyric could have been axed. In the vocal bridge, I don't like how Myles scoops up to his notes slowly. And then of course, at the end of the song, there's more repetitive "sin after sin" singing and a "come on Mark, you can do better than that" moment. So this song could benefit from a different chorus, a heavier breakdown before the vocal bridge, and a better solo from Mark at the end. Maybe then, it could be another one of the album's epics. 4/10

Stay: Nothing has changed. I'm starting to think that I like Mark's current voice better than Myles's current voice. I don't know how popular of an opinion that is around here. 10/10

Holiday: Can somebody please remove the bluesy guitar licks that occur throughout the song? They're annoying. Also, what I said about wishing that Myles put more of this kind of vocal melodies into Alter Bridge's songs? I take that back. It might fit with some other artist, but not with Alter Bridge. Also, that breakdown is really forced considering the style of the rest of the song. 5/10

Fable Of The Silent Son: No. No. Just no. I still think this is even worse than This Side Of Fate, and probably even worse than Sin After Sin. I'll actually go as far as to say that this is the worst song they've ever done. It takes everything I dislike about This Side Of Fate and magnifies it by 100. It doesn't soar anywhere, just sounds doomy and dark. The chorus has way too much going on. The low bendy riffs are annoying. The only good things I have to say about this song are the clean guitar/vocal intro, which has a lot of nice ideas, and the solo tradeoff. I think the solos would have been better off in another song, and the intro should have been developed into a ballad more like the ones on One Day Remains. 2/10

Season Of Promise: I can't stop comparing this song to Tear Us Apart. While that's not a bad song, it's also one that I don't find myself wanting to listen to compared to other Alter Bridge songs and compared to other songs in general. So making a clone of that song was a mistake on Alter Bridge's part. Also, that chorus just does not rub me right. The solo though, that's amazing. One of the best on the album. I'll still need to listen to this one more to cement a final opinion. ?/10

Last Man Standing: Once again, this song flew over my head. I think it was another mistake to put it in the track listing this late, because once I'm tired after listening to the first 45 minutes of the album, my brain just doesn't have enough energy left to process this complex of a song. I'm gonna have to listen to this one on its own before I can really say anything about it. ?/10

Pawns & Kings: Yep. This one set such a high bar for the rest of the album, and unfortunately, nothing could top it. And that's okay. By now, Alter Bridge is a hit-or-miss band, and no matter how many songs "miss", as long as they still make songs that "hit", I'll be a big fan of them. 11/10

Track listing: Interestingly, this is one of only two Alter Bridge albums that I've listened to in track order without skipping anything (the other being One Day Remains). Still, I think I can judge the track listing of any of their albums just based on knowing all the songs and imagining how each would flow into the next. This feels like the most random track listing out of all the albums.

Current ranking:
1. Pawns & Kings
2. This Is War
3. Stay
4. Silver Tongue
5. Dead Among The Living
6. Holiday
7. Sin After Sin
8. Fable Of The Silent Son
?. Season Of Promise
?. Last Man Standing
(I think it's not fair to rank Season Of Promise and Last Man Standing yet as I need time to cement my opinion on both songs.)

What I Would Improve In This Album:

Whatever would be the opener song would need to have a longer, more tension-building intro. Something like an extended intro of This Is War, starting with the clean part in the pre-chorus, then adding a slight alteration to the vocal melody as a lead guitar line, and keeping that lead guitar line throughout the current intro of the song, before finally getting into the machine gun riff section. Dead Among The Living has just one thing that prevents it from being the perfect radio single: a strong solo. The solo in The Writing On The Wall, for example, is short but very complex and strong. In contrast, it would probably take me two minutes to learn the solo in Dead Among The Living. The next song would have to be a lighter song with a change of pace. Not Season Of Promise; that should be the penultimate track. I can't really say that such song exists on the album. Track 4 would be another change of pace with a ballad. This is where I would put Stay. From there, throw in the fillers. Silver Tongue would be here somewhere. Last Man Standing would also have to be early on in order to give the listener a chance to take in the song without it flying over their head. Apply all the things I suggested to do with Sin After Sin, and you get a mid-album epic. Just saying, the mid-album epic should not be the centerpiece of the album as it takes away from the strength of the closer song. Also, turn the intro of Fable Of The Silent Son into an old-style ballad. Somewhere else, insert another song or two with a heavy vibe, but not doomy. Holiday would probably be somewhere here as well (without the weird guitar parts, PLEASE). Then end the album with a happy song (Season Of Promise) and the perfect epic closer (Pawns & Kings). There you have it. The perfect new Alter Bridge album.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by maximzub »

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:30 am Solo Rankings (Favorite To Least Favorite)
1.Fable of the Silent Son (Mark)
2.Season of Promise (Mark)
3.Last Man Standing (Mark)
4.This Is War (Mark)
5.Fable of the Silent Son (Myles)
6.Last Man Standing (Myles 1)
7.Last Man Standing (Myles 2)
8.Pawns & Kings (Mark)
9.Pawns & Kings (Myles)
In the middle section of Last Man Standing, the first solo is Myles and the second solo is Mark. So there are actually two Mark solos in the song.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by Mr.Vlado »

maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:47 am

Stay: Nothing has changed. I'm starting to think that I like Mark's current voice better than Myles's current voice. I don't know how popular of an opinion that is around here. 10/10


Fable Of The Silent Son: No. No. Just no. 2/10

I have to single those parts out and say: wow. :D Tastes can be so different and I seriously just love how yours differs from so many others. I like both songs a lot but cannot see for the life of it how one can rate Fable 2/10 lol

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:51 amIn the middle section of Last Man Standing, the first solo is Myles and the second solo is Mark. So there are actually two Mark solos in the song.
I swear both bridge solos have that Myles vibrato and phrasing feeling to them. :headscratch :shrug

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by maximzub »

Mr.Vlado wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:59 am
maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:47 am

Stay: Nothing has changed. I'm starting to think that I like Mark's current voice better than Myles's current voice. I don't know how popular of an opinion that is around here. 10/10


Fable Of The Silent Son: No. No. Just no. 2/10

I have to single those parts out and say: wow. :D Tastes can be so different and I seriously just love how yours differs from so many others. I like both songs a lot but cannot see for the life of it how one can rate Fable 2/10 lol
Thanks, I guess?

This inspires me to do a video review of Fable Of The Silent Son so I can explain my opinion on each section of the song as they come, rather than writing a review while I'm not listening to the song, but rather just going through what I remember.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by Schulzy »

Mr.Vlado wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:59 am
maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:47 am

Stay: Nothing has changed. I'm starting to think that I like Mark's current voice better than Myles's current voice. I don't know how popular of an opinion that is around here. 10/10


Fable Of The Silent Son: No. No. Just no. 2/10

I have to single those parts out and say: wow. :D Tastes can be so different and I seriously just love how yours differs from so many others. I like both songs a lot but cannot see for the life of it how one can rate Fable 2/10 lol
This is what I love about AB. Certain songs hit people totally differently. And you know what? That's okay! I liken it to food. For example I absolutely love Chicken Parmesan - it's the closest thing to heaven on a plate. One of my dear friends feels the complete opposite. Just mentioning it makes her want to vomit.
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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by Timotheus »

Fable of the Silent Son: ... It doesn't soar anywhere
Dude... LIKE A PHOOOENIX RIIISING FROOM IIIITS ASH.
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anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by maximzub »

I want to say something else that I haven't seen anybody pick up on yet about this album.

There isn't a single song in 6/8! That time signature has become sort of a trademark for Alter Bridge, especially the epics (think: Blackbird, Words Darker Than Their Wings, Fortress, The Last Hero, Dying Light) and here it's nowhere to be found. I kind of forgot about it while listening to the album, but now after remembering all the other songs, I think that's really strange.

By the way, something I wanted to say in my earlier review, but I forgot to put in: After listening to the entire album, I listened to Blackbird and Words Darker Than Their Wings. Blackbird is a tough song to listen to on a regular basis, which is why I removed it from my playlist at the beginning of 2021. Since around late 2021, I've listened to it sporadically, and this is only the second time I've listened to it since I got out of high school. By now, I'm sure there's no questioning it's the best Alter Bridge song of all time. Words Darker Than Their Wings was one I hadn't even listened to since school ended, even though I used to listen to it on a regular basis. It's just amazing. That high note at the end never fails to put a smile on my face and make me think "wow", no matter how many times I've heard it. Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to put out anything that's as good as some of their earlier stuff. They may release songs I like more (Pawns & Kings for example), but they're not going to release something that's objectively better.
Schulzy wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:17 pm This is what I love about AB. Certain songs hit people totally differently. And you know what? That's okay!
This is what I love about this board. Almost everybody supports each others' position.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by scarecrow »

Schulzy wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:17 pm
Mr.Vlado wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:59 am
maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:47 am

Stay: Nothing has changed. I'm starting to think that I like Mark's current voice better than Myles's current voice. I don't know how popular of an opinion that is around here. 10/10


Fable Of The Silent Son: No. No. Just no. 2/10

I have to single those parts out and say: wow. :D Tastes can be so different and I seriously just love how yours differs from so many others. I like both songs a lot but cannot see for the life of it how one can rate Fable 2/10 lol
This is what I love about AB. Certain songs hit people totally differently. And you know what? That's okay! I liken it to food. For example I absolutely love Chicken Parmesan - it's the closest thing to heaven on a plate. One of my dear friends feels the complete opposite. Just mentioning it makes her want to vomit.
The vastness of the human experience blows my mind. Didn't fully come into perspective for me until early this year when I learned about hyperphantasia. Which I have, and suddenly so much of my life and tastes made more sense. It's synesthesia-adjacent.

Here's a NYT piece on it:

https://archive.ph/T9IAm

It's no coincidence that I'm calling my upcoming debut album 'Hyperphantasia' lol (with a title track that's kind of a banger, ngl)

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by maximzub »

scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:26 pm The vastness of the human experience blows my mind. Didn't fully come into perspective for me until early this year when I learned about hyperphantasia. Which I have, and suddenly so much of my life and tastes made more sense. It's synesthesia-adjacent.

Here's a NYT piece on it:

https://archive.ph/T9IAm

It's no coincidence that I'm calling my upcoming debut album 'Hyperphantasia' lol (with a title track that's kind of a banger, ngl)
Dang, that's interesting. I read about it, and I think I might have it. I tend to recall memories very vividly, which might explain why I'm able to name almost exactly what I did on a certain day within the past three years (with some exceptions, for example March 2020 to August 2020 was pretty bleak).
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by fix »

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:05 pm
maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 11:51 amIn the middle section of Last Man Standing, the first solo is Myles and the second solo is Mark. So there are actually two Mark solos in the song.
I swear both bridge solos have that Myles vibrato and phrasing feeling to them. :headscratch :shrug
Yes definitely.

Fable a 2/10 is just as shocking to me as giving Stay a 10/10 haha. Always loved the different tastes of us AB fans. Just shows the variety this band has.

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by scarecrow »

maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:30 pm
scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:26 pm The vastness of the human experience blows my mind. Didn't fully come into perspective for me until early this year when I learned about hyperphantasia. Which I have, and suddenly so much of my life and tastes made more sense. It's synesthesia-adjacent.

Here's a NYT piece on it:

https://archive.ph/T9IAm

It's no coincidence that I'm calling my upcoming debut album 'Hyperphantasia' lol (with a title track that's kind of a banger, ngl)
Dang, that's interesting. I read about it, and I think I might have it. I tend to recall memories very vividly, which might explain why I'm able to name almost exactly what I did on a certain day within the past three years (with some exceptions, for example March 2020 to August 2020 was pretty bleak).
Wikipedia entry is also very enlightening! I have a coworker I discovered has aphantasia. She used to be firefighter. Makes total sense - no reliving trauma. That type of mind is a perfect fit for such a job! She is literally unable to picture her own bedroom in her mind. It's fascinating.

And like the article says, 'not a disorder but an intriguing variable in the human experience.' I would say intriguing is putting it mildly!

I used to think I didn't have synesthesia because I am literal and I've never literally *seen* a sound (that's a different condition) but through therapy I discovered it's a very real part of my hyperphantasia and radically effects how I experience music.

This is all to say, perception of film, music, art - even more subjective that I ever imagined. We should all be kinder to each other and more understanding of our fundamental differences - differences that are almost impossible to wrap one's head around. But we must try. <3

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by maximzub »

scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 1:00 pm
maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:30 pm
scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:26 pm The vastness of the human experience blows my mind. Didn't fully come into perspective for me until early this year when I learned about hyperphantasia. Which I have, and suddenly so much of my life and tastes made more sense. It's synesthesia-adjacent.

Here's a NYT piece on it:

https://archive.ph/T9IAm

It's no coincidence that I'm calling my upcoming debut album 'Hyperphantasia' lol (with a title track that's kind of a banger, ngl)
Dang, that's interesting. I read about it, and I think I might have it. I tend to recall memories very vividly, which might explain why I'm able to name almost exactly what I did on a certain day within the past three years (with some exceptions, for example March 2020 to August 2020 was pretty bleak).
Wikipedia entry is also very enlightening! I have a coworker I discovered has aphantasia. She used to be firefighter. Makes total sense - no reliving trauma. That type of mind is a perfect fit for such a job! She is literally unable to picture her own bedroom in her mind. It's fascinating.

And like the article says, 'not a disorder but an intriguing variable in the human experience.' I would say intriguing is putting it mildly!

I used to think I didn't have synesthesia because I am literal and I've never literally *seen* a sound (that's a different condition) but through therapy I discovered it's a very real part of my hyperphantasia and radically effects how I experience music.

This is all to say, perception of film, music, art - even more subjective that I ever imagined. We should all be kinder to each other and more understanding of our fundamental differences - differences that are almost impossible to wrap one's head around. But we must try. <3
I might have synesthesia for musical pitches and for numbers, but sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint the actual color. Like, sometimes the chord D major is purple to me, sometimes it's gold. It almost feels like a "peanut butter and jelly" color than some other solid color. Now, for some things, like any number ending with 3, I can pinpoint that it's green to me.

Sorry everybody for going off topic, but this was an interesting tangent that I wanted to chime in on.
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fix
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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by fix »

Reminds me of Devin Townsend who is also very vocal about ‘seeing’ music as colors.

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scarecrow
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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by scarecrow »

maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 1:03 pm
scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 1:00 pm
maximzub wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:30 pm
scarecrow wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 12:26 pm The vastness of the human experience blows my mind. Didn't fully come into perspective for me until early this year when I learned about hyperphantasia. Which I have, and suddenly so much of my life and tastes made more sense. It's synesthesia-adjacent.

Here's a NYT piece on it:

https://archive.ph/T9IAm

It's no coincidence that I'm calling my upcoming debut album 'Hyperphantasia' lol (with a title track that's kind of a banger, ngl)
Dang, that's interesting. I read about it, and I think I might have it. I tend to recall memories very vividly, which might explain why I'm able to name almost exactly what I did on a certain day within the past three years (with some exceptions, for example March 2020 to August 2020 was pretty bleak).
Wikipedia entry is also very enlightening! I have a coworker I discovered has aphantasia. She used to be firefighter. Makes total sense - no reliving trauma. That type of mind is a perfect fit for such a job! She is literally unable to picture her own bedroom in her mind. It's fascinating.

And like the article says, 'not a disorder but an intriguing variable in the human experience.' I would say intriguing is putting it mildly!

I used to think I didn't have synesthesia because I am literal and I've never literally *seen* a sound (that's a different condition) but through therapy I discovered it's a very real part of my hyperphantasia and radically effects how I experience music.

This is all to say, perception of film, music, art - even more subjective that I ever imagined. We should all be kinder to each other and more understanding of our fundamental differences - differences that are almost impossible to wrap one's head around. But we must try. <3
I might have synesthesia for musical pitches and for numbers, but sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint the actual color. Like, sometimes the chord D major is purple to me, sometimes it's gold. It almost feels like a "peanut butter and jelly" color than some other solid color. Now, for some things, like any number ending with 3, I can pinpoint that it's green to me.

Sorry everybody for going off topic, but this was an interesting tangent that I wanted to chime in on.
I think it's good context for the wildly different reactions we're seeing re: this album and some of its songs! We're all so similar and yet all so different in ways we'll never understand. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure,' after all!

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by scarecrow »

fix wrote: Sat Oct 15, 2022 1:06 pm Reminds me of Devin Townsend who is also very vocal about ‘seeing’ music as colors.
It's not so much colors for me as it is having a screen or a club in my mind. I can relive moments, events, visualize music videos that don't exist - with my eyes wide open. It's a constant. It's why music videos were never that appealing to me, although I didn't understand why. Because for me they're redundant! :lol

Then there are all the different life experiences that go into it - take "Fable" for example. Someone giving it a 2/10 seems outrageous to me but I'm not them. It's interesting and I think valuable to try to experience a song like that, an especially winding one, through someone else's ears - and mind's eye. Interesting and difficult. But worth trying!

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Re: Pawns & Kings – post release reactions & user reviews

Post by CrowsOnAWire »

This is AB’s strongest album since Fortress (which is their best album IMO).

The standout tracks to me are This is War, Fable, Last Man Standing and Pawns & Kings. All of these I’d rate at 10/10.

The next tranche I’d rate between 7.5 and 9/10 - Silver Tongue, Dead Amongst the Living, Sin after Sin.

I’d then put Stay at a solid 7/10.

Seasons of Promise at 6/10 and Holiday at 5/10.

Last Man Standing is the surprise song for me. It has such a killer, moody vibe. I love the bridge melody and then the solos top it off. Really hope it becomes a staple in their live set.

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