1. The Binaural Beat (5:09)
2. Reflections Carried to Mirror (4:20)
3. Chromatic Dusk (3:53)
4. Patterns Spiral into Swarm (4:54)
5. Heat Distortion Manifest (5:41)
6. Photovoltaic (8:32)
7. Solar Droid (4:33)
8. The Unknowable and Defeating Glow (10:19)
Year: 2008
Label: Sensory Records
Fourth album by Canvas Solaria is exactly as its cover. Cold but at the
same time delicate, twisted, full of details and precision. Musicians
managed to combine dense structures and acoustic space in an absolutely
amazing way. This balance between some intricacies displaying their
great skills and good taste is what makes Canvas Solaris different from
other groups playing technically and with mathematical precision.
Despite the fact that „The Atomizer Dream” is based on twisted rhythmic
patterns it has an atmosphere of its own. This is probably due to gentle
keyboard lines set in the background and acoustic passages which make
that for an average listener this album seems to be more “digestible”.
New compositions are, however, unpredictable. Sometimes when you listen
to a track set within one tone pattern you expect that after a
characteristic theme, the following track will be a logical
continuation. As for compositions included on “The Atomized Dream” this
formula simply does not work. There are so many changes that even if
guitar harmonies make you think that music will follow a certain path it
turns out that you’re misled and what you expected hadn’t happened. It
seems that melody is what counts for the band. Sometimes it’s hidden in
the jungle of riffs and solos but together with keyboard and acoustic
themes it’s a significant element of Canvas Solaris’s music. And most
important of all, this 47 minute long album featuring intense music does
not make you get bored even for a second. It’s demanding and requires
attention but when you get through it so that you know what to expect
from consecutive pieces listening to it may turn into a sheer pleasure
and it may even be quite relaxing…
“The Atomized Dream” is an album for a particular type of a listener.
It’s complex and demanding. I think that this album should be of
interest for both prog rock and technical metal fans and could become a
part of their CD collection.
9/10
Piotr Spyra
translation: Gosia Michalska
