This is what I wrote about Wolverine’s show at ProgPower Europe in 2008: “This was the real deal. These musicians succeeded in capturing a deep and mellow mood with being precious or “clever”. It was remarkable. The structures of the songs were immaculate. The ambiance was electrifying”.
To that point I had a mixed view of Wolverine’s recorded material. I bought “Cold Light of Monday” (2003) when it came out. Some of it was outstanding and swept me along. Other tracks didn’t.
Having been “converted” in 2008, I was now expecting something ambient, intelligent, technical and above all, Progressive. “Communication Lost” is such an obvious area for Progressive music. It’s amazing that this title hasn’t been used before. Wolverine take full advantage with 79 minutes of material. It’s been said before, especially of Prog music, but this is like a colourful journey. You sense there’s something in the air straightaway with the intro “Downfall”. Sad, passive and reflective, darkness mingles with danger. It stops. “Into the Great Nothing” begins. The timing is superb. Spine-tingling emotion rings in the air. The build-up is steady. The singer implores us. It’s as if he’s speaking to us on a one to one basis. There’s a deliberate technical treat going on in the background. The drums patter. Each word is uttered deliberately… “We’ve lost sight of where we are, more is more, less is nothing”. The mood changes. The fluidity is still there. The instrumental input bursts into controlled power. The emotional level is stepped up to match. It’s smooth, silky and shivers still run down our spine. The music is talking to us. It goes round in luxurious patterns. This is what I saw at ProgPower 2008. The bewitching guitar passages are carefully constructed. If this isn’t what Progressive music is about, I don’t know what is. Christ, we’re only on the second track.
This album just goes from strength to strength. The third track “Poison Ivy” has the same magnetic quality as its predecessor. The style is different. The acoustic build-up is quiet. The plaintive singer sounds uncannily like Green Carnation’s Kjetil and emits the same rich power and child-like quality. Orchestral strains provide the sinister melancholy supplement and edginess. The chorus is unforgettably catchy. The same mood sweeps into “Your Favourite War”, which again rises to an amazing deeply emotional chorus. I draw comparison again with Green Carnation. It sounds innocent but you just sense that things aren’t quite right. It’s the intonation that does it. “I want to ease your pain but you turn your head away .. you can’t find me” – we are present at this anguished scene. We’re on the inside. Instrumental ambiance takes over on “Embrace” as the drummer sets the soft tone before once again it all builds up to a blistering emotional climax. There’s a gentle sway as the guitars take us into another world.
The oddest track is “Pulse”. It has a recurrent electro-synth beat in the background, combining with the air of a Progressive West End musical, if there was such a thing. Unusual deep and suggestive lyrics creep up on us as it works up to a bigger sound, still with the electro beat. “Pulse” certainly has an interesting construction. “What Remains” takes us back to orchestral sadness which serves as the precursor to a reflective song. “In Memory of Me” captures the kaleidoscopic nature of the tracks on this album. The beat is typically calming and equally typically the singer matches it with serene vocals. It’s a fluid track with strong emotion which creeps up on us. It sways like a gentle breeze. “In the Quiet of Dawn” has a slow beat. The delivery is strongly reminiscent of Neil Young with all the melancholy and edginess. But you sense that something big is in the air. To match the magnificent “Into the Great Nothing” earlier on the album, there is the title track “Communication Lost”. Classic piano signals an amazing build-up and an awesome track. This time there’s an ultra-funky guitar riff. The drama is there from the outset. The keyboard adds an added layer. “How many times did we have to end up here .. return to our innocence”. Once again the vocalist speaks to us. The theme of getting back to innocence obsesses him and by a process of musical transference, concerns us greatly too. The funky guitar, a strength of this track, cuts in. The atmosphere is electric. There’s a simultaneously calm, cloudy and emotional feel. Each time it builds up to a huge chorus. The guitar riff acts as the glue between passages. The construction is perfect. A quiet guitar passage intervenes as we reflect on the return to that innocence. The singer beseeches us. A keyboard interlude adds tension and intensity. There’s such control here. “Innocence united us. We grew stronger. I’ve tried a thousand times to believe in what we were”. It’s all in the past. You feel the tears. You believe it. The words are matched by immense instrumental work. “Communication Lost” is immaculate.
“Communication Lost” proves that you don’t have to go at breakneck speed or be interminably dark to achieve maximum intensity. It is a quiet album full of power and emotional depth. The sophisticated instrumentals are matched impeccably by the reflectiveness of the vocals. The vocalist speaks to us with utmost clarity as if we are in the same room together. “Communication Lost” is majestic, unpretentious and a privilege to listen to. It is simply a top quality Progressive journey.
http://www.myspace.com/wolverineoverdose
http://www.wolverine-overdose.com
http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk
