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Polish Metal Web ‘Zine Laboratorium Muzycznych Fuzji.com Reviews ‘Paradigms’ Rating it 9.5/10

Egon Klank reviews Paradigms and gives it 9.5/10 stars on the Polish online metal magazine Laboratorium Muzycznych Fuzji.com.
English translation can be found below.

An album that changes the essence of progressive metal. Hagopian is often compared to Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Believe it or not, none of them convince me emotionally as Hagopian does.

*****

Semantic Saturation – Paradigms
Posted by: Egon Klank – 27 Aug. 2018

Shant Hagopian. Człowiek, o którym mało kto wie, a na, którego płytach zawsze udzielają się tuzy największego formatu. Człowiek, który muzyką przekracza wszelkie kulturowe bariery. Fascynujący debiut „Solipsistic” zebrał u mnie gromkie oklaski. Debiut przez tak niewielu oczekiwany, a robiący tak kolosalne wrażenie. Album, który zmienia wręcz istotę progresywnego metalu, często zawężonego do wąskich szufladek. Debiut Hagopiana to jedna z niewielu płyt, zwłaszcza pokroju tego gatunku, którą bez mrugnięcia okiem uznałbym za jedną z najbardziej wizjonerskich wśród progresji. Muzyk, jeżeli dziś nie wybitny, to z pewnością za takiego za kilka lat zostanie uznany. Tak ambiwalentny kunszt podparty takimi muzycznymi legendami i ich umiejętnościami jak świetna trakcja bezprogowego basu Kristoffera Gildenlöwa czy też chirurgiczna precyzja Craiga Blundell na najnowszej płycie dobrze rokuje.

Surowy klimat płynnej improwizacji utwierdzonej na skale doskonałej dynamiki i alergii na brzmieniową losowość. Do tego solidna produkcja oraz idealny balans instrumentarium. Gama stylów nie łamie może paradygmatów, ale zdecydowanie przybliża najnowszy dorobek Hagopiana do miana arcydzieła. Nie wiem, czy „Paradigms” przebija debiut. Być może tamtej był bardziej ekstatyczny i entuzjastyczny. Najnowszy zdecydowanie jest bardziej stonowany oraz wyważony, co też może wynikać z dość drastycznej zmiany obsady, ale jak zawsze całość jest doszlifowana do samego końca.

Twórczość Hagopiana to emocje rozszczepione na czynniki pierwsze, głównie dzięki solidnej interpretacji atmosfery każdej z kompozycji, które zawsze tworzą spójną muzyczną koncepcję. Trudno wyobrazić sobie bowiem lepszą identyfikację z utworem, jak dzieje się to za przykładem Dereka Sheriniana w Ulterior Harmony. Całość jest doskonale przemyślana. Hagopian nie błądzi, chociaż ciężko pracuje, aby jego albumy były heterogenicznymi obłokami niejednorodnych styli. Sterylność instrumentarium i technicznej konstrukcji nie zaburza jednak przesłania emocjonalnego (When Dreams Have Died). To jeden z utworów, który utwierdzają wiedzą kompletną w zakresie konstrukcji i mieszania różnych stylistyk. Słuchacz po tak wyczerpującej dawce wypełniających muzycznych nastroi musi być spełniony.

Systematycznie nakładające się na kompozycje warstwy tworzą materiał równie przystępny co skomplikowany dzięki inteligentnej konstrukcji utworów. Nie odurza ona słuchacza przepychem, ale stopniowym wprowadzaniem do kolejnych muzycznych wymiarów. Od akustycznej krotochwilności przez rozpaczliwość ballad, a na rockowo-orkiestracyjnych kohortach dźwięku kończąc (Universal). To nie wszystko! W Mirrors of Confusion dostajemy genialny funkowy rytm. Spore wrażenie pod względem budowania atmosfery i przestrzeni robi tripowy Disturbance Within. Do tego dostajemy ciężki, acz zaparty jazzowymi melodiami rozrywkowy utwór Carousel of Death czy też świetne melodie w Pereidolia. Melancholia zaskoczy nas w blusowym Empty Whisky Jar. Gorące progresje z efektownymi ornamentami znajdziecie w The Stranger From Andromeda. Ultrarelaksujący Until We Meet Again ukoi. Ta umiejętność zabawy dźwiękiem kojarzy mi się z Hagopianem najbardziej. Robi to nie tylko z niebywałą lekkością, ale i z piorunujące efektem ostatecznych aranżacji. Niektóre tematy rozwijają się w sposób całkowicie zaskakujący. Nieprzewidywalność utworów to jedna z podstawowych zalet, dla których do jego twórczości się wraca.

Hagopian porównywany jest często do Joe Satrianiego oraz Steve’a Vaia. Wierzcie czy nie, ale żaden z nich nie przekonuje mnie pod względem emocjonalnym tak jak robi to właśnie Hagopian, a o to w tej muzyce bardzo ciężko ze względu na brak lirycznego podkładu. Na nic jednak porównania. Universal przecież na ten przykład można podciągnąć oraz interpretować jako hołd formacji Camel z czasów płyty „The Snow Goose” (1975). Jego subtelność, delikatność oraz finezja tworzą naprawdę niesamowitą i unikatową całość i raczej nie należałoby tego konkretyzować w ramy znanych standardów, które pojawiają się raczej przypadkowo. Dobry album instrumentalny nie zależy od bicia rekordów prędkości, ale od wyczucia klimatu i wszechstronności. Te cechy Hagopian posiadł w całej ich synergii.

Twórczość Hagopiana dorasta jednak tak naprawdę ze słuchaczem. Trywialnym wydaje się pisać o tym, że album rośnie wraz z każdym przesłuchaniem, ale jego twórczość naprawdę tworzy coś do czego nie tylko wraca się z wielką przyjemnością, ale za każdym razem skłania nas ku innym zakamarkom tej brzmieniowej poezji. Niesamowita atmosfera, przy tych technicznych fajerwerkach rzadko kiedy ma tak emocjonalny wydźwięk. „Paradigms” to kolejne wyjątkowe i unikalne wydawnictwo. „Solipstistic” nie był dziełem przypadku.

(** TRANSLATION BY GOOGLE **)

Shant Hagopian. A man who is hardly known by anyone, and whose albums are always shared by the largest format. A man who transcends all cultural barriers with music. The fascinating debut of “Solipsistic” brought me thunderous applause. Debut for so few expected, and doing such a colossal impression. An album that changes the essence of progressive metal, often narrowed down to narrow drawers. Hagopian’s debut is one of the few records, especially the type of this genre, which I would have considered without blinking as one of the most visionary among progression. Musician, if not prominent today, it will certainly be recognized in a few years.

The harsh climate of liquid improvisation fixed on the rock of perfect dynamics and allergy to sound randomness. For this solid production and perfect instrumental balance. The range of styles does not break paradigms, but it definitely brings Hagopian’s newest output to the name of a masterpiece. I do not know if “Paradigms” is breaking through the debut. Perhaps he was more ecstatic and enthusiastic. The latest one is definitely more toned down and balanced, which can also result from quite a drastic cast change, but as always the whole is polished to the very end.

Hagopian’s work is emotions split into prime factors, mainly thanks to the solid interpretation of the atmosphere of each composition, which always form a coherent musical concept. It is hard to imagine a better identification with the song, as is the case with Derek Sherinian in Ulterior Harmony. The whole is well thought out. Hagopian does not err, although he works hard to make his albums heterogeneous clouds of heterogeneous styles. The sterility of the instruments and technical design does not, however, disturb the emotional message ( When Dreams Have Died ). This is one of the pieces that confirm the complete knowledge in the field of construction and mixing of different styles. The listener after such an exhausting dose of musical moods must be fulfilled.

Systematically overlapping layers make the material as accessible as it is complicated due to the intelligent design of the tracks. It does not dazzle the listener with glamor, but with gradual introduction to subsequent musical dimensions. From acoustic krotochwilność through the desperation of ballads, and on rock and orchestral sound cohorts ending ( Universal ). It’s not everything! In Mirrors of Confusion we get a brilliant funk rhythm. The trip Disturbance Within makes a great impression in terms of building the atmosphere and space . For this we get a heavy, though jazz-entwined tunes, the entertaining song Carousel of Death or great melodies in Pereidolia . Melancholy will surprise us in the bluesEmpty Whiskey Jar. You will find hot progressions with spectacular ornaments in The Stranger From Andromeda. Ultrarelaxing Until We Meet Again soothes. This ability to play with sound reminds me of Hagopian the most. It does it not only with an incredible lightness, but also with a stunning effect of the final arrangements. Some topics develop in a completely surprising way. The unpredictability of works is one of the basic advantages for which he returns to his work.

Hagopian is often compared to Joe Satriani and Steve Vaia. Believe it or not, none of them convinces me emotionally as Hagopian does, and it’s very hard in this music because of the lack of a lyric foundation. However, no comparison.Universal, for example, can be drawn up and interpreted as a tribute to the Camel band from the time of the album “The Snow Goose” (1975). Its subtlety, delicacy and finesse create a truly amazing and unique whole, and it should not be concretized in the context of well-known standards, which appear rather accidentally. A good instrumental album does not depend on breaking speed records but on feeling the climate and versatility. These features Hagopian possessed in all their synergy.

Hagopian’s work, however, really grows with the listener. It seems trivial to write about the fact that the album grows with each interrogation, but its creation really creates something that not only returns with great pleasure, but each time leads us to other nooks of this sonic poetry. An amazing atmosphere, with these technical fireworks, is rarely so emotional. “Paradigms” is another unique and unique publishing house. “Solipstistic” was not a coincidence.

Full Review https://www.laboratoriummuzycznychfuzji.com/2018/08/semantic-saturation-paradigms.html

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Paradigms Reviewed on Lady Obscure

Rocio F. Bedoya reviews Paradigms and gives it 5/5 stars on Lady Obscure

You can close your eyes and almost see the musicians playing their hearts out right in front of you and that honesty is palpable in every single track of the album.

*****

Semantic Saturation – Paradigms
Posted by: Rocio Flores – 08 Aug. 2018

Some years ago I came across a debut album that, together with wooing me, changed too my by then narrow vision of what progressive metal really is all about, and therefore, in what direction it is moving forward nowadays. A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to receive the band’s second album and from the hands of the mastermind himself; a man that I consider one of the future legends of progressive rock. Paradigms, by Semantic Saturation; is out now and I couldn’t be any happier about it.

Semantic Saturation is a progressive rock/progressive metal project founded in 2010 by Canadian guitarist Shant Hagopian, a man whose musical vision I personally find outstanding, and an artistic sense that, as an amateur musician, makes me sort of “jelly”. Besides being an outstanding guitar player himself, Shant has always taken good care on finding great musicians to interpret the rest of the instruments on his albums. In fact, he affirms that the idea to work with a different set of musicians on every album is one of the bases of his project. Paradigms features renown musicians such as drummer Craig Blundell and bassist Kristoffer Gildenlöw throughout the whole album; and counts with the participation of special guests such as keyboardists Derek Sherinian and Alex Argento, and singer Houry Dora Apartian.

But let’s go back to the music itself. Though heavily influenced by his jazz background, Shant works hard to never stay in one place in terms of style. He wanders through different musical moods that are evident throughout the album and leave the listener feeling fulfilled, and recharged. Both, this and the previous album, give one the idea that the artist aims to starts musical concepts for each album from scratch and enjoys surprising his fans with unexpected roads. A visionary musician that is not only focused on impressing us with his mad skills, yet he is willing to transmit and let us “feel” himself and the rest of the musicians in his songs. Every track delivers a piece of his own soul, and the heartfelt interpretation by all allow us to feel related to what we are listening, to recognize each of our own emotions on those melodies, those notes, without the need for words. The songs tell stories as clear and sincerely as words could, and sometimes even better; something that many virtuosos have sadly forgotten when aiming merely to break speed records.

First track Mirrors of Confusion builds up the level of energy with one of the most vivacious funky guitar riffs I’ve heard lately. Carrousel of Death comes heavier, bringing a great display of jazzy melodies, a truly entertaining track to which you just can’t simply stay unresponsive. Since here the evidence is clear. Everything on the album flows smoothly; in one word, delightfully.

Pareidolia turns out to be much more melodic, a very enjoyable track, perfect for turning up the volume and jump on your bed while playing air guitar. Not that I tried it. *coughs uncomfortably*

Empty Whisky Jar, as the name may somehow reveal, is a slow-paced and melancholic track that happens to feature the mesmerizing voice of singer Houry Dora Apartian, doing some kind of smooth jazzy improvisation, that transmits such raw energy that it’s hard to believe it is a recorded sound. Some soulful guitar solos make of this track one of my favorite in the whole album.

The progressive vibe grows strong in the next track. The Stranger from Andromeda features some really cool sounds effects and luscious thrilling guitar riffs and solos. Until We Meet Again is to me the most relaxing track in the whole album. Derek Sherinian keyboard work shines exceptionally throughout Ulterior Harmony, a track much more energetic than the previous one, the virtuoso’s great work intertwines with Shant’s guitar creating some kind of cool proggy riff off that leads to a great display of both, neat technique and soulful interpretations.

Disturbance Within is a trippy, heavy yet slow-paced rock piece, that right after transforms into chaos and rage. Universal starts with a lonesome and gloomy keyboard that evolves into another rich progressive rock track. Another laidback track that besides changing the mood once again, also briefly features a harmonica interpreted by Shant’s Wife, Nanor Wazirian.

Finally, Where Dreams Have Died, is the longest one in the album, and maybe the most complete in terms of styles. It has unsuspected changes coming all through while keeping the fluency, delivering heavy riffs in between its beautiful chaos. By the way; those bells ala Super Mario Bros at the end… Brilliant.

To conclude, it’s undeniable that Shant has the rare ability to transport you to your deepest emotions with his compositions and his playing. Paradigms has the raw vibe of smooth improvisation yet feels also completely professional and neat. You can close your eyes and almost see the musicians playing their hearts out right in front of you and that honesty is palpable in every single track of the album. For a progressive rock/progressive metal fan, Paradigms is a must have; for a jazz fan, a refreshing musical treasure; for anyone with working ears, an interesting finding and door to the modern progressive genre.

*****

Source: http://ladyobscure.com/albums/semantic-saturation-paradigms/

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Review on Angry Metal Guy

A new review published on Angry Metal Guy web ‘zine.

Paradigms is chock full of excellent, inventive compositions, with a healthy range of genres infusing the album with their particular flavors.

*****

By GardensTale On August 23, 2018

Semantic Saturation – Paradigms

Welcome to Psych 102! Today we discuss the phenomenon of semantic saturation, or satiation. Ever hear a word so often it just becomes a sound and loses all meaning? Let’s try it here! Read this out loud, focusing on the sound of the word: juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Are you feeling it yet? Syrian/Canadian guitarist Shant Hagopian was, and he was feeling it with music rather than words. Developing an acute allergy to repetition, he decided to create a band with a focus on variety, resulting in the instrumental band Semantic Saturation. Then, a few years later, he took it to the next level by replacing all the band members for the second album Paradigms. At least he’s consistent with his theme.

There is one common thread across the album: Hagopian was trained as a jazz guitarist, and it shows. Though his aim towards varied music is a generally successful one, borrowing from progressive rock and metal as well as blues and post-rock on occasion, the undercurrent is always jazz-fusion. The resulting amalgam is a more restrained and coherent cousin to Liquid Tension Experiment. But while LTE often seemed bent on cramming as much show-offiness (vocabulary patent pending) into an album as humanly possible, Hagopian has a clear vision toward tracks with an internal consistency, keeping the music dynamic without becoming random for the hell of it.

That’s not to say there is no show-offiness (it’s gonna catch on, I swear) to be found on Paradigms. I don’t think such a thing is possible on an instrumental album fronted by a jazz guitarist. But with such diversity as the choppy Steve Vai electro-experiments of “The Stranger from Andromeda,” the sultry jazz-blues of “Empty Whiskey Jar,” and the various bendy Joe Satriani solos strewn across the album, there’s no help but admiring the skill on the six-string. What’s more, the album sounds crystal clear, with drums as natural as though you were in the room with them and a smoothly thrumming bass of which every note rings true. Thankfully, neither is at any point entirely outshone by the guitar, in spite of its clear protagonist role. The solid production and sensible compositions result in an album that feels whole, not like a competition between its performers. Not every instrumental record can lay claim to such an achievement.

As much as I enjoy the album, I miss the real peaks, the moments to get well and truly excited about. There’s not one single reason for this restraint on my enthusiasm. Perhaps it is a result of the angle of variety, the compositions spreading themselves too thin to be honed to their very maximum. Maybe it’s the lack of a tension arc within the compositions, lacking any real sense of climax. I might simply be less receptive to instrumental albums. Whatever the case, it certainly doesn’t break Paradigms. The gamut of styles it employs ensures that boredom never has much chance to set in, making the record if not a masterpiece, then at least a joy to listen to from start to finish.

A good album, even an instrumental one, depends on more than a versatile and talented guitar player. Hagopian seems to understand this, and he gets to shine as much as can be reasonably expected as the lead guitarist without vocals to compete with. Paradigms is chock full of excellent, inventive compositions, with a healthy range of genres infusing the album with their particular flavors. Though short in real climaxes, I never felt averse to spinning the record just one more time. Completed by a lush production, Semantic Saturation proves itself a capable project, and skillfully avoids the yawning pits of show-offiness (third time’s the charm.)

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Another Milestone

Yesterday; August 20, 2018, was my dad Hagop Hagopian’s 75th birthday. Also yesterday, I achieved another major milestone in my musical career, with the release of the second full length studio album of the Semantic Saturation musical project that I independently founded back in 2010; of course this was no coincidence. Allow me to take a moment here to acknowledge the support and encouragement I have received from my father and mother Vartoug Hagopian all these years, since my childhood; without whom I wouldn’t be doing what I do today.

I’m Armenian, but I grew up and spent 25 years of my life in a community and a country (Syria) where the style of music I play isn’t well perceived, regarded as disgraceful, outrageous and revolting, and mostly neglected by the majority. A society, in which growing your hair as a man or wearing piercings are considered offensive, and a violation against their archaic beliefs.
People fear what they cannot understand.

I’ve been harassed, I’ve been mocked and ridiculed for what I wear, asked to cut my hair, to “behave” and “grow up”, the music I make has been disrespected, ignored and disregarded by a lot of people right in front of me, including some who were very close to me, but never ever by my parents; they were always supportive, backing and guiding me to overcome and conquer the storm, to weed through the noise and rise high on top.

Today is another day, where once again I smash my hammer (and balls) of steel in the faces of all those who belong to the inferior group of people mentioned above, and add another nail to their coffin. All thanks go to my lovely fans who keep supporting and motivating me throughout this journey. I’ve been receiving so many touching and beautiful messages from a lot of you and I am ever grateful to learn that my music has changed your lives and inspired so many of you.

Love you all
-Shant