My Global Mind reviews Solipsistic

And yet another review of Solipsistic on My Global Mind metal web ‘zine

Released by: Independent
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Progressive Rock
Links: http://www.semanticsaturation.com/

Line Up:
keyboards – DEREK SHERINIAN – Ex-Dream Theater special guest
drums – VIRGIL DONATI
bass – RIC FIERABRACCI
vocals – ANDY KUNTZ

Tracklist:
1) Ambivalence
2) Make Believe
3) Lost and Found: Insanity
4) Stardust
5) Blessing in Disguise
6) Armchair Activist
7) Point of Singularity
8) Time Is An Illusion
9) What If We All Stop

Now here we have a sensational Guitar Wizzard from Canada called SHANT HAGOPIAN. He was helped by established musicians such as drummer VIRGIL DONATI (STEVE VAI), bassist RIC FIERABRACCI (PLANET X) and guests DEREK SHERINIAN on keyboards (ex-DREAM THEATER) and vocalist ANDY KUNTZ of VANDENPLAS on 1 song. Together they recorded the brilliant first album ‘Solipsistic’ of this project called SEMANTIC SATURATION.

The instrumental Progressive Rock/Metal is of an incredible high level, with of course the main focus on the amazing guitar work of Shant. He is not continuously shredding like some people might expect from such a gifted guitarist, because he is actually focused on playing these beautiful melodies on his guitar all the time, such as can be heard at best during the uptempo rocker “Ambivalence” and the ballad “Blessing in disguise”. Such material is belonging to the finest instrumental work available at the moment! Shant by the way is actually of Syrian/Armenian heritage, but is now settled in Canada, although if we go back in time to the year 2003, he played in a band called NU CLEAR DAWN, a fantastic Syrian Progressive Metal band, which released the album ‘Poem of a knight’ (review at: http://www.angelfire.com/az2/strutter8/HOTNEWREVIEWS15.htm ).

That band was active in the city of Aleppo and if you follow today’s news every now and then, you will agree that it isn’t possible to live a normal life over there nowadays. Shant already left Syria 8 years ago and hopefully this incredible (almost) instrumental album will bring Shant a lot of success, because if there’s one solution to all the troubles in the world, then it is definitely music!

Semantic Saturation is a progressive rock/metal project founded by guitarist Shant Hagopian, featuring progressive metal gurus Virgil Donati (drums), Ric Fierabracci (bass), with guests; Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater – keyboards) and Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas – vocals)

Shant Hagopian is a Canadian songwriter/guitarist, of Syrian/Armenian heritage. From 1996 to 2003 he specialized in Jazz guitar studies, and in 1997 he founded the progressive rock/metal band Nu.Clear.Dawn along with musicians in the Syrian city of Aleppo, as one of the first and very few bands to emerge out of the Syrian scene. Touring throughout the Middle East and playing in large festivals such as “Rock the Nations” in Istanbul along many international names like Pain of Salvation, Epica, Sentenced, Vanden Plas and more, their 2003 album “Poem of a Knight” which also was the first officially released metal record in Syria, received positive reviews from acclaimed webzines such as Metalstorm and the Metal Observer and others.

Shant moved to Canada in 2005 and recently started working on his solo project “Semantic Saturation” with the debut album “Solipsistic” which was released on January 21, 2013, featuring progressive rock and metal gurus such as drummer Virgil Donati, bassist Ric Fierabracci with guests; keyboardist Derek Sherinian (ex. Dream Theater) and vocalist Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas).

Written by Gabor – Rating 8/10

source: http://myglobalmind.com/2013/02/11/semantic-saturation-solipsistic-review/

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