Seeing TesseracT is a visual & sonic experience that works so perfectly that you almost fall into a hypnotic state. I can attest to this because it’s happened to me twice since 2016; once as an opening act and the other last month as they headlined the Gas Monkey Bar & Grill in support of their most recent release – Sonder.
I have to thank my friend Rachel for really getting me into the band. I already had their 2013 gem, Altered State, but I really hadn’t taken the time to get to know the music. I would throw it on here and there but never just immerse myself in it. That changed in 2016 when the band made their way through town as direct support for Gojira. In September the band posted that guitarist James Montieth was looking for local US & Canadian beer that he could sample and review for Terrorizer.com while the band was touring. Rachel thought of me when she read the post that called for Beer Nerds to get in touch with Monteith. It worked out perfectly since I have a fond love of craft brew, especially the local stuff.
Fast forward to 2018 and TesseracT have just released a brand new slab of goodness with their new album – Sonder. James, Jay and fellow bandmates Daniel Tompkins (vocals), Acle Kahney (guitar) and Amos Williams (bass) have created a monster of a record. While weighing in at a mere 36 minutes and boasting only 7 songs there is no filler or wasted space to be found. They have continued to perfect their craft and Sonder is the perfect example of just that. Heavy, rich, deep textures that intertwine with soothing vocal lines that, when necessary, add that needed inflection that pushes a song over the top. While “Juno” and the 11-minute “Beneath My Skin/Mirror Image” grabbed me right away the other 5 songs are just as intoxicating.
While Sonder had only been out a week I had it on rotation pretty much every day while eagerly anticipating the upcoming show. When the band emerged from the darkness that night they came out with the hot new opening track “Luminary” with its pounding low-end intro that evolves into an atmospheric guitar and showcasing Tompkins outstanding voice. The band would feature two more tracks from Sonder with “Smile” and the heavy-weight “King”, both of which Tompkins lets loose vocally, as if to say “are you feeling me now?” Just the right inflection to take the songs in a different direction and get those heads banging a little bit harder.
TesseracT made sure to offer up a little bit from each of their albums, with 3 each from Sonder & Altered State One while featuring 4 from Polaris & One. It’s always great hearing your favorite song live and that’s just what I got when the band broke into “Of Mind: Nocturne”. That was the first song that I gravitated to when I first got into the band and it still remains my favorite, although there are a few from Polaris that rank pretty high as well. All four songs from this album were tucked into the set together rather nicely. “Dystopia” is that other song vying for my top spot and tonight, in combination with the changing lights & colors the song came alive.
The band featured 3 songs from the epic “Concealing Fate” portion of the One album: Parts 2 & 3 near the beginning of the show while closing their set with “Concealing Fate Part 1 – Acceptance”. Tompkins took little bit of time during the show to thank the fans for their support and also introducing “April” as arguably one of their most deepest and meaningful songs of the band. On this one, as he had the whole evening, bassist Amos Williams really stood out. Just to watch his stage presence and feel the deep bass lines he provides to their wide array of songs is a pleasure.
While the guitar playing isn’t flashy by any means, it does exactly what it needs to do and that is to provide depth & texture to create melody or that heavy punch. Monteith & Kahney provide low-end riffs, subtle lines that weave throughout a verse, or chorus, mixed with the bone-jarring chugging. This plays well off the steady drumming of Postones. He makes it look effortless behind the kit but he provides so much to the sonic juggernaut that is TesseracT.
Each member providing that piece that fits so perfectly with each song and when you add atmospheric lighting that changes with rhythm, and at times hides the band in its shadows, one can’t help but be mesmerized as it all comes together so perfectly and giving that feeling of losing yourself. I don’t think you can say that about many bands these days. TesseracT truly have set themselves apart and carved out their own niche in this wonderful world of music.