Short Reviews [Methexis - 2018 - "Topos"]

Nikitas Kissonas returned in 2018 with his third release under the Methexis banner which saw him return to his way of working om the debut, providing most of the music himself. He is joined by Konstantinos Kefalas (trumpet), Nikolas Nikolopoulos (flutes) and Theodore Christodoulou (drums) while pianist Panagiotis Krabis features on one track, but Nikitas provides guitar, bass, and keyboards. This album contains two instrumental tracks, both approximately 20 minutes long, so this fits quite nicely on the vinyl release. It is a very long way from the previous album, as for the most part this is bridging progressive rock with classical, with some wonderfully dated keyboards melding together with the brass. One of the highlights is the way that the symphonic darkness can just blast into guitar runs, or a trumpet can take the lead, and one is never sure where the musical path is going to take us. This is progressive music which can be bombastic one second and drop into quiet reflection the next, take off at pace or reduce to a crawl. King Crimson is again an influence, but so is David Bedford and Mike Oldfield. There are jazz elements, folk, metal: musically this is truly progressive as it brings together elements from many different places and then somehow makes sense of it all. It is exciting, but there are also times when there is a pause for reflection, but normally just before the music goes off on yet another tangent. Whereas the previous album felt like a band with a singer and shorter numbers, this feels more like a set of musicians working from a score, working together to bring a composer’s work to life. This is a very deep and intense piece, one where the listener really needs to give it the attention and time that it deserves. It never ceases to surprise as it is takes paths less travelled with seemingly disconnected sections adding their depth to the whole. I enjoyed the other two albums by Nikitas, but this is far more essential and worthy of serious contemplation to work out what I have just heard. Dynamic, orchestral and powerful, one wonders what he is going to come up with next.