Short Reviews [TDW - 2021 - "Fountains"]

I have been a fan of Tom de Wit for a few years now, and even took part in a documentary which was included in his last release, the excellent ‘The Day The Clock Stopped’, and any new album is always going to be of great interest. He decided to record this album quickly, and once again utilised the Annihilator rhythm section of Rich Gray (bass, backing vocals) and drummer Fabio Alessandrini, with Tom providing vocals, guitars, synths, and orchestrations and then bringing in multiple guests who each added some parts/solos to one track each as well as using some singers to act as a choir. The concept behind this album is also an interesting one as it is possible to describe this his eight release was an album made by the fans, for the fans. He used song input from fans who pre-ordered the previous album to write songs based on those concepts, and six of the songs contained on this album are taken from these ideas while he then wrote another four to tie them all together. TDW is very much a prog metal band, with both elements often being taken to extremes, and anyone coming to this from the outside would not realise that this is a multi-instrumentalist with some additional guests. The use of a world class rhythm section is inspired, and with Fabio and Rich playing together in a frantic metal band together since 2017 they have an understanding of what each other will be doing within the complexity of this complicated music as they are used to keeping up with Jeff Waters. Musically we move between symphonic metal and progressive while there are times when we touch on death metal, world music, jazz, flamenco, and so much more. There are so many changes and switches taking place that one never knows where the music is going to lead, with a section of a song often very different to the rest, let alone between the individual songs themselves. Tom has a laser focus on what he wants to achieve, bringing together the right people to ensure he meets that vision, the result being something which is progressive, technical, metallic and so much more. The use of flute in “Hunter’s Eyes” is inspired as it is so unexpected, but so are the staccato riffs and changes in tempo, yet this is never a difficult album to listen to as there is a commercial thread within which makes it incredibly palatable. This is yet another superb achievement and is highly recommended.