Morrison's Prophecy
We were recently contacted by Kevin of Morrison’s Prophecy, a Seattle based solo Gothic/Industrial/Darkwave act, focusing on the concept of music as a language capable of expressing complex concepts without words. Using a name derived from Jim Morrison’s statements about the future of music, Kevin has worked to craft the album The Alchemical Process, and was kind enough to send us through a copy. As such, I figured I had better check things out to see what was going on!
Opening with Naivete we’re lead into things beginning with an upbeat piano line, creating a sound which is more jumpy and joyful than I had envisaged hearing. Ushering in the bass to back things up, the track seems to form gradually around you, the drums coming in to keep the upbeat approach going and crafting a sound which confuse you on one side, and lure you in on the other. Soon descending into a dark pit of distorted elements, the darkness of the track soon begins to come out, once again slowly forming almost as if it’s tempting you to keep listening, not giving away what you’re going to hear but letting you know that the upbeat moments are gone, and things are about to get crazy.
It’s not until Water (The Moon) comes into being that the true face of the album is revealed, combining electronic elements with dark industrial sounds and a pounding drum beat, there’s a sense of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry running through things from the off, once again keeping the cards hidden so that you’re compelled to keep going through the album. Continuing to build throughout the track, the bass heavy rhythms continue to create a sense of electronic darkness, gothic crossed with industrial giving it that signature dark wave sound. Fire (The Emperor) comes up next, once again continuing to keep the bass heavy rhythms flowing and combining it with the electronic backing of the track to craft a sound which could easily be found in a dark and dingy club. Dark yet upbeat and electronic, the sound here is the sort of thing which you could see accompanying a fight scene in a movie, or simply providing the soundtrack for a gothic style rave, what ever it is, it’s a compelling sound that Kevin has managed to create.
The industrial gothic sound continues through Air (The Hanged Man), Matter (The Devil), Preparation (The Hermit) and Emotion (The Star), each track coming with a slightly different approach to procedings but keeping a sense of the mission behind his music going, continually reminding you that what you’re hearing is something new, something different, and something exciting. It’s when Revelation (The Aeon) comes into being though that your attention is firmly grabbed once again, ushering you into a bass heavy melee of synth sounds and electronic moments, the mix forming around you and almost enveloping you in a black cloud of interesting sounds, catchy moments and times when you can close your eyes and just let everything wash through you. It’s this approach which makes the sound which Morrison’s Prophecy has achieved so appealing, it’s uplifting whilst still causing you to question what you’re hearing so as not to take it for granted.
Spirituality (The Universe) presents us with another new approach to things, this time launching us into an almost drum and bass style moment, the frantic opening moments of the track leading to a more calming moment, and then back again. The to and fro approach of the track adds a sense of energy to things, keeping the track alive and moving, and letting you know that what ever you think, this isn’t an album which can be second guessed. Philosophy (The Heirophant) continues this approach of surprising the listener at every turn, once again presenting us with another more upbeat track, and one which stands out as a high point on the album. There’s something classic about the sound going on with this track, almost as if the track has been brought from a past time and given a modern twist. Once again the focus is on the synth effects at the forefront of the track, leading to a track which will appeal to fans of dark wave as well as fans of more conventional dance style tracks.
Crucible (The Tower) and Ritual (The Chariot) both follow the different conventions of the album so far, each one presenting different takes on bass heavy music designed to penetrate deep into your soul, and soon enough we’re at Transcendence (The Magus) to close the album. Closing on a dark note, there’s an almost poetic ending to this album, almost as if it’s been a circular journey from start to finish, closing at a point which could be the beginning, or the end, depending on how you look at it.
Industrial and Dark Wave are two genres which kind of passed me by in my musical journey, they were always just fillers at the festivals I went to and never really came onto my radar. What Kevin has done with Morrison’s Prophecy though is show that if you take genres and change them to fit into what you want to achieve, you can end up with a sound which is unique, focused, and unlike anything else out there. I like this album and think that there’s some serious potential for it, definitely one for the fans of the darker side of things out there.
To find out more about Morrison’s Prophecy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Get hold of a copy of the album yourself from the Morrison's Prophecy Bandcamp page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Naivete we’re lead into things beginning with an upbeat piano line, creating a sound which is more jumpy and joyful than I had envisaged hearing. Ushering in the bass to back things up, the track seems to form gradually around you, the drums coming in to keep the upbeat approach going and crafting a sound which confuse you on one side, and lure you in on the other. Soon descending into a dark pit of distorted elements, the darkness of the track soon begins to come out, once again slowly forming almost as if it’s tempting you to keep listening, not giving away what you’re going to hear but letting you know that the upbeat moments are gone, and things are about to get crazy.
It’s not until Water (The Moon) comes into being that the true face of the album is revealed, combining electronic elements with dark industrial sounds and a pounding drum beat, there’s a sense of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry running through things from the off, once again keeping the cards hidden so that you’re compelled to keep going through the album. Continuing to build throughout the track, the bass heavy rhythms continue to create a sense of electronic darkness, gothic crossed with industrial giving it that signature dark wave sound. Fire (The Emperor) comes up next, once again continuing to keep the bass heavy rhythms flowing and combining it with the electronic backing of the track to craft a sound which could easily be found in a dark and dingy club. Dark yet upbeat and electronic, the sound here is the sort of thing which you could see accompanying a fight scene in a movie, or simply providing the soundtrack for a gothic style rave, what ever it is, it’s a compelling sound that Kevin has managed to create.
The industrial gothic sound continues through Air (The Hanged Man), Matter (The Devil), Preparation (The Hermit) and Emotion (The Star), each track coming with a slightly different approach to procedings but keeping a sense of the mission behind his music going, continually reminding you that what you’re hearing is something new, something different, and something exciting. It’s when Revelation (The Aeon) comes into being though that your attention is firmly grabbed once again, ushering you into a bass heavy melee of synth sounds and electronic moments, the mix forming around you and almost enveloping you in a black cloud of interesting sounds, catchy moments and times when you can close your eyes and just let everything wash through you. It’s this approach which makes the sound which Morrison’s Prophecy has achieved so appealing, it’s uplifting whilst still causing you to question what you’re hearing so as not to take it for granted.
Spirituality (The Universe) presents us with another new approach to things, this time launching us into an almost drum and bass style moment, the frantic opening moments of the track leading to a more calming moment, and then back again. The to and fro approach of the track adds a sense of energy to things, keeping the track alive and moving, and letting you know that what ever you think, this isn’t an album which can be second guessed. Philosophy (The Heirophant) continues this approach of surprising the listener at every turn, once again presenting us with another more upbeat track, and one which stands out as a high point on the album. There’s something classic about the sound going on with this track, almost as if the track has been brought from a past time and given a modern twist. Once again the focus is on the synth effects at the forefront of the track, leading to a track which will appeal to fans of dark wave as well as fans of more conventional dance style tracks.
Crucible (The Tower) and Ritual (The Chariot) both follow the different conventions of the album so far, each one presenting different takes on bass heavy music designed to penetrate deep into your soul, and soon enough we’re at Transcendence (The Magus) to close the album. Closing on a dark note, there’s an almost poetic ending to this album, almost as if it’s been a circular journey from start to finish, closing at a point which could be the beginning, or the end, depending on how you look at it.
Industrial and Dark Wave are two genres which kind of passed me by in my musical journey, they were always just fillers at the festivals I went to and never really came onto my radar. What Kevin has done with Morrison’s Prophecy though is show that if you take genres and change them to fit into what you want to achieve, you can end up with a sound which is unique, focused, and unlike anything else out there. I like this album and think that there’s some serious potential for it, definitely one for the fans of the darker side of things out there.
To find out more about Morrison’s Prophecy, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Get hold of a copy of the album yourself from the Morrison's Prophecy Bandcamp page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls