▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Blind Ego ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Liquid █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-04-16 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Gentle Art of Music / Soulfood ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Blind Ego is the solo side project of Kalle █ █ Wallner of RPWL. Being a big fan of RPWL, I had █ █ meant to check out the last Blind Ego album ôNumbö █ █ but of course I got distracted by the pile of █ █ music that happens to me. So I was glad that █ █ Wallner decided to release another Blind Ego album █ █ and that it showed up in my review queue. █ █ First off, Wallner is one of the most underrated █ █ guitarists on the planet. He has the feel of David █ █ Gilmour (of course) but has an added gear that █ █ Gilmour doesnÆt have or use. One of the nice █ █ things about ôLiquidö is that itÆs more of a prog █ █ metal album versus the prog rock that RPWL plays. █ █ The songs are all well written, well arranged and █ █ have killer hooks. █ █ So whatÆs my issue with it? Well, there are █ █ multiple vocalists which isnÆt a bad thing █ █ necessarily. The problem is that one vocalist is █ █ fucking amazing, Arno Menses of Subsignal (huge █ █ fan of his voice) and the other, Erik Ez █ █ Blomkvist, I find incredibly annoying. Blomkvist █ █ does every cheesy over emotive move in the book █ █ and on ôNever Escape the Stormö he tries way too █ █ hard to sound bad ass. It just never works. █ █ Besides those two, Aaron Brooks of psych rockers █ █ Simeon Soul Charger does a solid job on the █ █ closing track ôSpeak the Truthö but again, I kept █ █ wondering how it would sound if Menses sang it. It █ █ would have sounded better. The instrumental track █ █ ôQuiet Angerö is a favorite and it points out that █ █ maybe no vocalists were needed for ANY of the █ █ songs. PanzerballetÆs Heiko Jung supplies some █ █ SICK bass on the track. █ █ With a few tweaks, ôLiquidö could have been an █ █ album on my best of 2016 list. The music and █ █ melodies are THAT strong. I do hope people check █ █ out this album because maybe youÆll like Blomkvist █ █ more than I do. But regardless of that, Kalle █ █ Wallner shows that he is a great songwriter and █ █ multi dimensional guitarist. ôLiquidö has no ego █ █ attached to it, blind or otherwise. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. A Place in the Sun 6:11 ░ ░ 2. Blackened 5:44 ░ ░ 3. What If 6:23 ░ ░ 4. Not Going Away 7:32 ░ ░ 5. Never Escape the Storm 8:20 ░ ░ 6. Tears and Laughter 4:47 ░ ░ 7. Hear my Voice out There 5:56 ░ ░ 8. Quiet Anger 6:30 ░ ░ 9. Speak the Truth 6:53 ░ ░ 58:16 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░