TRANSCENDENCE: Eternal Stream CD RARE ...Progressive Atmospheric Rock / Metal

Hailing from Quebec, Canada, Transcendence has made a CD with an operatic structure that tells the tale of the mighty Dolric who must rise and become defender of the humans by quashing the Acrons attempts to destroy the earth. Throughout the four movements of the CD the story will unfold before your ears. "Eternal Stream" holds both a technical and emotional content, a combination that is hard to find, as one normally opposes the other. The best listening environment would be a dark room wearing headphones in order to let you best experience the ambient moods and harmonic blending of every instrument. The keyboards are present on a continual basis. Accompanying the sombre atmosphere is an assortment of clean and acoustic gutairs. The sound is however rounded off with an original intense distorted guitar. So this is very much a metal album, just one with an incredible amount of emotion as presented through the often tranquil atmosphere. Adding both a flute and some violins the mood created will draw you far away from reality and slowly set the stage for the destruction of the Acrons. Transcedence is nothing short of an excellent band.

Full-length, Gaïa Disk
January 1996
1. So Blend the Torrents and Shadows 01:24
2. Shades of Time 01:16
3. Pawn of Prophecy 08:19
4. Au delà des Ombres 01:37
5. Beyond Soaring Winds 06:29
6. Rivière Nocturne 04:02
7. The Pool of Skies 07:13
8. Dernier Soupir 04:45
9. Ageless 08:39
10. In search of Forever 03:53
Total playing time 47:37

Eternal Stream. The debut album from Transcendence (Gaïa Disk (Canada) Gaïa 001, 1996) is a sypmphony with tracks entitled "Prologue" and "Epilogue" embracing four movements each comprised of two tracks--the CD actually combines the tracks "Prologue" and "Shades Of Time," the introduction to the first movement.

Female lead vocals and ethereal voice are by Sabrina Lipari and lead male vocals and guitars and bass are by Philippe Coupal. Christian Bertrand provides further vocals and keyboard while Michael Kosow plays guitars and bass. Further guest musicians contribute to the project. Material for the album was written by various combinations of the group members.

The first album of a trilogy--Eternal Stream--is meant to be a gathering of all the major art disciplines (poetry, music, painting, drawing and literature) blended with a variation on the theme of humanity, set within a fictional story which contains important events surrounding the main character. Dolric is a reflection of humanity. What happens to his life is symbolically significant to what has happened to humanity. Simply stated, he is envisioned as humanity's guardian. Eternal Stream introduces the concept and focuses on the origin. The front and back cover painting as well as the drawings of the mythical characters within the album's booklet are stunning examples of the group's artistry.

Eternal Stream
Image © 1996 Gaïa Disk
"Pawn of Prophecy" includes several of Sabrina's lead vocal passages. Running over eight minutes in length, this metal-edged progressive track features dynamic solo guitar work, dramatic variations in the instrumental arrangements, and combinations of male and female vocal parts. We especially liked Sabrina's soaring vocalise at the conclusion of the track. The band's symphonic splendour is immediately evident in the brief introduction to the second movement. With a melody driven by heavy guitars, the epic "Beyond Soaring Winds" includes a melodic chorus featuring Sabrina's soaring vocal work contrasted by backing parts sung by the male singers.

An album of temendous variation--from light acoustic folk ("Dernier Souper") to the heaviest of metal sounds ("Ageless") complete with grunts--Transcendence actually finds its stride in symphonic progressive music including flute and violin contributed by guests Dave Orenbach and Arie Itman (from Quo Vadis) respectively. The album is as varied vocally as it is in its arrangements with sounds ranging from grunting to melodic male vocals to the ethereal contributions of Sabrina Lipari whose lovely parts gently drift in and out but never actually dominate the tracks.

"Rivière Nocturne" is significantly more atmospheric with light and dark variations derived from the gentler orchestral guitar, string and keyboard arrangements. Accompanied by flute, "The Pool Of Skies" continues to develop the musical theme, with heavier solo guitars and Sabrina's evocative vocals rising above a male choir singing a melody similar to that in "Beyond The Soaring Winds."

The final movement opens with "Dernier Souper," a lovely track where effects join atmospheric keyboards, gentle acoustic guitar and vocalise. "Ageless" is a classic symphonic, yet metal-edged, progressive track continuing to build on musical themes introduced earlier in the album. It is full of contrasts, perhaps most evident by comparing the flute part and Sabrina's gentle vocal with agressive guitar parts, dynamic percussion and traditional heavy metal grunts. "Epilogue" contains a sensual sample of Sabrina's work within a highly atmospheric and symphonic context. The album is an excellent introduction to Transcendence.