Power of Metal.dk Review

TDW
Music to Stand Around and Feel Awkward to
Rating
Style: Progressive Metal
Release date: 20 May, 2014
Playing time: 58:09
 


TDW is off course as some of you might know one of many Tom de Wit projects. He is a composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist as well as a producer. He is the brain-child behind and overseer of all aspects of this new TDW album.

On this album he has taken care of the production, composing, lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, synths and the orchestral and drums arrangements. So like always he leaves nothing to chance and has called in for help where he feels its needed: backing and lead vocals have been done by: Laura ten Voorde (Adeia), Sander Stegeman (Sense Vs Sanity, Disintegrate), Rosita Reitsma (Ex-Carthago, Ex-Amberlinn), Maarten Gunsing (Animal Me). Various leads (guitar, violin, synth and Dulcimer) by Elvya Dulcimer, Lennert Kemper (ReSolve), Sybren Boonstra (Dimaeon), Michiel van der Werff (Weltschmerz), Norbert Veenbrink (Mindshade), Hanna van Gorcum (AmmA), Tristan Visser (Majesty), Joop de Rooij (Ex-Magion, Ex-Galanor), Frank Schiphorst (MaYaN) and Ben van Gastel (Sylvium).

So many people has been involved in this undertaking and the outcome is once more a multi-facetted progressive metal album. I had my reservations about his 2011 double-album "Scrapbook", so my expectations were so-so. And once more I have been left a bit under-whelmed... yes, the potential is clear and the execution is good, but again I feel the production is somewhat uneven; the guitars sound isn't as sharp and as in-your-face as I had hoped for. The keys are dominating the overall sound picture too much. Tom is a good vocalist, but he has his limitations. And again I feel the span between the strong and more weak points on the album is too wide: none-the-less it's still a solid album and a tad better than "Scrapbook" and Tom is moving in the right direction with this new album.

Solid!


Tracklist
01. Some Things I (4:11)
02. Chameleon (5:20)
03. Surface Scratching (4:04)
04. Heading Back (2:19)
05. Home (4:43)
06. Butterflies (4:05)
07. Mourning After II (6:40)
08. Dreamwalk II – The Descent (5:51)
09. Shock Awakening (1:33)
10. Jimmy (5:52)
11. Some Things II (10:31)
Label: Layered Reality Productions
Distribution: Layered Reality Productions
Artwork rating: 75/100
Reviewed by: Kenn Jensen
Date: 9 June, 2014
Website: www.tdwmusic.com