Altered State (Tesseract album)

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Altered State
Altered State (Album Cover).jpg
Studio album by Tesseract
Released 27 May 2013
Recorded 2012–2013, 4D Sounds Studio (mixing)
Genre
Length 50:41
Label Century Media
Tesseract chronology
Perspective
(2012)Perspective2012		 Altered State
(2013)		 Polaris
(2015)Polaris2015
Singles from Altered State
  1. "Nocturne"
    Released: 12 October 2012
  2. "Singularity"
    Released: 30 April 2013
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 85/100[3]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[1]
Bloody Disgusting 5/5 stars[2]
Exclaim! 7/10[4]
Kerrang! 4/5 stars[3]
Revolver 4/5 stars[5]
Rock Sound 9/10[6]

Altered State is the second studio album by British progressive metal band Tesseract, released on 27 May 2013 on Century Media Records.

Background and recording

Altered State is the only full release by the band with vocalist Ashe O'Hara. Amos Williams stated about the new singer: "It's amazing how much one person can change a band. Ashe is full of life and wit. It's brilliant to have such a guy around. You know, we're still Tesseract, but with a slightly more energetic and vibrant colour about us now".[7] Live drums for the album could not be recorded due to financial and time restraints; drums were partially programmed by guitarist Acle Kahney and partially played by drummer Jay Postones on a digital percussion pad.[8]

Release and promotion

The band released their first single, "Nocturne", on 12 October 2012; it was officially uploaded to the Century Media Records' YouTube channel. On the same day "Nocturne" was available as a free download through the Century Media Records' SoundCloud website. On 15 March 2013 the band announced pre-order bundles as well as the official album artwork.[citation needed]

During the months of March and April the band released four trailers leading up to the full album stream of Altered State on 12 May 2013.[9] The album debuted at #94 on the Billboard 200 and at #4 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums[10]

Reception

Altered State has received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator site Metacritic the album has received the score of 85 out of 100, based on five reviews.[3] New Noise Magazine gave the album a 5 star rating, saying: "Altered State is not only a masterpiece of progressive metal, this is truly one of the greatest albums ever made, period."[11] Bloody Disgusting website also gave the album a 5/5, saying: "With their sophomore album Altered State, Tesseract have cemented themselves as one of the most creative, daring, and innovative bands of today",[2] whilst The Monolith online magazine called it "probably one of the most complete examples of the genre to date."[12]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Acle Kahney and Ashe O'Hara. 

No. Title Length
1. "Of Matter"
  • I. "Proxy" 5:05
  • II. "Retrospect" 5:33
  • III. "Resist" 3:40"  
 14:16
2. "Of Mind"
  • I. "Nocturne" 5:50
  • II. "Exiled" [13] 8:50"  
 14:40
3. "Of Reality" 9:49
4. "Of Energy"
  • I. "Singularity" 8:21
  • II. "Embers" 3:36"  
 11:56

Personnel

Guest musicians:

  • Chris Barretto – saxophone in "Of Reality - Calabi-Yau" and "Of Energy - Embers"[14]
  • Paul Waggoner - guitar solo in "Nocturne (instrumental)"[15]

Other:

  • Ion Lucin - artwork[16]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Interview with Amos Williams, by Grande-Rock.com retrieved on November 22nd, 2013.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/tesseractband/posts/10152897315140164
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/tesseractband/posts/10152891402420164
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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