Dukes Of The Orient - Freakshow
Dukes Of The Orient
Freakshow
(Frontiers)
9/10
By Decibel Report - Aug 15, 2020
With undoubted remarkable abilities as a bass-playing vocalist who impressively filled John Wetton’s frontman shoes in Asia, Payne proudly carried a weighty burden being both the vocal and focal point of this legendary Prog/AOR band.
From playing a crucial role in enabling them to carry on it now appears that he’s no longer fully involved with the Asia name. Consequently, he has done what any artist should do with an unfulfilled talent by re-grouping with keyboard maestro Erik Norlander he’s allowed his powerful self-expression to have the final word.
With a respected DOTO debut album already under their belt, on this second Dukes release his now slightly hoarse but commanding vocals and joint musical craft sharing with Norlander endear the ears on an album of vindicating Prog/Pomp inspired melodic songs.
Revisiting the analogue age, this album of ten engaging explorations in sonics goes back to the future utilising much-loved equipment from a now bygone pre-digital age. And there’s an alluring charm and strangeness to the familiar yet surreal soundscape explored on this exceptional album.
With synth sounds oozing from songs like they’ve been squeezed out of a discarded tube, Norlander adds extra texture from proggish muscle memories reminding of the importance of authentic instrumentation which developed into today’s digital plug-ins.
As to the songs, from the uplifting melodic pomp, saxophone flecked opener of The Dukes Return and The Ice Is Thin, things fly fast down the wormhole with the title track's macabre crawling synth motif and eastern tonal embellishments. And the golden age of synthesisers finds full expression on the pomptastic The Monitors abetted with sinuous guitar work from Alex Garcia.
The mid-album experimental pulsating futuristic arrangement to Man Of Machine and The Last Time Traveller has the authoritative stamp of studio veterans stretching out their combined skill set. Payne particularly impresses on A Quest For Knowledge's layering of harmonic vocals dramatically underpinned by impressive band interplay.
The entrancing and quirky crackle and prog of instrumental the Great Brass Steam Engine playfully evoke its title in sound as one can easily imagine a wizardly Norlander surrounded by bellowing banks of cacophonous keyboard instrumentation.
The sonic playfulness continues on the balladic When Raven's Cry and Until Then closes a finely balanced recording of shared songwriting and joining up of talents creating a landmark album which more than exceeds its sum of very fine parts.
Crossing continents from Asia to the Orient, Payne, Norlander and band, like the very last time travellers, has journeyed into a fertile vintage audio landscape victoriously returning with an earful of epic and exotic songs.