There should be no doubt by now of the ability of rock and metal to reach new and distant climes across our planet. Progressive rock, additionally, has stretched its hand beyond the Western world into more unexpected territories. Testament to this is Dubai’s own Empty Yard Experiment with their melancholy drenched take on modern prog.

Debut full length Kallisti (Independent) shows a wealth of ideas and varied influences. Predominantly it shows a sonic likening to Porcupine Tree (particularly on the likes of ‘Greenflash’) but also points towards Tool worship in its sense of dynamic shifts and even shades of grunge’s raw, demon ridden angst. Where Kaillisti really shows its strength is in its despondent atmosphere almost throughout, encapsulated through its slow pace for the vast majority, only picking up its stride in a few, more immediate songs. Instead much of the album is built upon subtlety, on a construct of mostly instrumental tracks layered with spoken samples.

As effective as conveying tone as the album is however, it does lack familiarity throughout. The few songs where it does hit the throttle are the musical highlights, otherwise on its own merit there seems to be a few too many instrumental passages which lead to nowhere. Ultimately this feels like the soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist; showing real merit for a background piece but not as a main act in itself. The few instances where it picks up the momentum are where this album is strongest and shows that they have a knack for penning a riff and a strong tune. Elsewhere it shows a plethora of ideas and exudes ambiance, but not enough substance to be as special as they could be.

 

6.0/10

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CHRIS TIPPELL