Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012)
Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012)
EAC | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Gaolhouse Records, GAOL CD03 | ~ 414 or 417 or 143 Mb | Scans Included
Neo Progressive Rock / Symphonic Prog
EAC | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Gaolhouse Records, GAOL CD03 | ~ 414 or 417 or 143 Mb | Scans Included
Neo Progressive Rock / Symphonic Prog
Skirting on the fringes of the unknown , Final Conflict have been around for quite a while and slowly, like some resolute turtle showing a proggy finger to the hare, they have come to the frontline of modern neo-prog bands that excel in what they so stoutly believe in. The arrival of drum maestro Henry Rogers (Deeexpus, Touchstone) has given these veteran lads quite a jolt forward, as can be witnessed with the splendid "Another Moment of Time CD and DVD Live in Poland", a visual and aural documentary that shimmered vibrantly from beginning to end. Well, this vital live album has shoved them further into the limelight with a sizzling studio release, "Return of the Artisan" that stamps their prog ticket with massive splatter! The maturity is manifest from the very start as the individual performances are beyond the customary, as per Steve Lipiec's graceful piano and bassist Baz Elwood's dexterous technique littering the album with enchanting aplomb. Both Donkin and Lawton are expert vocalists and stunning axmen, some of the best in neo for sure. And as for Rogers, well, I have been drooling over his playing for a while, a meaty basher of the finest pedigree, a pure delight all the way through. The material proposed is vivid, powerful, bombastic, melodious and passionate. Fans of harder edged prog like Deeexpus, Mystery, RPWL, Galahad, IQ, Touchstone and Porcupine Tree will enjoy this tremendously. Easily and by far, the most surprising album of 2012!
"The Calling" is a brief intro, vocals alone sending a crisp message introducing the rapturous "The Mechanic", perhaps one of FC's finest comps, a bulldozing spooky colossus, lush with palpitating structures that morph into a pure Floydian soundscape of utter delicacy, a swerving and pulsating dazzle with the hereditary languorous guitar solo to die for. Spurting synth flashes splatter the rash guitar waves, pummeled by the brutal percussive rhythm, while the spoken word sections supply an unfathomable sense of unease. A metaphorical 2 minute piano ode, "The Spark" provides exactly that, an unruffled flame of impending desire to rock the listener's world with some serious music. Lipiec is simply stunning in his effortless elegance. Gorgeous!
Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012)
![Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012)]()
The piano resumes its stately course by introducing "Hopes and Dreams", a longer piece that will slowly build up a bulldozer riff, allied by searchlight guitar beams that scream and scorch, bruising bass pylons and booming drum blasts. A sprightly organ solo adds some posh spice (okay, I am sorry for the bad wordplay!) to the already bubbly mixture. Lipiec will burn a synthesizer solo later as well. Numerous dual axe solos gracefully add their two-cent worth. The vocals have a little urgent Dave Cousins tinge ("Hero and Heroine" ?style), while the mellotron howls in the background. This highlight piece has this immense sense of accomplishment, as if it was always there, waiting to be heard.
"Around and About" has a breezier feel, though still honed to a sharp tone, propelled by some looping and revolving bass runs, (see the nature of the title!), underpinning complexity within a simple vocal formula is what distinguishes this band from so many others. Tinges of Middle Eastern rhythms give this arrangement a sense of dizziness and desperation. Slashing Andy Summers-like guitar phrasings, hazy electronic synths and impassionate vocals make this another stunning listening experience.
The extravagant "Babylon" shows off their softer side to be as radiant as their rockier penchant, a canvas of seductive synthesizers in a blessed wedding with suave vocals, a windswept sun kissed ballad of perpetual proportions and an unforgettable chorus that will stick to your soul. Screeching gulls, water splashing the dock and vaporous dream vocals converge amid the bass growl. Another splendid track!
The grandiloquent and beastly "Harlequin" has that doom-laden quality that immediately appeals, a musical universe where Bonham-style thumping bullies a raunchy guitar phalanx, the vocals both delirious and ecstatic. The tortuous synthesizer solo confirms the brilliance of the mood where hints of Saga, Galahad, Led Zeppelin and IQ all entangle the listener into a web of pleasure. Rogers pummels madly, darn good stuff, this! Elwood's bass guitar forges ahead unflinchingly, hurling the hypnosis forever forward. This will be a killer live track to finish off their set list.
"Keeper of Conscience" again shows off the polyvalent nature of the band songwriting, a brooding arrangement that transcends the formulaic and dives into darker territories, dare I say slightly experimental like mid-period Porcupine Tree. The hypnotic piano tingles, the harsh guitar wallops and the bass dances along for the ride, the sweet vocal section invites dreamy mirrored reflections, glinting in the fading sunlight. The proggiest selection on this startlingly delicious menu.
The 10 minute title track only serves to confirm the overall excellence, a sturdy and louder power ballad, with jangling guitars, proficient vocalizing, matchless melodies, bold and chivalrous rhythms and churlish solos that will please the discerning prog audiophile. The sonic talons are set into a massive groove from the first second and does not let go, squeezing hard and fast. This would be another seminal live selection, showcasing the various soloing talents available to rapturous applause. "You won't believe your" ears !
"Return of the Artisan" is an exalting sequence of first class tracks that have melody and meat, shining production values with crisp vocal expression, fascinating melodic contributions and truly expert musicianship from each member of the band. Not a single second of filler, no spam, no wasted emotions, a most impressive performance. Add on a gorgeous cover and the die is cast, a must have for the neo/symph progfan .
Looking forward to many further conflicts!Review by tszirmay, progarchives
Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012):
Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012)
Tracklist:
[01. The Calling 01:11
02. The Mechanic 07:41
03. The Spark 01:59
04. Hopes and Dreams 08:39
05. Around About 07:36
06. Babylon 05:11
07. The Harlequin 08:38
08. Keeper Of Conscience 05:18
09. Return Of The Artisan 10:04
Musicians:
Andy Lawton - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Brian Donkin - Vocals, Guitars
Barry Elwood - Bass
Steve Lipiec - Keyboards
Henry Rogers - Drums
Sammi Evans - Backing Vocals
Henna Jackson - Backing vocals
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 1 from 15. November 2010
EAC extraction logfile from 19. December 2012, 21:09
Final Conflict / Return of the Artisan
Used drive : HL-DT-STDVD-ROM GDRH10N Adapter: 3 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 102
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 896 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Programfiler\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -8 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%x" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%v" -T "ALBUM ARTIST=%v" -T "COMMENT=EAC V1.0 beta 1, Secure Mode, Test & Copy, AccurateRip
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 1:11.64 | 0 | 5388
2 | 1:11.64 | 7:41.63 | 5389 | 40026
3 | 8:53.52 | 1:59.50 | 40027 | 49001
4 | 10:53.27 | 8:39.23 | 49002 | 87949
5 | 19:32.50 | 7:36.42 | 87950 | 122191
6 | 27:09.17 | 5:11.37 | 122192 | 145553
7 | 32:20.54 | 8:38.41 | 145554 | 184444
8 | 40:59.20 | 5:18.67 | 184445 | 208361
9 | 46:18.12 | 10:04.36 | 208362 | 253697
Track 1
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\01 - The Calling.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 81.9 %
Extraction speed 4.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 325C971B
Copy CRC 325C971B
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 2
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\02 - The Mechanic.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 99.2 %
Extraction speed 6.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 2D6F9148
Copy CRC 2D6F9148
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 3
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\03 - The Spark.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 81.9 %
Extraction speed 5.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 35B8BAE5
Copy CRC 35B8BAE5
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 4
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\04 - Hopes and Dreams.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 6.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC FE9E7695
Copy CRC FE9E7695
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 5
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\05 - Around About.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 5.9 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 23C0CBE1
Copy CRC 23C0CBE1
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 6
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\06 - Babylon.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 5.5 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 13F21596
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 7
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\07 - The Harlequin.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 6.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 7B0AC585
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 8
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\08 - Keeper of Conscience.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:01.74
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 6.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 22D3B447
Copy CRC 22D3B447
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 9
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\09 - Return of the Artisan.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 6.5 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC EC5E3FE2
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Track not present in AccurateRip database
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None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database
No errors occurred
End of status report
EAC extraction logfile from 19. December 2012, 21:09
Final Conflict / Return of the Artisan
Used drive : HL-DT-STDVD-ROM GDRH10N Adapter: 3 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 102
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 896 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Programfiler\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -8 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%x" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%v" -T "ALBUM ARTIST=%v" -T "COMMENT=EAC V1.0 beta 1, Secure Mode, Test & Copy, AccurateRip
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 1:11.64 | 0 | 5388
2 | 1:11.64 | 7:41.63 | 5389 | 40026
3 | 8:53.52 | 1:59.50 | 40027 | 49001
4 | 10:53.27 | 8:39.23 | 49002 | 87949
5 | 19:32.50 | 7:36.42 | 87950 | 122191
6 | 27:09.17 | 5:11.37 | 122192 | 145553
7 | 32:20.54 | 8:38.41 | 145554 | 184444
8 | 40:59.20 | 5:18.67 | 184445 | 208361
9 | 46:18.12 | 10:04.36 | 208362 | 253697
Track 1
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\01 - The Calling.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 81.9 %
Extraction speed 4.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 325C971B
Copy CRC 325C971B
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 2
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\02 - The Mechanic.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 99.2 %
Extraction speed 6.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 2D6F9148
Copy CRC 2D6F9148
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 3
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\03 - The Spark.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 81.9 %
Extraction speed 5.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 35B8BAE5
Copy CRC 35B8BAE5
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 4
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\04 - Hopes and Dreams.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 6.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC FE9E7695
Copy CRC FE9E7695
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 5
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\05 - Around About.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 5.9 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 23C0CBE1
Copy CRC 23C0CBE1
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 6
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\06 - Babylon.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 5.5 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 13F21596
Copy CRC 13F21596
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 7
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\07 - The Harlequin.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 6.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 7B0AC585
Copy CRC 7B0AC585
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 8
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\08 - Keeper of Conscience.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:01.74
Peak level 98.8 %
Extraction speed 6.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 22D3B447
Copy CRC 22D3B447
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 9
Filename C:\[runner's rip]\Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012) [flac]\09 - Return of the Artisan.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 6.5 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC EC5E3FE2
Copy CRC EC5E3FE2
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database
No errors occurred
End of status report
foobar2000 1.2.4 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2013-04-25 19:32:25
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Final Conflict / Return Of The Artisan
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR5 -1.73 dB -9.30 dB 1:12 01-The Calling
DR7 -0.07 dB -7.80 dB 7:42 02-The Mechanic
DR5 -1.73 dB -8.93 dB 2:00 03-The Spark
DR5 -0.10 dB -6.52 dB 8:39 04-Hopes And Dreams
DR6 -0.10 dB -6.86 dB 7:37 05-Around About
DR6 -0.10 dB -6.65 dB 5:11 06-Babylon
DR7 -0.10 dB -8.41 dB 8:39 07-Harlequin
DR6 -0.10 dB -7.83 dB 5:19 08-Keeper Of Conscience
DR6 0.00 dB -7.05 dB 10:04 09-Return Of The Artisan
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR6
Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 974 kbps
Codec: FLAC
log date: 2013-04-25 19:32:25
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Final Conflict / Return Of The Artisan
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR5 -1.73 dB -9.30 dB 1:12 01-The Calling
DR7 -0.07 dB -7.80 dB 7:42 02-The Mechanic
DR5 -1.73 dB -8.93 dB 2:00 03-The Spark
DR5 -0.10 dB -6.52 dB 8:39 04-Hopes And Dreams
DR6 -0.10 dB -6.86 dB 7:37 05-Around About
DR6 -0.10 dB -6.65 dB 5:11 06-Babylon
DR7 -0.10 dB -8.41 dB 8:39 07-Harlequin
DR6 -0.10 dB -7.83 dB 5:19 08-Keeper Of Conscience
DR6 0.00 dB -7.05 dB 10:04 09-Return Of The Artisan
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR6
Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 974 kbps
Codec: FLAC
Final Conflict - Return of the Artisan (2012)
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