Turning The Page |2009| 
1. Incipience, 2. Holding On To What There Is, 3. Time To Try, 4. Silence, 5. Reflection, 6. Look Back, Walk Straight, 7. The End, 8. Mr. Nice Guy (On The Hunt, 9. Dream Weaver, 10. Deep Whitin, 11. Whats Left
I heard about this interesting band only a few months ago, and I was intrigued by the previews available on myspace, so i started to read the Sovernty Bio on their official website.
The first thing that attracted my attention is the name of the only member (it's a one man band) : Brynner Agassi, a name whose origins evoke the fascinating lands of the Middle East, and indeed Brynner is the son of Evin Agassi, an affirmed and appreciated Assyrian musician with an exceptional career under his belt in his native land and worldwide.
However, these root do not transpire in his music, which wisely blends electronic, Industrial Rock guitars and a clear and professional production.
Another strong point of his music is the drum sounds; Brynner is a great drummer and you just need to watch one of the many videos on his Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/BrynnerAgassi to enjoy several jam sessions and have proof of his talent that deserves to be stored in a sound library.
His precision on the drum programming reminds me of the professionalism of Statik (Collide) , another great artists/producer from Los Angeles as well, like Brynner.
After this interesting "business card", my expectations for this debut album are high and i'm excited to listen to this almost finished version (the album has not yet been mastered) .
The first song is "Incipience", an intro that could be compared to an electronic version of "Pinion" by NIN, and abiding to its name introduces the second track "Holding On To What There Is", an excellent song, thanks to the catchy synths that reminds me, in some ways, of what I had heard from another promising debut band "FMTA", and confirms the familiarity of Brynner's sound with Trent Reznor's band, combining the sharpness of vigorous guitars with dark electronic.
"Time To Try" is emphasized by Brynner's compositional skills, the Piano introduction caresses melodies that will make the joy of those who loved albums like Still or The Fragile by NIN or nearly the amazing solo project of Jerome Dillon (former NIN drummer) .
In "Look Back, Walk Straight" Brynner after having hinted to us delicious Piano melodies in the previous songs, in the middle of the album he unleashes his emotions and feelings in a beautiful and secluded sad suite.
An intimate and delicate melody that echoes back like a plaintive memory that resurfaces in the darkest moments; Songs like "Look Back, Walk Straight" do no more than increase my passion for this music genre, able to offer emotional and beautiful albums like this.
The next songs pleasantly elapse, like "The End", which explores sonorities that recall the more experimental side of A Perfect Circle, and "Deep Whitin" is probably the most energetic song of the album.
The last track that closes pretty well on this debut album is "Whats Left", an exciting outro, which Brynner interprets as a spoken word artist, that remembers the particular sound of Coil, where John Balance's spirituality catylized the listeners attention.
The atmosphere of this album reflects faithfully the dark and cold colors that characterize the design of his official website, this feeling is confirmed due to the fact that Brynner does not just play a good album, but adapts his voice, emotionally interpreting his lyrics, far from being discounted; Lyrics that are deep and personal but at the same time in search of a meaning that may vary depending on the mood of the listener; and this may in part recall the great Chris Randall (Sister Machine Gun) .
This debut album will be published shortly and in the meantime Brynner has an eye focused on the future, as recently announced by Nat Weiss (Bullets in a Burning Box) on his official website: we will see Nat and Brynner work together for live performances and a new appealing progressive metal project.
This album has fullfilled my expectations, giving new emotions to every listening. (Marco Gariboldi. Proofreading: Scott M. Owens)
Official | Myspace