I’m always impressed when I see an artist wrangle several genres into one cohesive work. It’s not easy, I know, and sometimes the results can be bloated or unfocused. Other times, such as with Imaginate’s debut album, it screams potential. The album is called Duality and it released on October 19th.
Imaginate is Danny Dignin, award-winning artist, composer, and sound designer. He is internationally recognized for his work in sound design elements and presets, and yet that only displays part of who he is. He brings with him guests Todd Preston, Eda Lovelace, Alexis, and Farisha.
This album is a mountain of styles. It’s honestly almost overwhelming at first. The sound in general is what I would call epic music—huge, towering, bombastic—with orchestrations and cinematic flow. But you will also hear alternative, electronic, pop, trip hop, and a few metal genres. It has a world-leaping sound and quality to it that makes it feel larger than life.
Even with the in-your-face style, I feel that this music is also intelligent, especially lyrically, and I feel like it is taking us on a journey within ourselves and within our social constructs. Some of the tracks are purely instrumental, while several are vocally-driven, and this makes for an ebbing and flowing album on a mental level, as well.
This is a huge, hour-long album. With thirteen tracks, it’s impossible to look at this song by song, but I want to mention the highlights for me. My favorite instrumental tracks are the opener “Integrated” and “Configured”. These tracks are so different, though. The former sets the stage with keys and fuzzy beats, but what really stands out is the simple and highly effective melody at its core. “Configured” is a wild piece with crazy beats, electronic edge, and high tuned guitars. It’s such an addictive track.
Two more favorites are “Duality” and “Vitality”. These are instrumental, as well, and still quite different from the others. “Duality” is something of a rocker with brash guitars and searing synth that work perfectly in unison. “Vitality” feels quite 80s with its upbeat, energetic vibe. It is so much fun. I should mention “Embers”, too, a spine tingling journey with world music tones and huge Thomas Bergersen feelings; I love the cinematic interlude and the unrelenting, towering melodies.
My favorite vocal tracks are “Defiance”, a Nine Inch Nails-esque thriller with edge and darkness; “Allure”, a heavy track where Todd brings out the harsh vox and it is so satisfying; and then “Presence”, my favorite, which has the best chorus on the album and Eda knocks it out of the park vocally, surrounded by light and atmospheric touches. Such a great track. I should also mention the closer “Magnolia”, another piece with vocals, this time from Farisha. I love the careful chorus and the feelings of being in bloom at last, but I especially love the insane keyboard solo in the second half—absolutely astonishing.
Listen, Imaginate might not be what prog fans typically gravitate towards, but this is as complex, varied, and beautiful as they come. Duality is a stirring, stimulating experience that not only hits so many perfect notes, but also tells me that Imaginate is just getting started. I recommend jumping on the bandwagon now.
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The PROG Mind 