British prog-metal multi-instrumentalist Joe Bailey follows up his epic 2023 release Splinters with Torrential Pain, out now on Reficul Records. Not that Joe has been sitting on his hands for the last year and a half: He also continues his partnership in the Dark Monarchy.
Torrential Pain picks up where he was with Splinters in many respects. Bailey’s preference for hard-charging melodic rock and his ability to look in the shadows remain.
The opening track, “Life Runs Out,” starts things off on a usual path with its ominous keyboard textures and Bailey’s dark and powerful vocals. Bailey has never been one for easy listening lyrics, and here he sets the stage in fine fashion. That leads to the riveting song “Tides of Time.” Bailey’s vocals are featured equally with his power chord-fueled guitar. He is the master of anthems; however, Bailey’s equally skilled at musically supporting these earworms. The keyboard orchestration is as powerful as Bailey’s Dream Theater-like rhythms, giving the song a powerful dynamic.
“A Rhapsody of Sanctum and Disguise” is a multifaceted 10-minute epic. Bailey layers acoustic piano sounds with orchestral touches before bringing growling metal riffs. Additionally, he utilizes his lower range during the first bridge before kicking things up in the chorus. The song builds on the backing of a thumping bass, pyrotechnic drumming, and complex keyboard sections. The dynamics, the orchestration, the shifting moods of the music, and Bailey’s brief but effective guitar solos confirm the bleak and vivid picture of Bailey’s lyrics. Repeated listening is needed to get the essence of this epic. This may well be my favorite song on the album
The album’s first single, “The Silence,” brings the listener back to earth. Bailey starts with a complex orchestrated section that supports his pleading vocals about loss and abandonment. The dynamic shift doesn’t mean that there is a thematic shift for the album. “The Silence” has a more conventional song structure than the preceding tracks but is just as effective at presenting angst. With its sustained notes and power chords, the lead guitar gives the listener something else to bite into in this slow, brooding track.
“Echoes” picks up the pace in fine fashion. The rhythmic keyboard/guitar hooks, backing chorus, and blue piano passages lull the listener into thinking this is a pop song. Bailey’s lyrics and song construction keep this from being standard hard rock fare. Musically challenging and lyrically potent, there is much to chew on here.
I don’t think there is any Joe Bailey album I’ve heard that I’ve gotten the essence of on the first listening. As I reach the final song on the album, “Brittle World,” I realize that trend continues. There is a lot to unpack musically in Torrential Pain. He is a masterful one-person band that created a series of keyboard tapestries that served his narratives well. His guitar work is memorable, and his bass playing is first-rate.
The double bass drumming in “Brittle World” is epic, and the guitar/bass hooks are memorable. After the first listen of the song, I was blown away, and then I realized I didn’t know what the song was about. Bailey has a gift of drawing the listener in with his frenzied hooks, then making them go back to examine the lyrics. This is not easy listening, but it is ultimately rewarding.
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