Formless

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
formless, gridlock’s fourth album and first full-length for hymen, is as far away from the acrid, slight world of plug-ins and software music as you could possibly get, which is rather ironic considering that gridlock’s mike wells and mike cadoo live in the would-be epicenter of laptop music, san francisco. full of lush melodies and luscious analog warmth, formless shuns the pretense of flaccid software acrobatics, instead summoning from the depths of human emotion a musical epic that touches upon the gravest recesses of memory.

Formless, Music, Gridlock
Formless
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Virtuosic, Exotic, Original, Beautiful Metal
  • Excelent
  • Better late than never
  • Maybe not...
  • The Almighty Aghora!!
 Formless
Aghora
Manufacturer: Dobles Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Aghora
  2. The Origins of Ruin
  3. Systematic Chaos
  4. Paradise Lost
  5. Fear of a Blank Planet

ASIN: B000M543YC
Release Date: 2006-12-21

Tracks:

  1. Lotus
  2. Atmas Heave
  3. Moksha
  4. Open Close The book
  5. Garuda
  6. Dual Alchemy
  7. Dime
  8. 1316
  9. Fade
  10. Skinned
  11. Mahayana
  12. Formless
  13. Purification

Product Description

Aghora's second CD featuring Santiago Dobles on guitar, Diana Serra on vocals, Alan Goldstein on Bass, Giann Rubio on drums and guest drummer Sean Reinert

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Virtuosic, Exotic, Original, Beautiful Metal.......2007-04-16

Aghora's first album, along with Cynic's "Focus", was a fascinating and original release in the metal world- intelligent and extremely progressive metal featuring hauntingly beautiful female vocals, a philosophical and spiritual Buddhist lyrical ideology, and exotic and virtuosic guitar and percussion from some of the most avant-garde musicians in metal. Years have gone by, and suddenly a new release from Aghora arrives, far surpassing either of these former milestones in the progressive genre.

I really can't emphasize enough how fresh and original this album will be for any fan of prog rock/metal or progressive music in general. I have heard many amazing prog albums over the years, but this disc is just so unusual in so many ways that it really stands out in the crowd. A complex, flowing and seductive torrent of hypnotic and intricate middle eastern percussion, beautiful operatic vocals, sitar and flamenco-style guitar, heavy and progressive metal riffs and rhythms which overlap and morph constantly into something else. It's consistently engaging, original, and epic....a truly singular and beautiful experience that is not to be missed. Hats off to the band for such a well-produced and packaged self-released album....great production, artwork and packaging that is better than many major label releases I've seen. A rare example of unwavering artistic freedom.

5 out of 5 stars Excelent.......2007-04-11

This Album is better than the first one, the new singer Diana Serra is more standard and melodic than Danishta Rivero who sang in the first recording.The Music is more powerful and have many melodic voice parts. The drummers plays with heavy style that gives a hard sound combined with a very technical parts.

5 out of 5 stars Better late than never.......2007-02-19

It has been six years since Aghora released their eponymous debut. It seemed whenever Formless was about to come out, something else got in the band's way, and with numerous line-up changes, including the replacement of original singer Danishta Rivero with Diana Serra, the band have finally completed their sophomore album Formless, which, in many ways, matches (or even surpasses) the brilliance of their first effort.

It is true that original bassist Sean Malone of Cynic and Gordian Knot fame does not appear on this disc. Without doubt, Malone was the reason why so many fans, including myself, discovered Aghora, but worry not, new member Alan Goldstein has done a phenomenal job on this record. He plays both fretted and fretless bass, and is featured in some of the most key moments on the album. On "Atmas Heave", a piece filled with crushing riffage, there is a great slap bass section to complement the crunch of the double bass drumming. Santiago Dobles' guitar playing is insanely wicked, particularly his sweep picking and unusual chord progressions. Likewise, Goldstein totally shines on "Dual Alchemy", a song that allows him to lay down a killer fretless solo following a busy yet equally melodic guitar solo. Dina Serra's vocal melody is infectiously catchy whilst Sean Reinert recalls his days in Death with those incessant kick drums. I just love the vast, spacious Middle Eastern elements this track is decorated with.

Aghora's approach to the vocals have taken a completely new turn. The vocal tracking (done by none other than the great Neil Kernon) is simply awe-inspiring. Serra is a very young talent, and they've made great use of effects this time around, with cool layerings and dual harmonies happening in the background. She steals the show during the most unexpected moments, such as the slightly Tool-like "Open Close the Book", thanks to Sean Reinert's perfect sense of timing, where she inserts huge choruses into the otherwise complex number. Dobles experiments with a plethora of guitar sounds and concludes with yet another killer solo (that sweep picking at the end is gorgeous). However, Serra's finest moment on the album is the dazzling "Skinned", which also features some lyrics from the former vocalist. This is one of their most diverse cuts, as the band plows through a Latin-flavoured guitar theme to another superb bass lead and climaxes with more Tool-inspired riffery where Serra sounds like a female version of Maynard Keenan (which is a great thing), but that's where the similarities end, as Santiago Dobles feeds the song with innumerable threads of elements: his vibrato tone is terrific as is the curious ending of the song.

The drumming duties have been split between former drummer Sean Reinert and new member Giann Rubio whose relatively more aggressive style serves as a catalyst on the heavier (yes they even get heavier!) pieces. On "Dime", as the title suggests, dedicated to Dimebag Darrell of whom Santiago Dobles was a fan, Rubio proves integral, supporting Dobles' liquidy guitar work and jamming along with him. The style of Dimebag totally comes through in Dobles' solo after the clean ostinato melodies and it's truly moving. As a matter of fact, there are lots of subtle homage moments on this album, from John Maclaughlin on the opening track "Lotus" to others including Jason Becker, Nuno Bettencourt, Eddie Van Halen, and Allan Holdsworth among others. Some of these seem like note-for-note sections paying homage to his inspirations whilst some others are more indirect, but they add a lot to the sonic depth of the album.

Special mention goes to "1316", whose 13/16 time signature in the main riff is stunning. The band is tight as a machine here, much like Meshuggah or perhaps To-Mera (another great band with a female singer). This song is a study in the duality of society at large, and it also seems to have a political subject matter giving off an anti-Bush air. Sean Reinert's clever snare drums are enough to remind why I consider him an all-time favourite. Last but not least, I have to mention the title track, with its 12-plus-minute running time. This song consists of so many nuances, each equally rewarding on repeat listens, sweet percussion work (by Dobles himself), and an incredibly touching, goosebump-inducing lead solo - perhaps Santiago Dobles' finest in his career. It gives me shivers when I play this tune cause it's so easy to get into it. His majestic clean tone experimentations, unorthodox stop-start moments, and swift, unusually plaintive guitar expressions are simply in a league all their own. Yes this guy has his influences, but he sounds like none of them, and that's why he is going to be a much revered player in the future.

Aghora's debut easily stood the test of time garnering lots of repeat plays from their fans. Time will determine how Formless will do, but to me, it's not hard to foresee it will eventually top its predecessor and become all the more rewarding. By the way, the packaging of this disc is excellent. It's a nice digipack with a nice booklet in it. Please do not pirate self-released records. These artists deserve all the support they can get, which is the only way they can carry on putting out music. I got my CD directly from the band - you could do the same. They're all very down-to-earth and friendly guys to say the least.

3 out of 5 stars Maybe not..........2007-02-16

This album has been a long time in the making, and whether out of nostalgia, compassion, or simple lack of willpower, I had originally given it a rating/review that now, after more time spent with the music contained therein, seems undeserved.

The most horrible thing that befell this band since the release of their debut has unquestionably been the loss of Sean Malone. If there was ever a band to be used as a reference in the question of "how important is a bass player?", Aghora is it. Malone's departure has drained the life out of this band and distilled their sound into a typical, bareboned display of "progressive" metal.

Expectedly, the band's focus seems to have shifted entirely. With Alan Goldstein being unable to maintain a sufficiently prominent bass presence, the album has effectively become the Santiago Dobles show. He's a mighty guitar player for sure - he shreds, sweeps, thrashes, and harmonizes his way through these songs with a great display of skill - but all of it comes off as inconsequential because there's rarely anything to be found behind it. The guitars overpower everything in the mix, and no longer do the other band members seem to have any desire to step up and contribute in anything but the most predictable of ways. As a result, the "heavy" portions of a given song generally consist of a typical thrash riff backed by trite double bass runs that sound completely sterile and indiscernible from the thrash riffs and double bass runs that dominate other songs throughout the album. The most blatant examples of this can be found in songs like "Atma's Heave", "Open Close the Book", "Dual Alchemy", "Dime", and "Mahayana". "Atma's Heave" sounds like a really cool song the first time you hear, and it is... but as you make your way through the album (time and time again), you can't help but question how often a band can expect to rehash the same idea and expect their audience to not notice. The spacier and dreamier aspects of Aghora's music have also been reigned in to an extent and watered down in lieu of a more thoroughly metallic presentation. I attribute this completely to the loss of Malone and the reduced role of drummer Sean Reinert - the two of them are nigh unmatched in filling an otherwise typical song with pulsing dynamics and that mystical feeling of something "more" going on in the music than just the music itself. Sean Reinert is able to carry that pathos on some of the tracks he plays on, but one player alone cannot be enough.

That being said, many of the instrumental passages are a step up on account of sheer showmanship. The guitar solos are wonderful, and many of the melodies and harmonies sound amazing, with Dobles showing off a wide range of influences in the school of guitar. Though again, this turns into more of a downfall because there is a lack of balance. Goldstein follows the guitars almost note for note, only occasionally breaking for some slap or fretless interludes (both of which are nice, but rare), and Giann Rubio drums in a very regimented, mechanical style that lacks variety and fails to mesh with Goldstein's bass playing in any notable manner. In the end, you're left with Santiago Dobles trying to keep your attention with guitar heroics, and it doesn't always work.

So what's good?

Sean Reinert is still here - thank your god of choice - drumming on 6 out of 13 tracks. In my eyes, he is the sole factor that keeps this album from degenerating into a soulless husk of self-absorbed metal. His style is limber and organic, serving to infuse life into an otherwise dull atmosphere; his sense of synergy and dynamics keeps the music from grating on the ears; and his cymbal work is as elegant and fluid as ever, providing a free-flowing sense of progression. The drum kits themselves are also something to note - Reinert's sounds warm, full and lush; while Rubio's is more mechanized, if you will... his snare almost sounds triggered when compared to Reinert's - you wouldn't be far off if you said that the kits are reflections of the players who utilize them.

Unfortunately, even Sean Reinert isn't always able to save the music on this disc. Some of the tracks he plays on, such as "Open Close the Book" and "Dual Alchemy", come out so boring and pointless that they may as well have used a drum machine. On the other hand, he absolutely makes my two favorite songs on here, "1316" and "Fade" - the former sounding something like a long lost Cynic track, and the latter coming the closest to resembling the majestic beauty of the first Aghora album.

In Rubio's favor, he isn't all bad. His performance on the 12+ minute title track is nice, and it's right behind "1316" and "Fade" as far as the songs on this album that don't completely suck.

The vocals... meh. Diana Serra isn't any better or worse than Danishta Rivero. She's different, and I'd say it's ultimately going to come down to personal preference. The vocals here don't extend as far as they did on Aghora's S/T, and there's nothing here to rival the wonderful vocal harmonies found on songs like "Kali Yuga" and "Existence"... Diana is more straightforward and immediately appealing, which I suppose will appeal to many people who aren't into high-reaching vocal extension. I saw a line drawn to Marcela Bovio (Elfonia, Stream of Passion, Ayreon), and I think I agree - pretty, soothing, and pleasant... but not much that strikes out and really grabs you.

Overall, my impression of this album has only gotten worse with time. The more I listened, the more I felt an urge stirring deep within to come back here and edit my review to something more appropriate - and here I am. "Atma's Heave", "1316", "Fade", and "Formless" are all clear winners as far as individual songs go, but the album as a whole sort of falls flat.

After almost seven years, they could've put a bit more thought into it.

5 out of 5 stars The Almighty Aghora!!.......2007-01-31

Hell Ya!! That's what I can tell you. It has been years since Aghora released their debut album and when I heard it, that was it for me. i fell madly in love with Aghora. Went out to get their limited edition with footage from the studio during the recording of the album. I was just so thrilled to play it over and over and over and over and over again. Never got bored because it is "Progressive" in every sense of the word. Every musicians who performed in that album was superb!! So news came about that Aghora was to released their 2nd album called Formless like 2 years ago. I kept waiting and waiting, I don't really know what happened it just never see the light of day until now in Dec 2006. I ordered it thru the band's web site and before I know it it was right in my mail box. I was totally blown away with thie release topping their debut in every aspect. Phew!! again I played in over and over and over and over again. The sound, composition, technical skills and overall feel of Formless is just astonishing. The only weakness I feel is that the vocals could be a little bit more powerful and stronger in her range. I am well aware that she is not a rock or metal singer but I really do appreciate her contribution to this extraordinary album. Other than that everything is incredible!! Prepare yourself for an assault. Get your copy today!
Formless
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Formless
    Aghora
    Manufacturer: Season of Mist
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Progressive MetalProgressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
    Death MetalDeath Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000OLHGAW
    Release Date: 2007-06-19

    Tracks:

    1. Lotus
    2. Atmas Heave
    3. Moksha
    4. Open Close the Book
    5. Garuda
    6. Dual Alchemy
    7. Dime
    8. 1316
    9. Fade
    10. Skinned
    11. Mahayana
    12. Formless
    13. Purification
    Formless
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • excellent ambient industrial
    • Pretty good but not the best I've ever heard...
    • Formless - beautiful
    • a soundtrack for all occasions...
    • Formless
    		 Formless
    Gridlock
    Manufacturer: Hymen
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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    1. The Synthetic Form
    2. In Distance
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    4. Year Zero

    ASIN: B000120ZUM
    Release Date: 2003-10-02

    Tracks:

    1. Pallid
    2. Distance
    3. Return
    4. Song23
    5. Invert
    6. Chrometaphor
    7. Scratch
    8. Displacement
    9. The 8th Winter
    10. Re/Module
    11. Atomontage
    12. Done Processing

    Album Description

    formless, gridlock's fourth album and first full-length for hymen, is as far away from the acrid, slight world of plug-ins and software music as you could possibly get, which is rather ironic considering that gridlock's mike wells and mike cadoo live in the would-be epicenter of laptop music, san francisco. full of lush melodies and luscious analog warmth, formless shuns the pretense of flaccid software acrobatics, instead summoning from the depths of human emotion a musical epic that touches upon the gravest recesses of memory.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars excellent ambient industrial.......2007-05-27

    This album layers industrial textures that form a dark ambient soundscape. It's similar to voxless Skinny Puppy, but is much more lush in places. There are also some similarities between it and early voxless Delerium. It also incorporates more modern IDM sounding beats in places. IMO, one of the only good things I've heard out of the fairly stale industrial category of late, but you will only like it if you like the more ambient end of industrial.

    2 out of 5 stars Pretty good but not the best I've ever heard..........2006-08-29

    I had high hopes for this album, from reviews here and also a little promotion from David Elsewhere... and it is a smooth bit of glitched-out percussion and big flowing synths.

    It left me feeling cold though. The tracks build up, but they never break through into anything really engaging; one of the other reviewers mentioned Ambient, and that's what this album is. When I listen to IDM I expect there to be some moment in a track that makes you nod your head or at least pulls you into some sort of rythm, and I didn't get that from this. "Formless" is an apt title, as the tracks kind of swirl around without taking you anywhere.

    For anyone who wants to hear ambient synths with good beats, I'd recommend "Condensed" by Lusine, on the Hymen label, or just about anything by Clark (formerly Chris Clark).

    5 out of 5 stars Formless - beautiful.......2006-07-27

    This album is just gorgeous, I can't stop listening to it. The soundscapes are so textural and there is beautiful juxtaposition between the harsh, crunchy glitch and the cold, distant melodies.
    Highly recommended.

    5 out of 5 stars a soundtrack for all occasions..........2005-01-14

    Its been awhile since i've heard something this good. this being my first CD from the good folks at Gridlock, I am in awe. I can't classify this music, but ambient is a good starter.

    I will agree with the reviewer that said this is like a soundtrack to the best movie you've ever seen. That is a good summary of it. Oceans of synths with direction of heavenly structured songs await you here. Not really any vocals, a few tracks feature a females voice, but no actual singing.

    Now after hearing this CD, I find myself wanting more... Drft and Bitcrush seem to be a good place to start...

    5 out of 5 stars Formless.......2004-11-15

    Gridlock - Formless: The seamless integration of noise and beauty, sine waves and distortion, calm and chaos.

    With each successive release, Gridlock moves forward through a world built of abstract shapes and a broad tonal spectrum. Starting with "The Synthetic Form", Gridlock fused industrial sounds with a forward thinking electronic sensibility, creating a truly harsh atmosphere rarely heard in the industrial/electronic scene. Next came the innovative "Further", exploding out of the industrial carcass with emotion-steeped ambience and noisy, abrasive rhythms. "Trace" took the concept even further, leaving barely a trace of "industrial" in favor of harsh, more intelligent rhythms and beautiful flowing ambience.

    "Formless" continues the trend, forging a new sound in a sea of near-plagiarisms and masturbatory "experimenters". Gridlock sounds like no one, and no one sounds like Gridlock. True innovators, their synthetic ambiences contrast the off-kilter rhythms like no other. Calm, warm melodies drench the cold steel of the rhythmic structure, a burst of static rails against the serenity of the soft ambience. An entire world is born in this album, one of perfectly balanced contrasts, a beauty that can only be reached by a perfect juxtaposition of the serene and the chaotic.

    Embrace the new sonic empire.
    Formless/Functional
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Formless/Functional
      Polara
      Manufacturer: Interscope Records
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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      All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Alternative General | Alternative Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
      ASIN: B0000061QJ
      Release Date: 1998-03-24

      Tracks:

      1. Whassup?
      2. A Brighter Day
      3. Trainwreck
      4. Got The Switch!
      5. Halo
      6. Peaking Charlie
      7. I Can Believe
      8. Semi-Detached
      9. Verbing
      10. Midtown Greenway
      11. Tread Lightly
      12. Corporate Hegemony (Smash The State!)

      Amazon.com

      Formless/functional, the sophomore release from Minneapolis-based trio Polara, is even trickier to get a bead on than their 1997 release, C'est La Vie, a cascading spectacle of electro-pop experimentation. Where C'est La Vie was content to travel within some preset boundaries, formless/functional simply ignores them, venturing from electronica to acoustic balladry to classic rock to symphonic collage. What's most enjoyable about formless/functional, and the musicians who composed it - vocalist/electrician Ed Ackerson, vocalist/electrician assistant Jennifer JeRae Jurgens and percussionist Peter Anderson - is their unabashed joy at making music. The trio bounces around this album like grade school kids turned loose in a room full of art supplies.--Nick Heil

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      1. Fuckscapes [Explicit Lyrics]
      2. Gas Money
      3. Girl Show 2 Soundtrack
      4. Glitterball [CD-single] [Import]
      5. Hissy Fit
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