Band: The Illustrator
Album/Release Date: A Tale Of Modern Theatrics, (August 25, 2015)
From: Berkley, Michigan
Genre: Theatric Rock, Experimental
For Fans Of: The Venetia Fair, My Chemical Romance, Foxy Shazam, Danny Elfman
Top Tracks: Alive (feat Gage Emmerson), Dr. Heckle and Mr. Slye
With the release of An Tale Of Modern Theatrics, the band The Illustrator has released a five-song musical onslaught that explores high-energy songwriting with quirky, circus like instrumentation. With bands like the Venetia Fair exploring circus style musicality and modern rock application, The Illustrator falls nothing short of being an integral part of that same exploration.
The instrumentals are tight without losing the raw nature of the performance. The biggest stand out performance is credited to the unrelenting, raw vocals passages. Track to track, the vocals entertain a unique dichotomy between lunacy and memorable melodic content, with some musical nods to film score legend Danny Elfman. Dr. Heckle and Mr Slye is the perfect introduction to the record by setting the stage for this auditory theater production. Throughout A Tale Of Modern Theatrics, each song has instrumental in emotional breaks that only adds to the songs captivation. The creative use of non-rock based instrumentation such as marimba and trumpet section add a well-placed layer of musicality to the record. There are no long-term slow tempo moments in the album, as the album provides enticing, in-your-face songwriting.
While the production of the album provides a professional cohesion, a few obvious points of production in the album shift the focus from the music to the production, which sometimes pulls the listener from the immersion in each song. The creative songwriting continues to be the focus of the album, however may have benefited further with the use of live instrumentation for many of the nontraditional rock based instruments.
A Tale Of Modern Theatrics is a powerful, high energy record that ensures that The Illustrator has a bright future with their brand of musicality. This album has been on repeat post-review. With the stellar work on their debut album, The Illustrator’s manic musical personality will be exciting to hear through their continual creative exploration on future works.
Rating: 3.5/5
