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Anyone

In Humanity

Review by Gary Hill

This is basically a one-man band at this point, and that man is Riz Story. I'm not sure if that's always been the case with this act or not, but it is now. I said "almost" because Yes' Jon Davison handles the lead vocals on one song here. This is a double disc set that presents some amazing music. This is prog, but it's also modern, rather alternative rock based and very unique. It is a concept album with a bleak message.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021  Volume 6. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.

Track by Track Review
Disc 1
                   
Elations

Drums start the album, and then they launch into a unique jam that has both prog and alternative rock leanings along with some hints of psychedelia in the mix. This makes me think of Radiohead to some degree. This is classy stuff. Three are some suitably trippy vibes at play here. A later powerhouse prog jam is purely on fire.

The Disappearing Everything
I love the driving hard rocking edge of this. It's decidedly moody, proggy and so classy. The involved vocal arrangement on this is so classy. The tune has some intriguing shifts and changes.
Apocalypse
Feeling like a mellower take on the concepts of the previous number, this has a balladic approach. It's echoey, trippy and so cool. Further along the road this gets into some killer symphonic styled zones. It really becomes quite powerful. It's quite a ride.
The Pale Blue Dot
After a spoken introduction that feels like it might be from a movie, this shifts to a freeform kind of jam that has space and fusion elements both at its core. It's a big change and very artistic. It gets pretty intense before it's over.
Emergence
This is a trippy kind of prog powerhouse number. that has some definite fusion in the mix. This gets into some harder rocking, meaner stuff as it works its way through later. The guitar really rocks as it drives onward. Piano takes over for a while and works things out into a different kind of section for the closing.
Don't Swallow Tomorrow
A metallic guitar line brings this in amidst some creepy textures. The cut drives outward from there in style. This cut balances between mellower and more powered up sections. The Radiohead reference is again a valid one. This works out to a powerhouse section later that has both metal and modern prog elements at play.
Whole World's on Fire
Applause begins this number. An acoustic guitar rises up from there, and the vocals come in over the top of that backdrop, far up in the mix and echoey. Keyboards rise upward, and the sounds of some screaming can be heard in the background at points. The sounds of war also show up later as other instruments are added to the mix, too. This builds upward and again begs comparisons to Radiohead. It's moody and very cool, and it gets quite soaring before it's over.
Disc 2
                     
Transfiguration

A baby crying starts this. Then a voice rises up to speak as some sound effects are heard. This is an odd piece based around that spoken voice and weird sounds for an extended period. It earns a parental advisory. Keyboards eventually enter as the first instrumentation on this extended track. The cut works out from there to more of the kind of alternative rock based prog we heard a lot of on the first CD. This turns decidedly metallic later. There is a weird echoey section later before it works to a guitar based balladic approach to continue.

On the ending earth...
I love the dreamy kind of melodic alternative prog concept at the heart of this classy tune. It almost makes me think of what you might get if early U2 were taken in proggier directions.  It should be noted that this shares a title with the last album from Anyone that I reviewed.
Misanthropist
Pounding in with an unusual and dramatic prog arrangement, this powers out with a lot of ferocity, energy and style. The lead vocals on this track are handled by Jon Davison. The mid-track jam is a powerhouse.
The Madness
I love the balance between mellower and more powered up stuff here. This is deeply evocative. It's moody and so meaty at the same time.
In Humanity
Trippy, echoey keyboard sounds brings this one into being. It eventually builds outward from there, making me think a little of Tool or the mellow side of Korn as it does. This evolves into something more like the rest of the album as it continues. There is a driving angle, but also mellower concepts. The prog and alternative rock are both all over this thing. This really grows organically and eventually works to a powerhouse resolution.
Curtain Call
There are some powerhouse pieces of musical punctuation toward more textural parts as this track gets started and evolves. It eventually drives out into some smoking hot prog jamming. As it approaches the halfway mark we get a dropped back keyboard based section that runs like a balladic movement. That really becomes a gentle and melodic movement. It starts to feel a bit like something from The Wall after a time. It works through from there to a satisfying conclusion.
 
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