Tilt pulls from various diverse influences in their debut EP, Million Dollar Wound; progressive rock, classic rock, and a bit of grunge (on one track). The EP is only five songs, but I can already tell there's some great potential here. This is definitely a band to watch. Steve Vantsis, who wrote and produced the EP, plays bass; Vantsis may be a familiar name to progressive rock fans as he wrote much of the music on Fish's recent album 13th Star. Dave Steward plays drums, Robin Boult the guitars, and Irvin Duguid keys. Two guests contribute to some of the guitar playing—John Wesley from Porcupine Tree and Frank Usher, who's played guitar for Fish. The three main vocalists are Paul Dourley, Kaela Rowan, and Holly Tomas, with Lorna Bannon on backing vocals.
Track by Track Review
No Superman
Long Gone
We get an atmospheric introduction, and then some nice soft guitar.And what's that - Female vocals in the background?Sure enough, strong female vocals come in.Kaela Rowan sounds a bit like Tori Amos.With the different vocals and the classic rock sound (complete with keys and an electric guitar solo), this sounds like a different band.It’s very layered music.It's a great mix of progressive and classic rock.It’s also the best track on the EP.
Gravity
We get a haunting beginning, with pleasant female vocals from Holly Tomas, who has a similar but slightly weaker voice than Kaela Rowan.The vocals are almost drowned out by the deep drums, the guitars, and the bass.This is atmospheric throughout.
Answers
This has a very proggish start.Instruments are making almost-random noises, before they pull together to form a very cool riff. The cut features Paul Dourley on vocals.It’s harder than the previous two songs, without the grunge feel of the first one. There are some cool vocal melodies here. There are also crunchy fast-moving guitars in the background.For a while, the vocals are just another wordless instrument, and Dourley pulls that off very nicely.Orchestral sound towards the end, mix with some light guitar and faint vocals before the guitar softly ends it. At over seven-and-a-half minutes, this is the longest song on the EP.
Adore Here we have another longer song, at just over seven minutes.Holly Tomas is featured on vocals again, muted a bit behind keys.This is atmospheric, soft, slow, and romantic.And then, half-way through, confident guitars take over.It’s no longer easy-listening.The vocals become more dynamic, and the sound is more classic rock than anything else.There’s a long repeating conclusion, and the EP ends.
