Much thanks for this gift! In jazz, we leave in vocal imperfections purposely. It’s kind of like stretch marks in a photo, as opposed to a paint brush photo, if that analogy makes any sense. Beautifully articulated! Thanks again! ❤
Dan... you and the Tess team have created something truly epic... the album's on a continual loop... and right now, legion is the stand-out track... aiming to see you live next year... have a fantastic tour...
I wouldn't say underrated, but he's grown SO MUCH as a vocalist in the past few years. If you listen to his 2015 'Odyssey' live performance his technique is, not great. He was trying to fill in Ashe's shoes and it wasn't working that well. Fast forward, after Covid, his 2021 'Portals' live performance is great. He finally feels 'right' and at home. However, now he's going beyond just doing the job and actually exploring new ground for his instrument. He's doing harsher vocals again but in a healthy way, and adding many other ways of expression. He's like a brand new master vocalist and I'm glad people notice and recognize him for all that effort.
you know what one of my friends bands First Signs of Frost's only album they recorded with Dan on vocals (albeit being different to Tesseract) is still one of my favourite overall albums. Even way back then he was special, the way he's grown with Tesseract over the years is crazy and his voice now is leading the prog metal scene, 100%.
This is by far one of, if not the best vocal performances I have ever heard by Dan. All in all I think WoB is TesseracT's best album. Banger start to finish.
what kind of madman would put this into his nightly set? especially considering he's doing way more harsh vocals than he used to. I had a look of astonished bewilderment on my face through the whole song when I saw it live. I was like "holy shit, he's really doing it" lol I knew Dan was trying some new stuff on the song War of Being, but didn't know he was going balls out on the whole damn album.
Honestly, I agree. This is my most listened to on the album, despite all the songs being 10/10. This one is seriously 11/10 for me. I was not expecting the vocal runs he does towards the end and it keeps me coming back.
Dan is an absolute master in transcribing emotions to vocal technique. Is amazing how he gets you by the ear and guides you through an emotional journey that is SO detailed and intense in such a clear way.
Wow. Dan, like you said, only a vocal coach truly knows everything that's going on and what an honor to have both of you breaking this down for us. I can tell how excited and proud you are to share this with us all and you damn well should be. My god this album, the entire band, but especially your part in bringing such a level of emotion to these songs. Music has been such a huge part of my life for 50 years and I daresay I've never heard anything quite like what you've brought to the table here (I'm including your performance on the new Earthside track as well) I've just had all these songs on repeat, enjoying the nuances over and over and never tiring of them. When you can still bring a tear to my eye the 200th time I've listened to a song and I still want more...just truly magical. Each time I listen, I feel like your voice gives rise to the emotions inside me perfectly. Thank you so much for this gift of art and passion you've given us all.
Tesseract usually put a digital backing Vocal when played live to add vocal layers, I'd love to hear Kat do the backing vocals for Tesseract live on this album 😎
Dan I love everything about your style. And I love that this interview happened. What's happening here is me nerding out to two guys nerding out to how magnificent this piece of art is
I love this album so much. Really cool to hear an analysis of those epic vocals. Saw TesseracT live here in Melbourne Australia a week ago. It’s no exaggeration to say it was one of the best live shows I’ve ever been to.
4:52 as soon as you said this, i subscribed. i’ve always said this and i think that consciously improving your acting and voice acting skills will make your vocals more dynamic and fit more songs better. im glad someone else mentioned this, fantastic review
This has to be an award winning metal performance/recording. It's one of the most compelling and incredible vocal performances that I've heard in a long time. And, the video only amplifies the emotion behind the vocals. Brilliant.
I can’t begin to express the sheer JOY that this video brings to my soul ! My favorite vocal analyst teamed up with one of my favorite vocalists of all time breaking down an absolutely amazing performance. This will likely have me smiling all day!
I guess the magic of the song is to feel all the emotions, anger, vulnerability, frustration, pain, through the vocal lines. Of course the instrumental is the grid, the frame to shape the rest, but it is Dan's vocals that make us trip into the story and feel the emotions like our own. The last part is perfect bc it's raw and pure emotion, it couldn't be better, bc it's perfect.
Or another man who shares the same vocal style ;) your an absolute inspiration and i strive to be even close to as good as you one day! never stop your a revolution.
Daniel is still to this day one of my favorite vocalists of all time, and their music is my go to any time I need some serious reflection, or any sort of musical therapy. My god, the talent on display is out of this world.
Dan and Spencer are my favorite vocalist and they are so good and being able to sing in so many different ways. Seeing Tesseract in October and I really hope to see this song live.
That part at 18:27! Love it! Gives me Cedric Bixler Zavala of The Mars Volta vibes in the best way. Dan did his thing on this record. Congrats on a great record and can't wait to see the show!
This song has been on repeat for me since the album dropped. So much nuance, so much emotion. I absolutely love how Dan integrates his screams into the strongest guitar and bass riffs, it reinforces power exactly when it needs it the most. When He says he put all of his emotion into this track, to the point where he was welling up afterwards, I really felt it. I'm a guitarist at heart, but Dan has been such a vocal inspiration for me, every one of his releases has me reaching for a mic saying "damn... I want to do that!" Brilliant interview!
This track absolutely blew me away when I first heard it. Dan absolutely transformed his vocals on this record. Feels so real emotionally raw. Great episode!!
I’ve been obsessing over this song for weeks and only just realising that the vocal performance is most of the reason why. Thank you both for the discussion, analysis and insights.
Absolutely fantastic interview. Thanks for the insight from both Chris and Dan. I can everybody only highly encourage to see TesseracT live, it's a concert you won't forget.
Tesseract is such an underrated band. Tender is possibly my favorite song on this album. It doesn't get enough attention, and it bleeds perfectly into the War of Being.
Since i found out tesseract, since i found out daniel i literally changed my point of view about being a singer, about the music. I listen to tesseract’s songs in a way like i’d watch a teatre. I love the way of daniel roles these songs, it makes me realize that tesseract makes art.
Chris & Dan - I just released a vocal cover of this song and just wanted to say, thanks so much for doing this analysis and providing the isolated main vocal line! It really helped me learn some things that were going on.
I’ve been listening to this album on repeat since it came out and this video has managed to give me even more appreciation for it. TesseracT got me into prog, and here they are 10 years later, coming out with their best work yet. And my god, Dan, for me this is hands down the best vocal performance of all time. The sheer breadth and depth on display, all of it absolutely dripping with emotion, is unparalleled.
Best part was them discussing Dan learning the live version and how it’s unrealistic to expect a 1:1 performance. I love when artists look at their studio work as pieces of art to be fine tuned and perfected into a very deliberate experience
I think Amos said a few years ago they didn't feel comfortable incorporating Dan using harsh vocals on albums but the madmen have done it so well and really tastefully too. Whilst they're not trying to have an ego this album I think Dan really brought WOB to the next level with so many emotions and new vocal techniques he's never used before. Can't wait to see what TesseracT come up with next WOB was the album of the year for me.
Been waiting for a vocal coach to react to this song since it released. This very thorough breakdown certainly did not disappoint. Having Dan there was just icing on the cake. Thank you!
Dude the isolated track is absolutely mindblowing. I hope they release the vocals only with choruses and all one day. AMAZING CONTENT BY THE WAY!!! Love from argentina as always.
This masterpiece was expected to be difficult to deliver on stage, but the energy was definitely there! I was so excited to get to this point in concert and Dan brilliantly brought out all these intricate dynamics, although it may not have been pitch perfect! Thank you so much guys for this analysis!
This is why i love this channel. You made me realise that performance, emotion and conveying those feelings is what makes a vocalist connect to their listeners. And it's so much more nuanced and complex than just hitting notes and doing melodies. Expression is key.
Love your videos Chris. But this one was super great. Dan is an absolute beast of a vocalist and I think he genuinely really appreciated the things you were saying about him. I've always loved Tesseract and Dan for me is one of the best vocalists around, but I don't feel they get the recognition they truly deserve sometimes. Great video 🤘
I have always loved Dan's vocals. Iv been a fan of Tesseract since 2010 and seeing how he has improved as a vocalist makes me really happy, his vocals on the new album are just on another level, iv never seen this side of him before musically and I hope he embraces this a lot more with future Tesseract albums.
Love this! So glad you covered this song after doing war of being. Having dan here to extrapolate more about his techniques makes it even more interesting to watch.
![[TesseracT] Live vocal performance with Dan Tompkins](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RQFjNcuuX9c/mqdefault.jpg)
Download the isolated vocals for Legion for free here so you can explore even more! my-musical-voice.ck.page/e95515b910
Thats dope
Much thanks for this gift! In jazz, we leave in vocal imperfections purposely. It’s kind of like stretch marks in a photo, as opposed to a paint brush photo, if that analogy makes any sense. Beautifully articulated! Thanks again! ❤
Yooo althought there are some harmonies missing at the end this is great. What a gift. Thanks to both of you!
Really enjoyed the interview, Chris. Thank you for the kind support!
Great having you on, Dan!! Looking forward to some more conversations!
We're all really enjoying the album and your craft, @DanielTompkins.
Such an amazing voice you have, Dan. Please come to Brazil again!
Dan... you and the Tess team have created something truly epic... the album's on a continual loop... and right now, legion is the stand-out track... aiming to see you live next year... have a fantastic tour...
Those notes you hit on legion, reminds me of the singer from muse. Absolutely incredible
Dan is extremely underrated. Priceless info
Extremely. He's amazing on everything he's on from the softer stuff like White Moth Black Butterfly to TesseracT and Skyharbor.
Underrated no way
I wouldn't say underrated, but he's grown SO MUCH as a vocalist in the past few years.
If you listen to his 2015 'Odyssey' live performance his technique is, not great. He was trying to fill in Ashe's shoes and it wasn't working that well.
Fast forward, after Covid, his 2021 'Portals' live performance is great. He finally feels 'right' and at home.
However, now he's going beyond just doing the job and actually exploring new ground for his instrument. He's doing harsher vocals again but in a healthy way, and adding many other ways of expression.
He's like a brand new master vocalist and I'm glad people notice and recognize him for all that effort.
you know what one of my friends bands First Signs of Frost's only album they recorded with Dan on vocals (albeit being different to Tesseract) is still one of my favourite overall albums. Even way back then he was special, the way he's grown with Tesseract over the years is crazy and his voice now is leading the prog metal scene, 100%.
This is by far one of, if not the best vocal performances I have ever heard by Dan. All in all I think WoB is TesseracT's best album. Banger start to finish.
King Me is close but this is another level
Agreed. They've gone pedal to the floor in every aspect with the album and it's their peak for sure!
WoB is the shit. Saw them live yesterday. Mindblowing
I just love how Dan keeps singing along in his head regarding to his facial expressions.
he's practicing the album daily for tours so he's probs doing that pretty often even when he's not on the net ( he has a twitch chan and sings live)
You can tell Dan is really proud of this album.
He should be. We're all proud of him, the whole band, for this album.
If I were Dan I would be proud of everything I've put out. He is a LEGEND!
what kind of madman would put this into his nightly set? especially considering he's doing way more harsh vocals than he used to. I had a look of astonished bewilderment on my face through the whole song when I saw it live. I was like "holy shit, he's really doing it" lol
I knew Dan was trying some new stuff on the song War of Being, but didn't know he was going balls out on the whole damn album.
New album should get a Grammy. It is that good!
Fully agree. At the very least, the title track should be nominated.
Grammy is based upon sales if they're not known in certain territories like the US it will be difficult.
I feel like very few vocalists truly explore the full capability of their instrument like Dan Tompkins. What an incredible talent.
That vocal part at the end with the pitch screams and trills… that might be the best vocal performance I’ve ever heard. Hands down. Floored. Sheesh.
You can sense Dan's pride in this. It's so bloody awesome.
Thankyou for this album mate
This album really is Grammy material. It's incredible, the whole thing.
My song of the year
Honestly, I agree. This is my most listened to on the album, despite all the songs being 10/10. This one is seriously 11/10 for me. I was not expecting the vocal runs he does towards the end and it keeps me coming back.
Either this or wax wings by periphery for me!
Dan Tomkins is one of the best singers i know. His performance in A dream is static by Earthside is phenomenal.
Dan is an absolute master in transcribing emotions to vocal technique. Is amazing how he gets you by the ear and guides you through an emotional journey that is SO detailed and intense in such a clear way.
Wow. Dan, like you said, only a vocal coach truly knows everything that's going on and what an honor to have both of you breaking this down for us. I can tell how excited and proud you are to share this with us all and you damn well should be.
My god this album, the entire band, but especially your part in bringing such a level of emotion to these songs. Music has been such a huge part of my life for 50 years and I daresay I've never heard anything quite like what you've brought to the table here (I'm including your performance on the new Earthside track as well) I've just had all these songs on repeat, enjoying the nuances over and over and never tiring of them. When you can still bring a tear to my eye the 200th time I've listened to a song and I still want more...just truly magical. Each time I listen, I feel like your voice gives rise to the emotions inside me perfectly. Thank you so much for this gift of art and passion you've given us all.
Tesseract usually put a digital backing Vocal when played live to add vocal layers, I'd love to hear Kat do the backing vocals for Tesseract live on this album 😎
Dan I love everything about your style. And I love that this interview happened.
What's happening here is me nerding out to two guys nerding out to how magnificent this piece of art is
i'm so glad this man came back to the band
Can we also appreciate the cool video clip depicting Dan as an astronaut crashing into the atmosphere ✌🏽
Daniel rules, my fave vocalist right now
Legion is perhaps Dan`s best ever vocal performance in the music of TesseracT.
Love the Matt Bellamy vibrato at the end of the falsettos!
FOR-EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! So damn good!
I love this album so much. Really cool to hear an analysis of those epic vocals. Saw TesseracT live here in Melbourne Australia a week ago. It’s no exaggeration to say it was one of the best live shows I’ve ever been to.
4:52 as soon as you said this, i subscribed. i’ve always said this and i think that consciously improving your acting and voice acting skills will make your vocals more dynamic and fit more songs better. im glad someone else mentioned this, fantastic review
This has to be an award winning metal performance/recording. It's one of the most compelling and incredible vocal performances that I've heard in a long time. And, the video only amplifies the emotion behind the vocals. Brilliant.
I can’t begin to express the sheer JOY that this video brings to my soul ! My favorite vocal analyst teamed up with one of my favorite vocalists of all time breaking down an absolutely amazing performance. This will likely have me smiling all day!
How can there reside so much talent and humility at the same time in the same body! Dan is clearly a special gift to humanity.
This entire album is Dan's Magun opus to me. Tesseract for ever and always 🤟 album of the fucking decade to me.
I've waited so long to see Dan here. Glad you did this.
Legion live sounds UNREAL, the whole band is just ideal lol
18:27 this part gives me chills every time. Dan is a hall of fame vocalist for me with this record.
I think I've replayed that part 100 times now. Gives me goosebumps
this song gives me chills everytime
I guess the magic of the song is to feel all the emotions, anger, vulnerability, frustration, pain, through the vocal lines. Of course the instrumental is the grid, the frame to shape the rest, but it is Dan's vocals that make us trip into the story and feel the emotions like our own. The last part is perfect bc it's raw and pure emotion, it couldn't be better, bc it's perfect.
Seeing these guys made my year
Wow, this song is really some crazy, emotional vocal trip... Amazing!
FUCK, I was waiting for you to do this video, but to do this WITH DAN :O OH MY GOD!!!!
So humble of Dan to do this. And oh god what a track this is!
Chris, YOU MUST review EARTSIDE - LET THE TRUTH SPEAK. Dan guest vocals on this one and its an INCREDIBLE work of art as a song. ITS A MUST LISTEN!
Or another man who shares the same vocal style ;) your an absolute inspiration and i strive to be even close to as good as you one day! never stop your a revolution.
Daniel is still to this day one of my favorite vocalists of all time, and their music is my go to any time I need some serious reflection, or any sort of musical therapy. My god, the talent on display is out of this world.
Dan is simply the best!, he's so underrated and its so unfair!
This has to be the song of the year for sure!
Dan and Spencer are my favorite vocalist and they are so good and being able to sing in so many different ways. Seeing Tesseract in October and I really hope to see this song live.
I was sleeping on Tesseract, but this album is something, made my week. Great video!
Same here! But for me this week. Bought tickets in Feb \m/
Incredible performance by Dan (and the whole band), what a masterpiece of an album. Thank you, Chris, for this interview and analysis!
Amazing Album
That part at 18:27! Love it! Gives me Cedric Bixler Zavala of The Mars Volta vibes in the best way. Dan did his thing on this record. Congrats on a great record and can't wait to see the show!
This song was a real treat from Tesseract. Goosebumps every time
This song has been on repeat for me since the album dropped. So much nuance, so much emotion. I absolutely love how Dan integrates his screams into the strongest guitar and bass riffs, it reinforces power exactly when it needs it the most. When He says he put all of his emotion into this track, to the point where he was welling up afterwards, I really felt it. I'm a guitarist at heart, but Dan has been such a vocal inspiration for me, every one of his releases has me reaching for a mic saying "damn... I want to do that!"
Brilliant interview!
8:37 you are SOOOOOOO right!!!! no truer words spoken.
Loved this as a beginner. Incredible look into a real modern artist, Dan, wow
This track absolutely blew me away when I first heard it. Dan absolutely transformed his vocals on this record. Feels so real emotionally raw. Great episode!!
This album is pure vocal porn lol. Easily some of Dan’s best work.
A whole new understanding of his vocal abilities. Great video, guys 👍👍
I’ve been obsessing over this song for weeks and only just realising that the vocal performance is most of the reason why. Thank you both for the discussion, analysis and insights.
Absolutely fantastic interview. Thanks for the insight from both Chris and Dan. I can everybody only highly encourage to see TesseracT live, it's a concert you won't forget.
Tesseract is such an underrated band. Tender is possibly my favorite song on this album. It doesn't get enough attention, and it bleeds perfectly into the War of Being.
I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time haha
Thanks for this great interview!
Since i found out tesseract, since i found out daniel i literally changed my point of view about being a singer, about the music. I listen to tesseract’s songs in a way like i’d watch a teatre.
I love the way of daniel roles these songs, it makes me realize that tesseract makes art.
Sick breakdown with Dan! This song is so fuckin good vocal wise. Really inspired delivery that captures the emotions so well
Chris & Dan - I just released a vocal cover of this song and just wanted to say, thanks so much for doing this analysis and providing the isolated main vocal line! It really helped me learn some things that were going on.
Chris’ singing of his parts were on point too… and really I am upset I didn’t know about how awesome you are as a vocalist Chris!
Yes! A million times yes! More vocal reacts with Dan of Tesseract. The Charismatic Voice next?
That'd make a good video!
Dan is an absolute MONSTER! I absolutely love this song, my favorite of this album
I’ve been listening to this album on repeat since it came out and this video has managed to give me even more appreciation for it. TesseracT got me into prog, and here they are 10 years later, coming out with their best work yet. And my god, Dan, for me this is hands down the best vocal performance of all time. The sheer breadth and depth on display, all of it absolutely dripping with emotion, is unparalleled.
GOOOOSEBUMPS at that climax!
incredible.
When Chris mentioned Jeff Buckley, I fully agreed because I thought the same when I first listened to it.
Love this collab! So funny you two crossing paths after having followed both for years
Best part was them discussing Dan learning the live version and how it’s unrealistic to expect a 1:1 performance. I love when artists look at their studio work as pieces of art to be fine tuned and perfected into a very deliberate experience
I don't know what can be better than interview with Dan of himself
This reaction/analysis/conversation was amazing, I could have listened to another hour of this.
I think Amos said a few years ago they didn't feel comfortable incorporating Dan using harsh vocals on albums but the madmen have done it so well and really tastefully too. Whilst they're not trying to have an ego this album I think Dan really brought WOB to the next level with so many emotions and new vocal techniques he's never used before. Can't wait to see what TesseracT come up with next WOB was the album of the year for me.
Can you elaborate why didn't they feel comfortable?
I've listened to this song at least 12 times and it gives me chills every time. Astonishing! Brilliant video
It's a masterpiece
Been waiting for a vocal coach to react to this song since it released. This very thorough breakdown certainly did not disappoint. Having Dan there was just icing on the cake. Thank you!
Dude the isolated track is absolutely mindblowing. I hope they release the vocals only with choruses and all one day. AMAZING CONTENT BY THE WAY!!! Love from argentina as always.
Wow! I’m learning and I thought I had a spin on my voice ! Thank you Dan for the gift of your knowledge of your voice!❤
This was so cool, thank you both for doing this. Legion means a world to me and it was the best to hear both of your thoughts on it
This masterpiece was expected to be difficult to deliver on stage, but the energy was definitely there! I was so excited to get to this point in concert and Dan brilliantly brought out all these intricate dynamics, although it may not have been pitch perfect! Thank you so much guys for this analysis!
I’ve not been big into analysis of vocals but wow Dan this performance has really opened a new world. Incredible talent and commitment, thank you!
LOVE the enthusiasm in this video, I feel that a lot!
Super cool interview
Such an incredible performance!!
WOW
This is why i love this channel. You made me realise that performance, emotion and conveying those feelings is what makes a vocalist connect to their listeners. And it's so much more nuanced and complex than just hitting notes and doing melodies. Expression is key.
Daniel, you are on another level. I love your dedication to the art and the innovation. You really are a great.
I love the concept so much! Thank you for the content. Dan you are really treasure. Album is fire! really addicting songs!
Dan's performance in WoB and especially Legion is ways ahead of what they've done before. I fucking love the record. Can't stop listening
Song of the year right here. And what a performance!
Where is Dan's course colab? That's the one we need
Maybe someday soon!! :)
❤ This track is amazing
Love your videos Chris. But this one was super great. Dan is an absolute beast of a vocalist and I think he genuinely really appreciated the things you were saying about him.
I've always loved Tesseract and Dan for me is one of the best vocalists around, but I don't feel they get the recognition they truly deserve sometimes. Great video 🤘
I have always loved Dan's vocals. Iv been a fan of Tesseract since 2010 and seeing how he has improved as a vocalist makes me really happy, his vocals on the new album are just on another level, iv never seen this side of him before musically and I hope he embraces this a lot more with future Tesseract albums.
You did it! YES. This was an awesome video. Hope to see more of Dan on here. :)
King Diamond was a master of playing different voices to indicate characters! Pretty cool stories on his albums!
Love this! So glad you covered this song after doing war of being. Having dan here to extrapolate more about his techniques makes it even more interesting to watch.
I love stuff like this great Video
Love the storyline and everything omfg keep it coming