This band rules. I saw them open for Sigh live in the late 00's and it was so good. There were like 7 members. They played perfectly and sounded great. The bassist (Chaoth) actually played a 9 string bass.
I caught them when they hit Nashville that tour as well as the year before. That show was unfortunately wrecked by an inept venue sound guy. The band kept having to stop and make adjustments. At one point the bass player left the stage to go fix their sound. It was a real shame, and I know it was the venue b/c Sigh opted to just play, and as a result you couldn't hear anything through the muddle (much too loud for the tiny venue)
ok, first of all I am so jealous you got to see Sigh, that is my biggest bucket list ever. But now a humble brag, I did sound for them when they came through my city and, while it was one of the most challenging sound jobs I ever had, I loved every minute of it! They were amazing to see live!
@@VestigialLung oh damn, that sucks so much. I took a lot of pride in my job as a soundman, and while I didn't always succeed (Fuck the Facts had terrible sound because I mixed them and then they turned their amps all the way up and I couldn't mix anything properly after the fact) I always tried my best. Had some bands ask me to come on tour with them, but mostly just was able to make friends with some of them. Bands know when you care about the sound.
Unexpect is amazing. I way I describe their music is "Controlled Chaos" . Their music kind of leaves you at a loss the first time you hear it, but the more you listen the more your ear sorts out the chaos and then the songs just become better and better with subsequent listens. It's amazing.
I love Unexpect so much. I really don't feel I understood what music *could* be until I found them, and in my opinion no one has been able to capture what they did in the same way. I'm gutted every time I think about how they went on an indefinite hiatus and we'll probably never get another album from them.
Good old avant-garde music from Quebec :) ! I remember the first time I've heard this band when I was in high school. I really disliked it because I was too young and couldn't figure out the what the hell was going on haha. A few years later they became on of my favorite band. It's a shame that the band broke up a few years ago. Their last album, Fables of the Sleepless Empire is really a masterpiece of chaos, awesome bass and layers. Thanks for reacting to obscure bands like this one !
Yeah man, I love checking out obscure and fringe stuff. Getting lesser known music into new ears and shining a light on people's hidden gems is one of my favorite parts about doing this channel.
Saw these guys live on the PROGRESSIVE NATION tour in 2009. One evening, one stage, with the bands Unexpect, Dream Theater, Opeth, and Bigelf performing. I remember they were 7 people playing each their own song, I didn't get it, and it was awesome
@@CriticalReactions Yes, it was absolutely a night to remember :) Unexpect played this song, Dream Theater played the whole Count of Tuscany and Opeth did Harlequin Forest! I don't remember any Bigelf songs, but it was a kind of 70's psychedelic rock style.
Editing my comment as I forgot about their 1st album. The band consists of 7 members: a female vocalist, 2 male vocalists who both play guitar, a 9 string bassist, a pianist, a violinist, and a drummer. Sadly they only released 2 albums. This is from their 2nd, more chaotic, and breakthrough album. Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted Guest is from their 3rd album, which is a similarly chaotic, but a tad more refined and compositionally mature album and a top 10 favorite album of mine for sure. It never gets old. But I still have tons of love and appreciation for this more raw, uninhibited, bat shit crazy monster of an album. You said you wanted to hear more of them. You just might get your wish during this Sunday's livestream!
@@Dukhevych I always forget about their first album and honestly have never listened to it due to the poor reviews/ratings, but it's gotta be at least decent as it's still Unexpect.
They released 3 albums, actually. The first one was called Utopia and was self released in 1999. They also released a EP in 2003, _wE, Invaders. Also, Fables of the Sleepless Empire is such a great album.
Saw them live at the Whisky a go go in 2008, with just like 30 people... the violinist had to leave the tour, and they had some of his melodies played by guitar, bass or keyboards... simply amazing live, this was on the In a Flesh Aquarium tour
Unexpect were one of the first bands I discovered through this channel and they immediately became a favorite. I've gone through their (too small) discography a few times since then. Just consistently awesome stuff, and this track is no exception. One of the more appropriately titled bands ever as well; you literally never know what to expect with them! It's not always completely coherent, but it's always fascinating and they never fail to keep my attention to and through each change.
Unexpect is the best. The best metal band I ever listened to. In 2011, when I first heard them, I had to reimagine all my tastes in music. THIS is a PURE ART!
Thank you for checking another song by Unexpect :) One of my favorites! Other interesting, layered tracks from them you could check out are Feasting Fools, Mechanical Phoenix and Words.
Such a huge fan of this band! This album in particular. Super happy to see you touch upon them and give them some much needed exposure. This type of avant-garde shit totally rules, in my opinion
Oh man, I'm so happy that Diablo Swing Orchestra and Stolen Babies exist but I will always miss these guys.... BY THE WAY DID YOU ALREADY CHECKED OUT STOLEN BABIES? :O
@@CriticalReactions Dominique Lenore Persi! She is a very unique singer and even sung on one of Devin Townsend's records. You should Check out "Never come back" by Them. I think it's a short but nice introduction! :-)
Nice analysis. Would add that this track mostly switches between the slow more easily comprehensible half time parts that often dip their feet into jazzy/groovy elements and then the more hectic parts with a lot of driving guitar or piano parts that basically use consistent note length at high tempo. Obviously that tells only half the story because this band enjoys disruption through mood changes, genre changes (they pretty clearly love the dissonant part of dark cabaret), key changes and tempo changes a ton, including that over the top guitar "solo". I think good entry songs for this band are mechanical phoenix and quantum symphony with orange vigilantes as an honorable mention if you like especially their jazzy part. These have some imo very memorable parts that are easy to latch to and help to unlock the rest of the song step by step. But imo pretty much all of their songs are great especially on fables and for me they redefined quite a bit what music can actually do without stopping to function. Analyzing their songs is a ton of fun because like you noticed for the driving early piano part they pick up ideas a lot and link their at times chaotic seeming composition together. It often sounds random at first, but unless they intentionally create the hardest break possible (usually with minimal breaks followed by a wall of sound with dissonant elements) they mostly connect parts by moving one layer from one instrument to another one and then changing the other 3+.
So glad they made it back to the channel 👌 BTW 🤷🏻♂️They really can pull this all off Live... Crazy good live players🤘 You definitely need to get a visual display of this band in action... ✍️
I'd really love to see you react to Ebonylake's The Author of the burning Flock, which is another avant-garde band but coming more from the extreme metal side... meaning that Desert Urbania here, though this one goes in more places... is maybe, more accessible?... Maybe? Or for something which surely is more accessible Madness and her Thousand Youngs or Mens Insana in Corpore Insano from Le Grand Guignol's The Great Maddening.
Unexpect is definitely a fitting band name (heh same joke). I was not prepared for this track, and still not really sure what to think. There were sections of the song I really enjoyed, but when taking the song as a whole it just left me confused. Especially with having what felt like so many different genres smashed into one.
Unexpect is the one band that is a guilty pleasure that I would never turn on in the car with people in it. Absolutely love it though. Whenever I feel my life is distorted, I just play this band and suddenly my life doesn't feel so out of sorts anymore.
This band rules. I saw them open for Sigh live in the late 00's and it was so good. There were like 7 members. They played perfectly and sounded great. The bassist (Chaoth) actually played a 9 string bass.
I caught them when they hit Nashville that tour as well as the year before. That show was unfortunately wrecked by an inept venue sound guy. The band kept having to stop and make adjustments. At one point the bass player left the stage to go fix their sound. It was a real shame, and I know it was the venue b/c Sigh opted to just play, and as a result you couldn't hear anything through the muddle (much too loud for the tiny venue)
@@VestigialLung That's too bad. Been to far too many shows where the sound guy ruined the show.
I caught them on the same tour in Cleveland, still one of my favorite shows I've been to.
ok, first of all I am so jealous you got to see Sigh, that is my biggest bucket list ever. But now a humble brag, I did sound for them when they came through my city and, while it was one of the most challenging sound jobs I ever had, I loved every minute of it! They were amazing to see live!
@@VestigialLung oh damn, that sucks so much. I took a lot of pride in my job as a soundman, and while I didn't always succeed (Fuck the Facts had terrible sound because I mixed them and then they turned their amps all the way up and I couldn't mix anything properly after the fact) I always tried my best. Had some bands ask me to come on tour with them, but mostly just was able to make friends with some of them. Bands know when you care about the sound.
Unexpect is amazing.
I way I describe their music is "Controlled Chaos" .
Their music kind of leaves you at a loss the first time you hear it, but the more you listen the more your ear sorts out the chaos and then the songs just become better and better with subsequent listens. It's amazing.
I have a full album review set for this upcoming Saturday so if you fancy a 3+ hour video about them then get hyped for that!
@@CriticalReactions yooo let's gooo! I'm hyped!
Maaaaaan, that stretch of time when Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and unexpecT were putting out albums were the GD salad days.
I love Unexpect so much. I really don't feel I understood what music *could* be until I found them, and in my opinion no one has been able to capture what they did in the same way. I'm gutted every time I think about how they went on an indefinite hiatus and we'll probably never get another album from them.
Saw them multiple times after 2005 over their years of touring. They did it all live
Good old avant-garde music from Quebec :) ! I remember the first time I've heard this band when I was in high school. I really disliked it because I was too young and couldn't figure out the what the hell was going on haha. A few years later they became on of my favorite band. It's a shame that the band broke up a few years ago. Their last album, Fables of the Sleepless Empire is really a masterpiece of chaos, awesome bass and layers. Thanks for reacting to obscure bands like this one !
Yeah man, I love checking out obscure and fringe stuff. Getting lesser known music into new ears and shining a light on people's hidden gems is one of my favorite parts about doing this channel.
@@CriticalReactions Keep it up, you are making me discover a lot of cool stuff and I like how you analyse songs :).
This is like if Alkaloid and Diablo Swing Orchestra had a baby. Both bands I'd definitely recommend. I love it!
Saw these guys live on the PROGRESSIVE NATION tour in 2009.
One evening, one stage, with the bands Unexpect, Dream Theater, Opeth, and Bigelf performing.
I remember they were 7 people playing each their own song, I didn't get it, and it was awesome
That's a huge lineup! I bet it was a fantastic evening.
@@CriticalReactions Yes, it was absolutely a night to remember :) Unexpect played this song, Dream Theater played the whole Count of Tuscany and Opeth did Harlequin Forest! I don't remember any Bigelf songs, but it was a kind of 70's psychedelic rock style.
I was lucky enough to open for this band. Best show of my life.
Editing my comment as I forgot about their 1st album. The band consists of 7 members: a female vocalist, 2 male vocalists who both play guitar, a 9 string bassist, a pianist, a violinist, and a drummer. Sadly they only released 2 albums. This is from their 2nd, more chaotic, and breakthrough album. Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted Guest is from their 3rd album, which is a similarly chaotic, but a tad more refined and compositionally mature album and a top 10 favorite album of mine for sure. It never gets old. But I still have tons of love and appreciation for this more raw, uninhibited, bat shit crazy monster of an album.
You said you wanted to hear more of them. You just might get your wish during this Sunday's livestream!
Consisted*
Sorry :(
Also it's their 2nd album, not the 1st one.
@@Dukhevych I always forget about their first album and honestly have never listened to it due to the poor reviews/ratings, but it's gotta be at least decent as it's still Unexpect.
They released 3 albums, actually. The first one was called Utopia and was self released in 1999. They also released a EP in 2003, _wE, Invaders. Also, Fables of the Sleepless Empire is such a great album.
@@alexandremarchand8815 Yeah I always forget about Utopia and edited my comment.
The first song i heard from these guy's was about a zombie wedding. Loved them ever since.
It reminds me like a movie where some villains planning on their revenge to destroy the light😅 So cool yet scary
Hope you react more to unexpect. Great band and they played well live.
Saw them live at the Whisky a go go in 2008, with just like 30 people... the violinist had to leave the tour, and they had some of his melodies played by guitar, bass or keyboards... simply amazing live, this was on the In a Flesh Aquarium tour
Unexpect were one of the first bands I discovered through this channel and they immediately became a favorite. I've gone through their (too small) discography a few times since then. Just consistently awesome stuff, and this track is no exception. One of the more appropriately titled bands ever as well; you literally never know what to expect with them! It's not always completely coherent, but it's always fascinating and they never fail to keep my attention to and through each change.
You can find a few of their live clips on UA-cam and they sound so tight despite their complex compositions.
I could imagine the performance is even more awesome to watch simply because of the tight precision required for some of these sections.
Unexpect is the best. The best metal band I ever listened to. In 2011, when I first heard them, I had to reimagine all my tastes in music. THIS is a PURE ART!
Unexpect is my favorite band of all time and my biggest influence. You should check out my old band Acrylazea if you like Unexpect.
Thank you for checking another song by Unexpect :) One of my favorites!
Other interesting, layered tracks from them you could check out are Feasting Fools, Mechanical Phoenix and Words.
Omggggg need more of this band now
Such a huge fan of this band! This album in particular. Super happy to see you touch upon them and give them some much needed exposure. This type of avant-garde shit totally rules, in my opinion
Oh man, I'm so happy that Diablo Swing Orchestra and Stolen Babies exist but I will always miss these guys.... BY THE WAY DID YOU ALREADY CHECKED OUT STOLEN BABIES? :O
No but the name sounds super familiar. Any big names in the band?
@@CriticalReactions Dominique Lenore Persi! She is a very unique singer and even sung on one of Devin Townsend's records. You should Check out "Never come back" by Them. I think it's a short but nice introduction! :-)
Ah and she plays the accordeon in this Band which is quite unique Even for Avantgarde metal 🤭
Really fun track! Bet I'll be diggin this more the better aquainted I get with all things happening (as often with all things prog...)
Oh yeah, there's a lot of depth here. Plenty to appreciate with more listens. :)
Nice analysis. Would add that this track mostly switches between the slow more easily comprehensible half time parts that often dip their feet into jazzy/groovy elements and then the more hectic parts with a lot of driving guitar or piano parts that basically use consistent note length at high tempo. Obviously that tells only half the story because this band enjoys disruption through mood changes, genre changes (they pretty clearly love the dissonant part of dark cabaret), key changes and tempo changes a ton, including that over the top guitar "solo".
I think good entry songs for this band are mechanical phoenix and quantum symphony with orange vigilantes as an honorable mention if you like especially their jazzy part. These have some imo very memorable parts that are easy to latch to and help to unlock the rest of the song step by step. But imo pretty much all of their songs are great especially on fables and for me they redefined quite a bit what music can actually do without stopping to function.
Analyzing their songs is a ton of fun because like you noticed for the driving early piano part they pick up ideas a lot and link their at times chaotic seeming composition together. It often sounds random at first, but unless they intentionally create the hardest break possible (usually with minimal breaks followed by a wall of sound with dissonant elements) they mostly connect parts by moving one layer from one instrument to another one and then changing the other 3+.
So glad they made it back to the channel 👌 BTW 🤷🏻♂️They really can pull this all off Live... Crazy good live players🤘 You definitely need to get a visual display of this band in action... ✍️
Unexpect is the sonic equivalent of an oyster licorice poprocks icecream sandwich
I'd really love to see you react to Ebonylake's The Author of the burning Flock, which is another avant-garde band but coming more from the extreme metal side... meaning that Desert Urbania here, though this one goes in more places... is maybe, more accessible?... Maybe? Or for something which surely is more accessible Madness and her Thousand Youngs or Mens Insana in Corpore Insano from Le Grand Guignol's The Great Maddening.
Unexpect is definitely a fitting band name (heh same joke). I was not prepared for this track, and still not really sure what to think. There were sections of the song I really enjoyed, but when taking the song as a whole it just left me confused. Especially with having what felt like so many different genres smashed into one.
Love these guys, and your reactions are great.
these guys are pretty great.
React to Pinly Smooth is a early Avenged Sevenfold band (The Rev and Synyster Gates) and is similar to this band
Unexpect is the one band that is a guilty pleasure that I would never turn on in the car with people in it. Absolutely love it though. Whenever I feel my life is distorted, I just play this band and suddenly my life doesn't feel so out of sorts anymore.
Traveling sideshow.