
There are no endings. Here are only beginnings.
-- In Motion --
04/03/2019
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Progressive Metal |
■ | Thrash Metal |
■ | Death Metal |
Album artists:
■ | Tom "Tee" Tas | Guitars, bass |
■ | Hans Audenaerd | Guitars |
■ | Jonathan Braeckman | Drums, percussion |
■ | Wim Smekens | Drums (pre-production) |
Review
written by Stijn “Metal Shredder” Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
In summer
2018 I met up with Tom “Tee” Tas during a unique gig in a church in Lokeren where
he performed as part of 23 Acez, one of his currently active bands. Since then
I reviewed several albums he played in and a week ago I was invited to a press
event at the Crossover Music Pub in Ghent to check out the first release from
his latest solo project called In Motion. A warm reception, a couple of good
snacks and drinks, an exclusive early showcase of the In Motion album and a
free copy of said album later and it’s time for me to shred this gem!
[SHREDDING BASICS]
“Thriving
Force” is the first album from In Motion, a solo project from Belgian guitarist
and songwriter Tom “Tee” Tas, known for his work in various metal bands
including Thorium, 23 Acez, Quantum Fantay, Neo Prophet and Ostrogoth. Last
summer Tom already released an album from his other solo project Entering
Polaris, a great release that I highly recommend (check my review of that
album: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/85)
Both Entering Polaris and In Motion albums consist of material Tom has written
over the past several years and which he considered stylistically incompatible
with the bands he actively performs with. Both albums are released through the Dutch
record label Freya Records. Compared to Entering Polaris, which was mainly
focused on uplifting power metal with progressive elements, In Motion’s material is faster, heavier and inspired by thrash and
death metal.
There are,
however, a few things that both projects share with each other. First off, Tom’s
guitar work, if you’re familiar with his appearances in other bands than you will
certainly hear Tom’s “character” throughout the “Thriving Force” album. His
typically soaring guitar solos, the lengthy progressive metal instrumentals
(working as well-timed cool downs to the heavy beats dominating the album), the
poetic lyrics dealing with such topics as the creation of life, the mysteries
of the cosmos and mankind’s desire to explore it, the death of the old and the
birth of the new, etc.
Another
trait shared between Entering Polaris and In Motion are the many different
vocalists Tom hired to speak out his words. These guests include the likes of
Björn Strid (Soilwork), Mike Slembrouck (After All), Jeffrey Rademakers (Spartan),
Sindre Nedland (In Vain) and David Davidson (Revocation) among others and all
these guys do a tremendous job in complementing the songs they appear in. It
also results in a plethora of vocal styles, guttural growls, frantic shrieking,
operatic singing and on several occasions a clean vocalist will duet alongside a
harsher one to great effect.
And if all that
wasn’t enough variety already, there are also a few violin, acoustic guitar and
even saxophone sections in this album. Tom really put out all the stops to make
the album’s long songs as interesting as possible. Many songs, such as “Thrive,”
“Utopia” and the 18-minute epic “Always In Motion,” feel like 2 or 3 songs put
together into one consistent whole. And it all leads to excellent results!
[SHREDDING VISION]
Like
Entering Polaris before it, In Motion employs bizarre but very stylish artwork.
This time everything is covered in shades of blue and I’m having a hard time
figuring out whether this scenery is in space or underwater because of the sea
like colors as well as the ray-like creatures floating around. One funny bit
about the album’s artwork is a cameo appearance from Tom’s pet dog, on one of
the pages of the album’s booklet you can see his dog awkwardly flying around
with its head safely concealed in a scuba/astronaut like helmet.
[SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
My respects
go to the 18-minute track “Always In Motion.” It rarely happens that a track of
this enormous length is able to keep me interested all the way through but this
is one of them (other marathon songs capable of keeping me hooked that long are
Iron Maiden’s “Empire Of The Clouds” and Nightwish’s “The Greatest Show On
Earth”). Tom’s extensive creative arsenal is on full display here! Thrash and
death metal riffs tag team with progressive and meditative sections, natural
vocals with rough grunts and the classic metal instrumentation gets diversified
with classic guitar and it all ends in a jazzy saxophone session.
Worst bits about
In Motion? Well, it’s too bad that we most likely won’t ever see the In Motion
material being performed live. Like Entering Polaris before it, In Motion is an
ambitious but 100% studio-exclusive project. But then again, never say never.
After all, it took Arjen Anthony Lucassen more than 20 years before he was able
to present his Ayreon material live so there’s always hope. But in the
meantime, we can enjoy the recordings, but first…
[SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
9 extraterrestrial
rays out of 10. Tom promised a heavier and equally ambitious sister project to
his 2018 Entering Polaris brainchild and all things considered, he succeeded! Every
aspect of In Motion is handled with genuine passion and care, focusing on
thrash, death and progressive metal, all represented by experienced musicians
and all strung together with Tom’s signature guitar work. If you’re a fan of
any of Tom’s bands, whether it’s the hard rock from 23 Acez, the 80s metal of
Thorium or the space rock from Quantum Fantay, it doesn’t matter, In Motion is a
must-have! Here’s the lyric video for the song “Utopia.”