TriPart
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TriPart

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""Beneath the Surface" CD Review"

Playing a combination of hard rock, melodic rock, blues and AOR on its 2006 full length debut Beneath The Surface, TriPart delivers a diverse sound certain to appeal to fans of not only Petra, Idle Cure, White Heart and Daniel Band but those into Stryper, Angelica, Guardian, Shout and Slav Simanic as well. The album is divided into three distinct parts. The first features two straightforward hard rockers in “One Thing” and “Thy Kingdom Come” and the second four “mellower” tracks that move in a slower and more acoustic based direction (with the better being “Lamb And The Lion” and “Double-Minded Man”). At just the moment the album begins to lose your attention, however, Beneath The Surface satisfyingly transitions to its guitar driven third part, which starts with the bluesy rocker “Take Me Away” and ends with four quality hard rockers in “Addicted”, “Jerusalem”, “I’m So Glad” and “What You Feel”.

The driving force behind this talented power trio is vocalist and guitarist Randy Von Allmen. I enjoy how Randy adorns the albums heavier material with his edgy and metal laced riffs while, at the same time, lacing the atmosphere with a lush trace of acoustic guitar whenever needed. He turns the area of lead vocals into a legitimate strength, contributing a mid-octave ranged vocal style with a classic rock feel heavily rooted in the 70s, his delivery mostly of the even and smooth sounding variety. Drummer Darrell Ferraiuolo and bassist Brendan Marron combine to anchor the albums low end in no uncertain terms.

Production values, clean and crystal clear and allowing all the instrumentation to stand out in the mix, are immaculate in ranking among the finest this reviewer has heard on an independent release.

The albums packaging is also a thing of beauty, featuring a colorful, eye catching cover and a digi-pack that folds out to reveal lyrics printed in an easy to read font.

Speaking of the lyrics, Beneath The Surface proves a well written and boldly Christian effort that addresses topics ranging from the second coming, double-mindedness and the character of Christ.

The album gets underway with the jagged, edge hard rocker “One Thing”. A snarling rhythm guitar holds sway over the song its full distance, delivering an abundance of gritty, mid-tempo impetus that brings out the best in its driving chorus and muscular verse portions that follow. “One Thing” asks several relevant questions:

Is there one song to sing, is there one gift to bring?
Is there one game to play, is there one prayer to pray?
Is there one key to find, is there one genius mind?
Is there one single tear, is there one God to fear?

The hard rocking direction is maintained on “Thy Kingdom Come”. The song kicks in at an upbeat tempo before the rhythm guitar takes a backseat in the mix upon obtaining its first verse, returning in full fury to stand in support of an emotionally charged chorus drawing its lyrics from Matthew 6:10-13:

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us, deliver us from evil

“Lamb And The Lion” begins the albums “mellower” second part. Carried from front to back by a crisp acoustic guitar, the song moves forward in smooth sounding fashion, not picking up in pace until reaching its forthright chorus and an instrumental section sustained by Allmen’s tight sounding lead work. “Lamb And The Lion” touches upon the second coming:

Justice will come like a thief in the night
And a trumpet will sound and the good and the right
We’ll be caught up with Him, in the twinkling of an eye
And forever time will cease

Introduced to a drum solo, the AOR influenced “Double-Minded Man” calmly flows through its verse portions to a blend of quietly played guitar and keyboards until gaining momentum for a chorus of the lively and energetic variety. The piano opening the songs instrumental section gives way to a stretch of razor sharp lead guitar work. “Double-Minded Man” is aptly named:

You’re like a ship on the ocean in the raging sea
No lighthouse for direction, no plan or place to be
A double-minded man blows in the wind
He’s like a weed that tumbles around, like a top that spins.

“I 53” slowly moves ahead to an amalgamation of quiescent guitar and distinct bass lines prior to picking up in pace for a worshipful chorus pointing to the person of Christ:

By His wounds we have been healed
By His Spirit we have been sealed
Earthen vessels treasure stored
Promise filled in Jesus our Lord

Ultimately, I find the lyrics here to be nothing less than inspired:

Despised and rejected
A man of such sorrow and pain
The burden of peace was upon Him
To carry our guilt and our shame

“Key To My Soul”, another acoustic based track, comes across with a bit too much of a polished and overriding commercial feel for my taste. No, the song is by no me - Angelic Warlord


"TriPart - "Beneath the Surface""

Normally I’m quite turned off by Christian themed music but when I heard TriPart and their uncanny ability to combine modern rock, jazz and blues music, I quickly withdrew my prejudices. These guy really know how to craft songs with a wonderful message of hope for the mind, body and soul. This is a great contrast to the mayhem most bands today write about. TriPart is a very welcomed force, that I must day, like a wave, crashes into and takes you on a journey.
If you’re into Christian based music or not, the messages of hope on Beneath the Surface, just lifts you. For me it lifts me from my daily woes and makes me realize, there is hope even in dark times. If you’re turned off by the band’s lyrical content, which is really not the ‘in-your-face’ type, you’ll find some… and I say this respectfully….kick-ass music from start to finish with some of the heaviest metallic guitar riffs I‘ve heard in a long while. I urge you to at least take a listen to their samples both on their main page & their MySpace page and you’ll hear what I mean.

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on March 10th, 2007 - ProgNaut.com


Discography

Beneath the Surface, 2006

Tracks:

One Thing
Thy Kingdom Come
Lamb and the Lion
Double-Minded Man
I 53
Key to My Soul
Take Me Away
Addicted
Jerusalem
I'm So Glad
What You Feel
Creature Chant

Photos

Bio

Randy Von Allmen grew up in the north east suburbs of Detroit, in the home of a preacher - his mom. As a teenager in the mid 70's, he used to sneak to bed at night with headphones listening to the likes of Aerosmith and Rush. In the summer of 1977 that he saw his first rock concert and his life would never be the same. "I always dreamed of performing my own songs - doing cover material just never appealed to me. I like to write simple songs people can remember and sing along with."

In his first year of college in Springfield, MO, Randy found himself playing on some fairly large stages with the likes of BJ Thomas ("Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head") and Petra ("Washes Whiter Than"). At the time, Randy was writing songs and rehearsing with a couple of friends that would later form the alternative metal band, King's X.

Now, twenty something years later, Randy just released his first CD as frontman of a band he named TriPart. "TriPart is the notion that humans exist in three separate and distinct parts - body, soul, and spirit." While their music spans a broad range of styles and textures, Randy refers to it as ''Alternative Message Music'', and that's exactly what it is.

TriPart's first release "Beneath the Surface" stands out both lyrically and musically. One can hear the musical influences of Rush, Steely Dan, and Aerosmith in many of their songs.