FRACKTURA – Oculus

This remarkably brief EP, which clocks in with a shorter running time than most Punk demos, asks a lot of the listener, but rewards their patience and open mindedness with some thought provoking, artistically deep, pseudo-intellectual musical expression.

Although it is difficult to see through the veil of pretentiousness that is presented in the lyrics and song structures,  fans of Progressive Rock and the more classically oriented melodic acts like Nightwish and Edenbridge will find their tastes to be an excellent fit for Fracktura’s Oculus. There are also some similarities to new acts like Octavision, which feature unique, traditional folk instruments used in a Fusion and Metal environment.

The production quality found here is second to none. Extensively layered vocal harmonies and a wide range of well-mixed instrumentation pushes this release towards film score status. All of the performances ranging from the drums to vocals, and even saxophone, are textbook perfect and sound as if they are all executed by seasoned session players. This not only makes the listening experience that much better, but also legitimizes the artistic goals put forth by Fracktura, namely to encourage the listener to search within themselves for deeper meaning to their own lives and existence. While this is arguably a misunderstanding of the values of the listener, there is no fault to be found with the execution. At the very least, Oculus makes a perfect soundtrack to a thoughtful, solitary night in.