Is Legion by TesseracT Their Best Track Yet || Old Composer Reaction and Analysis

[@darkaquatus]

I am a huge fan of Tesseract and I did not expect this. Legion is for sure one of my favorite Tesseract songs now. Absolutely brilliant and it only gets better and better as you listen more frequently to it.

[@januszo.2180]

same here man

[@dek86s]

yes !! this album is like fine wine!! although i don't drink!! ;D

[@jordanbenson2980]

Best track on the Album for me, and, what a phenomenal album. Best Tesseract by far since Altered State

[@foxjade8924]

Nah, it's good, but it feels just like a rehash of many of their songs.

[@MaddJakd]

​​@@foxjade8924I don't quite see it. I do feel like he's having fun here though. Tbf, if you watch the stream, or happed to get the documentary in one of the special editions, they do say how some of this was written or at least fiddled around with going back to the beginning and over the years. Any feels of "typical Tesseract" would actually be noticing what was other ideas that went elsewhere in earlier albums or overall core to them indeed. Honestly I'm not on borad with this idea of band progressing equating to literally becoming something else for some of yall to be into it.

[@nathandrums0]

@@foxjade8924how is it a rehash? Name a single song it’s a new version of.

[@whitecapsicum]

you should just do the whole album.

[@hailstone_]

Agreed I’m hoping

[@zoedoesmusic4520]

seconded

[@Prog4Prog]

💯

[@SrTullioZ]

YES!!!

[@RC_Cubed]

Yea it's pretty f'ing amazing.

[@lokiemkcuf1341]

dan is the man, from haji's kitchen, skyharbor, tesseract, white moth black butterfly and more, he can really do anything and he's only gotten better

[@taradikoff123]

woah! Ive been wondering for years who was collaborating in skyharbor. makes much more sense now

[@stevemuzak8526]

Earthside, Zeta etc.

[@MaddJakd]

​@shadeaux5351 Dans's on Shlkyharbor's first 2 albums. And I believe one of the guys from that band is actually producer for Dan's solo stuff. So even being no longer officially part of that group, I'm sure cross pollination will be a thing lol.

[@taradikoff123]

@@MaddJakd That is still awesome. Skyharbor hasn't released in quite some time, so curious to see when/if they return

[@MaddJakd]

@shadeaux5351 they seem to fall off in between releases. I saw them live shortly after Dan left (Tesseract headlining funny enough) Definitely felt like Eric Emery was a solid fit, but hearing Dan all over Sunshine Dust left me feeling a bit let down. Will be nice what they can do with "less" Dan-written songs lol

[@bknight3391]

This is probably the best vocal performance Dan has done on a TesseracT track to date, perhaps his best one ever. Always glad to see your take on this stuff Geebz!

[@erakattack]

I don't know why that madman would dare to put this in the live set night after night. Especially considering he's doing many more harsh vocal parts nowadays. But he's really pulling it off for the most part.

[@fat_mason]

I bloody love this band and I bloody love you, Geebz.

[@mattvsmetaverse]

Haven't even started the reaction yet, and I gotta say thank you for doing this one. Easily my favorite off the new album, beating out their title track, and hardly anyone is doing it. I'm hoping that the word spreads. If not, I just gotta be privy to another secret gem (I'm used to it). People don't know what they're missing (which is probably why they're missing it). I've played this track on repeat, and I still get chills. That is so rare for me, you have no idea. Seems the donators always know the good stuff, and are usually the ones who're on the same page as me. So, props to this particular donator! Edit: Totally agree on Dan's vocals. "Comfortable" is a great way to put it. You may have also been looking for "intentional" (pretty synonymous in this instance), which is the impression I get from really experienced and practiced vocalists like Dan. Like each break in their voice is a choice, rather than a happenstance that works out in the mix. Hope to see more TesseracT from you.

[@hailstone_]

💯

[@kaspervantol2484]

Completely agree, I've been sobbing several times listening to this and that is extremely rare

[@avior2951]

I don't think it beats out the title track, but I do think this is Dan's best performance so far. What im "missing" here (just my personal taste) is that typical offbeat bass of Amos like in some of the other songs. Not saying every song has to be the same ofc, this ones more calm that's fine ^^

[@mattvsmetaverse]

@@avior2951 Absolutely. Preference is definitely a determining factor. :) For me, that groove is just perfect, even though it's pretty sustained, and I love a good build/wall-of-sound. I think they executed that perfectly here. As a song altogether, I can definitely concede the preference of "War of Being". It's got far more structure and variance as a composition. And is another great example of Dan's range. As a producer, I also may look for and appreciate different/niche aspects than many others might (like where each sound sits in the mix), so those aspects may resonate with me more personally. I found myself listening to "Legion" far more without losing interest for those reasons. The composition, though minimal on the surface, contains so many layers. I only wish it was longer. But yea, "War of Being" is 10/10 for sure. TesseracT's got at least a couple of those on this one. :D

[@joelaton1062]

@@mattvsmetaverse I cannot decide if i like war of being or legion more. But i do think Legion is the better song as far as Dan's vocal range. Both are great songs. Hell, the whole album is great.

[@hedlund]

God damn. No matter how many years I spend listening to these guys, their music just doesn't stop yanking my heartstrings every which way. I can't think of another modern artist whose entire discography I have to file under 'elicits visceral reaction' in my head. Edit: Drat. The point of this was to thank you for helping spread their music some more, but I got sidetracked, evidently, so: Thank you kindly!

[@Hadgerz]

8:10 guy who said "metal jeff buckley" was on the money. I was thinking prog metal Matt Bellamy from Muse, but i can see that. This track is the best showcase of Dan's vocal chops, hands down. "Lead me home", what a phenom.

[@caloomface]

When that middle section comes up at 7:20 me and my wife always refer to it as the matt bellamy section ahaha. Love it.

[@physiciandab6817]

Surprised to see that nobody has mentioned that the last 20ish seconds of this song has the same melody as the end of their song "Mirror Image", even paying homage to the "I've been dreaming..."

[@bknight3391]

Every time I hear him sing that line in Legion I keep expecting the rest of Mirror Image to play.

[@jvdduyn]

There's even more throwbacks on this album, I believe the ending on Burden has a link with Juno and I recall some more songs but can't name it off the top of my head

[@ChilisauLP]

They talked about that on their recent livestream. Apparently the end was a draft for Mirror Image.

[@MaddJakd]

I thought I recognized that....

[@ArturoGarcia007]

there is a lot of callbacks and easter eggs from previous albums including from one, polaris, sonder and even altered state. the more i listen tot he album the more i catch some. its really fun to point out.

[@darkphoenix2]

It might be their best song...or it might be one of several others on this album. Every song has a moment that I look forward to hearing when I listen, and it has a big, spirit lifting sound overall. I feel like it came along at a great time for a lot of people.

[@kaspervantol2484]

Well said, I needed this album right at this moment

[@yhamez]

Yeah I agree with this. Lots of good stuff on there for me (surprising myself). Yeah the timing for me is definitely a thing.

[@karerabbe7829]

My god this song is epic! Thank you for the review!

[@Lando-rz6gt]

album deserves a deep dive for sure! thanks for the upoad geebz!

[@KaedaN1428]

Tesseract are absolute masters of their craft, special mention to Amos Williams for being a monster bass player and knowing perfectly how to cut through the mix! Fills in the space perfectly

[@JoshyS656]

You are the man Geebz.

[@emptycloud2774]

This album is a masterpiece on the shoulders of their incredible catalogue. As a fan for 12 years, I am speechless of this album. They have somehow improved upon every aspect of their sound into a singular album.

[@dougcronkhite2113]

The mix/engineering is done by Acle Kahney, the main songwriter and one of the guitarists.

[@agitatedzone]

Frying his voice like that while still emitting melody is so impressive to me

[@EricShindlecker]

I've grown super fond of the song Sirens. And the ending to Natural Disaster is *chefs kiss*

[@Lodgiefitness]

It's like my dream came true and Matt Bellamy joined a prog metal group haha

[@Hadgerz]

Hot take, but Tesseract today is basically what I feel like I wanted Muse to be after The Resistance circa 2012, even if I didn't know it at the time. Every metalhead has seen how close Muse comes to being 'our people' with Kill Or Be Killed. Dan is making it happen!

[@Lodgiefitness]

Agree'd!@@Hadgerz

[@RoseyRobin]

Thanks for the analysis! I haven't been able to get this song out of my head, and I was hoping you'd check it out 🤘

[@TheMinster1960]

I don't have any TesseracT albums in my collection. This song has me thinking I need to change that situation.

[@jvdduyn]

Sonder and Altered State (different vocalist but really a great one) are amazing, definitely need to give those a good listen!

[@TheMauroTelles]

​@@jvdduynespecially Altered State!

[@jvdduyn]

@TheMauroTelles hell yeah dude. As I do think Dan's the better vocalist overall for the tesseract sound, the flow and depth of Altered State is just absolutely stunning. The band did something special there.

[@TheMauroTelles]

@@jvdduyn most definitely. Altered State is in my top 3 albums of all time, so I'm a little biased towards it. Though I do agree Dan is what suits Tesseract the most in the grand scheme of things.

[@felinepeople]

The pause at 6:16 killed me 😂

[@yhamez]

lol me too!

[@mattkovarik646]

Thank you my man!

[@Eniclac]

Few tracks gives me goosebumps, but this one does it for me every time, the emotions are intense.

[@MrTickleTrunk]

I wish i had more time in the day because I REALLY MISS catching these streams live. Fantastic breakdown on this one 😀 too.

[@wolframreactor74]

Geeebz new Earthside is out… and Daniel Tompkins (TesseracT) provided vocals once again on “Let the truth Speak”

[@sicdedworm09]

What song. It was probably on my 3 listen that I was like holy shit ok boys. A lot of vocal effects layered throughout the album which is taking some getting used to for me but it’s cooking for sure! The discovery phase is my favorite.

[@bymyenemy]

It blows my mind how much you hear in a first listen. Always impressed!

[@Wonderlust69420]

Those “high digi bells” are their guitars. They have signature approach to tone as they do with every other nuance. Theyre about to tour with Alluvial which has one of the best guitarist in the world Wes Hauch. Check em out too. A good song is called Compound.

[@thevishyfishy]

their best song yet, hands down. and one of the best songs I've ever heard

[@NotRKelly.]

Thank you Geebz

[@spriestplayer2329]

Indukti - Ninth wave 👋🏻

[@Prog4Prog]

I loved Indukti back in the day! I stumbled across the album randomly at some thrift store second hand CD market. Was a great impulse buy! Reminds me of the good old days when you had to strike luck to discover new bands!

[@hailstone_]

Thank god you’re checking out TesseracT again

[@The1of1000]

Love the objectivity in the analysis.

[@ratguts1985]

Great track, excellent album. Dan's vocal performance on this is amazing.

[@ConnorHammond]

Goddamn, Tesseract don't disappoint. Peak music energy right here.

[@roymendez6615]

I get to see them this November in Los Angeles 👍

[@moatfloater]

Hey Geebz just some background, Tesseract are considered one of the pioneering djent bands, they popped up on the scene around the same time Periphery did.

[@Hadgerz]

And just like Periphery, they remain right at the forefront of the g-- --djent is not a genre-- uh... prog metal scene.

[@moatfloater]

@Hadgerz If anything Tesseract have shown us time and time again it is haha, no Mark Holcomb finger doodling on display here, just djent on display. Hey all bands just rip off Meshuggah any way right.

[@JoeKundlak]

I would not classifz TesseracT as Djent... Prog Metal with a wide scope.

[@moatfloater]

@JoeKundlak Maybe not now, but they were very much a part of that scene when one released. Some of the members came from Fell silent, and the other half split off to form Monuments. The word djent gets thrown around a lot these days but we can't deny they were tied to that word in the beginning.

[@Prog4Prog]

I think Meshuggah formed in 1987 and started using 8 strings in 2002, that’s about 9 years before Tess formed. Sikth we’re also quite ‘djenty’ before that term was even coined back in 1999. Love Tess for their original unique sound but I don’t think they are djent pioneers.

[@msena4008]

I would recommend checking out Chris Liepe’s video on the analysis of Legion. He and Dan really get into the details about the concept of the song from a vocalist’s perspective. All of the different vocal things that Dan does in this song have a specific purpose (such as cleans, screams etc represent different characters in the concept). Made me really appreciate the song even more. Definitely one of my top Tesseract songs.

[@RobJohansen]

Tesseract - Legend

[@turtlejam35]

I feel like since this song colors the feeling of anxiety in the lyrics. I thinks it's kinda thought full that the drums are pronounced in those quite parts because even though the world can be calm you can still experience an anxiety attack feeling and hearing your heart pounding even though your safe

[@theeviljames]

Love Tesseract: Dan's vocals are so amazing on this album. Always have been great, been somehow even better

[@joelaton1062]

I think it is because he is older. I also think this album that his vocals are better. And they were already really good before to be sure. But some singers voices just get better as they get a little older.

[@theeviljames]

@@joelaton1062 yeah, you're right. The maturity of his developed voice with better command of, seemingly, the same kind of range

[@Merkaba954]

This entire album is FIRE!!!

[@ajzorger93]

This album is killer

[@stebriggs17]

Do the album!!!!

[@tristendry2089]

Someone in the chat said “Metal Jeff Buckley” at some point and to be honest that’s a fantastic comparison, very accurate.

[@jamie12O9]

DO WAR OF BEING

[@Panda_SMM]

quite a solid album. another one that came out recently was Pomegranate Tiger, after almost 8 years since their latest record. Hope you check them out at some point, too.

[@albalkiewicz4616]

The drums are up and in the face at start because of the tension that starts the song….the nervousness/heart beat/stress of the character in the album….. the video does a great job of showing the ups and downs emotionally of the character coming in for “landing”….at least that’s my take

[@camerongearhart8156]

I would really love to see you another few songs from archspire. Anything off Bleed the Future would be sick by think in particular Drain of Incarnation would be sick.

[@ryano5168]

Feels a bit like later years Dillinger Escape Plan with a but if Rishloo.

[@defysjandl7201]

good sound volumes

[@pedrososa7050]

Hey man, i know it's kinda unrelated to the music you are accustomed to analyze, but can you consider listening to Cantata de Puentes Amarillos by Pescado Rabioso in the future? I have no doubt it will blow a couple minds, even if it is an 1973 recording. Great video btw! Always a pleasure watching at work

[@MrmeladaWasTaken]

im begging you to do Natural Disaster by them as well.

[@ryukan250]

No idea why the KZbin community is blowing up over this one song in particular. Yeah it's good but it ain't touching Seven Names, Eden, Proxy, Retrospect, Hexes, Concealing Fate: 1, 2, 4, 6. There's at least 6 other tracks on War of Being that stand out just as much as this too.

[@skyWalk02470]

Yes. This is their best track yet.

[@JDMintegraVTEC]

'Ract bumps

[@TheMrChugger]

The drummer knows to back off for what is the performance of a life time from the singer

[@felinepeople]

Yep, I hope the audience at the concert does the same thing… I love singing along, but I know when to shut up 😅

[@TheMrChugger]

@@felinepeople I like to think that's me, but I've probably ruined a lot of gigs, for a lot of people 🤣

[@felinepeople]

@@TheMrChugger Lmao okay I can’t say I haven’t done the same thing 😂 good thing the band is usually pretty loud

[@sicdedworm09]

@@felinepeoplewith the performance Dan gave here I doubt anyone will be about to keep up at the shows lol. We will see!

[@bassguitar1919]

I'm a simple man, if someone appreciates Tesseract they get a like.

[@IggyFloyd]

Prog metalcore. Best album of the year

[@Aemeth93]

They're not metalcore whatsoever. Just straight up progressive metal/djent

[@IggyFloyd]

@@Aemeth93 good for u

[@MaddJakd]

​@@IggyFloydThere's literally is no metalcore here. Never has been 😂 Yall must be some new kids who thinks everything remotely heavy-ish is "metalcore." Entirely different conventions and sound.

[@franklinriley7074]

This is definitely the most commercial track. Not the best hest though

[@AnotherFacelessDigitalNoOne]

Ooft... its pronounced leigon... like a Roman one.... but you know your stuff so

[@AttilatheThrilla]

Man you paused at the best part.. Talked on top of the best vocal part.. Also possibly didn’t even watch the video??

[@gurushen99]

Big fan of the band, but I'm sad to say none of the new songs have grabbed me - like - at all. Sonder was VERY meh and this album has nothing on their previous ones. It all feels so overthought and overelaborated, maybe similar to Tool's latest album. Or maybe I'm just outgrowing them, which is just as sad...

[@michaeltarasov4426]

Good song, but clip is kinda little bit cringy, someguy is astronaut is singing in his cabin, guys on walkie talkie are confused with Dan I think😂

[@Irmelinis]

If you've immersed yourself into the concept of the album and the long background story of it, you'll understand the video better. It's about the battle in our minds (war of being) and the spaceship crashing represents our own dreams or life crashing down, making us lose control, feeling fear. And much more.

[@r2r322]

Intro is Haken-ish af. Love it. That vidya feel to it.