Trippingpoint - Transcendence

​Trippingpoint

​Transcendence
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Andrew Westberry 

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Trippingpoint is a four-membered rock band comprised of Neil Sturgeon (guitar) Damon Belchambers (drums) Tim Keegan (bass) and Amber Claire (vocals) whose style incorporates classic rock motifs with cutting edge technologies and individual proclivities and dispositions, blending it all into three accessible songs in their EP entitled Transcendence. Beginning with two guitarists and steadily adding more musicians to the mix, it is evident that Trippingpoint has hit upon a formula for success in this record.

The first track, “Transcendence” is purely instrumental. The busy percussion guides the song through the ebbs and flows of energy and volume, and reverb-laced guitars carry most of the melody. Tension constantly builds throughout the song, reaching an apex as distorted power chords overwhelm the song’s sound in a chorus of strength. For a six-minute song, Trippingpoint has managed to create enough variety within the song to avoid any overt repetition or tediousness.

The vocals of Amber Claire make their first appearance in “Neodymantium,” a melodic track that echoes many of the same themes as the album’s opening song. Claire’s voice brings a lightness to the somewhat dark aura of the song’s instrumentation as her voice freely floats above the heavier frequencies driven by the guitars and drums. “Neodymantium” feels like the album’s best track in that it manages to effortlessly blend many emotions and sounds into a coherent piece of music.

The album ends with “Just a Phase,” a lengthy track filled with minor chording and harmonious melodies interacting symbiotically. This is another instrumental track, and even though it resembles “Transcendence” in style, its straightforward beat, catchy hooks and atmospheric feel sufficiently distance the song from sounding like a repeat of the opening song.

As a whole, Transcendence is a fantastic work of art that shows clear dedication to the production of quality music and indicates the talent and camaraderie of the band Trippingpoint in its recently started journey in the world of music. Unquestionably, there are great things to come from this band.

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