The voice of one man but the work of many Jay Wud is the perfect harmony between democracy and music. The third album from the international ensemble, Transitions, is as diverse as the cast and their respective tastes. Each adding their own personal dynamics to make this a completely unifying experience.
With deliberate action this album soars with thrash inspired riffage while unabashedly showing prog roots in the way the sonal structure is approached. Mercilessly shredding with a progressive attitude and sustaining a heavy metal attitude the depth of this album will have you both chilling and rocking out to the leaden and harsh tones that prevail through the mix.
Destined to be a classic Transitions is fresh but ambiguous enough in context to remain a staple diet in any metal catalogue for decades to come. The timeless composition in both album and group is grounded in reality but that’s not to say it’s without extravagance. A lot goes down with this album. It sounds natural and it’s a future classic not because of its style but because its overall composition is diverse.
While the shredding is extraordinary what defines this is the negative space that supplies the solid tools to carve a hole where the house of Jay Wud sits. While much of the chugging may be harsh when these guys go into melodramatic mode they hit stronger and harder. Where the balladesq pontiffs manage to capture the soul, the essence, of great music and communicate more imperatively than any words ever could.
Jay Wud are a unique group and their third album is an absolute treasure. Transitions is more of an undiscovered country with a future fated to be brilliant than a gamut of talent and while it wanders familiar territory it does it from another world.
10/10
