Guitarist, composer and bandleader Roeland Celis refuses to allow convention to restrict the flow of his adventurous creativity as he channels his diverse musicality into the unique ecosystem that he's called Ping OD and its debut release The Vacuum.
The name derives from the 'Ping of Death' cyber-attack strategy where the target is flooded with information, and also refers to the 'ping' of a submarines' sonar exploring uncharted waters. Celis has gathered an all-star crew of musicians from the fertile scene in his native Belgium to join him on his sonic adventure into a land where the dynamics and freedom of improvisation can meet the power and intensity of progressive metal and the exciting rigor of twelve-tone theory.
In a set of nine unique original compositions, storied rhythm team Cyrille Obermuller on bass and Gert-Jan Dreessen on drums join with pianist/producer Karel Cuelenaere to create a taught, rhythmically intricate foundation, upon which for Celis and sax player Sylvain Debaisieux create towering structures of improvisation. To complete the line-up, New Yorker John O' Gallagher, whose daringly original approach to serialism helped inform Celis' compositional approach, adds his unmistakable high-energy voice on alto sax. The results are a strikingly original fusion that's challenging and accessible in equal measure.
With its mixture of the subtlety of acoustic textures from the world of improvised music, the overwhelming power of electric rock, song-based structures alternating with compositional sophistication, and virtuosic high-octane blowing with precise, atmospheric arrangement, this album delivers an unforgettable holiday from the mundane and the predictable.
