Chronicles of Sound brings its audience along on a sci-fi journey into the world of Amaris.
If you love sci-fi adventure stories, dramatic battles, video game music, graphic novels or improvisation, this band is for you.
Chronicles of Sound’s newest album Dayside employs unique musicality and an artistic graphic novel to tell the story of the resistant citizens of Nimbo, who must harness the power of Sound in order to save their planet. As depicted in the graphic novel, protagonists Solan, Logi and Ardhana must lead the revolution against the dictator Lord Dreckin, who has stopped the world’s rotation and now reigns from the twilight realm of The Verge.
Lord Dreckin implements his rule through his violent, hot-tempered servant Lysander, who murders all those who resist the dictator’s orders. Throughout the course of the graphic novel, the protagonists learn that they must create communal, improvisational music in order to tap into the Sound, which is their last chance to stand up to Dreckin’s tyranny.
This is where the band comes in.
Chronicles of Sound’s music provides a soundtrack for the graphic novel and produces the communal music needed to fight the dictatorship, as exemplified in the song “Sounds in the Tunnels of Nimbo.” However, the music also plays a crucial role in the development of the graphic novel’s plot.
Songs such as “General Lysander” use heavy drum beats and slow electric guitar chords to heighten the drama of the scene in the graphic novel when Lysander forcefully expresses how the citizens of Nimbo need not fear as long as they obey his every command.
The album immediately forces the listener to recall scenes from the graphic novel and to imagine how the music could be used to enhance the novel’s urgency and intensity.
However, the music is just as powerful on its own.
During performances, the band members dress up as characters from the graphic novel and retell the story through their music.
The band also incorporates the music of popular video games into its sets, such as theme songs from Sonic The Hedgehog, X-Men, Final Fantasy, Game of Thrones and Mega Man. In this manner, the band cleverly inserts itself into the conversation regarding the growing popularity of video game and sci-fi music.
The band consists of Adam Nash (keyboard, vocals), Dave Rosen (bass, vocals), Yoomi Kwon (cello), Jeffrey Scott (guitar, vocals) and Salvatore Galati (drums). The group members write all of their own song lyrics and compose the rock compositions scattered throughout the album, choosing to focus on the emotions instilled in the listener by the instrumental music, rather than relying on lyrics to tell the story.
Chronicles of Sound, along with Close to Good, Community and Haggard Lee, will be performing at The Circuit, a new 21+ venue located in Essex (104 Back River Neck Road). The show will take place from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and costs $7 for Hopkins students. So take a break from studying and immerse yourself in a world of adventure, sci-fi and music.
