Altered State 2, on TankieTube too!
original post
It's about time I did a definitive post recommendation about this album. A while back I recommended the first two "movements" of this album, "Of Matter" and "Of Mind", though I have since deleted the account and it's posts, so here's the album. This time, it's the whole thing. Every "movement" (I don't know what else to call them), every song, all here. You may have seen me go on about this in the old posts, or in the trans mega, but this album is absolutely a must-listen for anyone. There's something in this album most people can enjoy, and many people enjoy everything about it. I truly believe it is a musical masterpiece in terms of songwriting, mixing, and atmosphere. The bass is present, the lead vocals and the harmonies are well-crafted and angelic, the riffs are catchy and attention-grabbing while also lending themselves to, and creating, the atmosphere. Even the saxophone on "Calabi-Yau" is great, and feels like a natural continuation of the movement it closes out, while being pretty amazing in it's own right. Listen to this album through, or pick a movement. Of Matter is a great opening and is probably still my favorite out of the four. Of Mind is also great, Nocturne and Exile are amazing tracks, and they will both appeal to different types of listeners. Of Reality is definitely listened to best following Of Mind (all movements benefit from album order, but Of Reality especially), though if you just want to hear the saxophone this may be the route for you. Of Energy is a great closing track, and you can really feel that it's the end, especially with Embers being the kind of closing track that it is. Really, Of Energy should be treated as one track, and it stands well on it's own to listen to as a single. HOWEVER, you really should just listen to the album through. If it's not your cup of tea, whatever, at least you tried, and you felt a taste of what Luna of Hexbear's favorite album is. You now know me just that little bit better. Obviously if you enjoyed it you got that out of it, right?
Yeah, so my review still holds up, this album is still probably one of my favorites, its great to get back into, and I still think it is a masterpiece. Is there anything more to be said that I didn't say? I love this album, and now it's in a location where people can listen to it, in its entirety, without worrying about YouTube BS or streaming service tracking or anything else. If you didn't see the original post, or don't remember what was said, give it a read! Its especially good if you're on the fence about listening to this album.
Reading it again, I was in a different place at the time. I had just started my transition, and this album was on repeat for me. It played when I buzzed my legs for the first time (no, I didn't shave at first) and I still sing the songs, or hear them in my head, whenever I shave anything. I used the shaving as an example, but this album really is linked to the gender euphoria I felt when I first did those things, and if there was any album that would be my "transition album", this would have to be it.
I'll probably always be a bit sad that Ashe O'Hara left TesseracT, and the band never really returned to an album like Altered State. I do think it was overall not a bad thing, because I've really grown to appreciate Polaris, Sonder, and War of Being, but none of them will ever be as special to me as Altered State still is. I can really appreciate Dan Tompkins though, after really getting into Polaris and War of Being I can hear just how amazing his vocals are as well, and I've grown to love his newer stuff too (I used to only like One).
That's all from me this time, and no, I do not think there will be a third Altered State post. Maybe I'll do an in-depth post on Polaris or One at some point.