DOCKER’S GUILD – The Mystic Technocracy Season 2: The Age of Entropy (2022)
After almost six years since the last release, DOCKER’S GUILD is releasing its third album “The Mystic Technocracy Season 2: The Age of Entropy“, a Progressive Melodic Rock / Neo-Prog / Rock Opera piece of work which is the continuation of DOCKER’S GUILD first LP ‘The Mystic Technocracy Season 1 ; The Age Of Ignorance’.
DOCKER’S GUILD is the brainchild of keyboardist / multi-instrumentalist vocalist Douglas R. Docker (Biloxi, Vivaldi Metal Project), who again has managed to gather an impressive cast of musicians & vocalists for this new album.
Just to mention a few, on vocals there’s Amanda Somerville, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Elizabeth Andrews, guitars by Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Cher), Sascha Paeth (Avantasia), Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper), bass by Anna Portalupi (Hardline, Tarja Turunen), etc.
The ice of the cake is having legendary Neil Kernon (Dokken, Queensryche, Shy) to mix the whole thing with extreme precision.
Musically, “The Mystic Technocracy Season 2: The Age of Entropy” is much more melodic than the previous Season 1. While the basis of this concept album is progressive, it isn’t a busy piece, with accessible arrangements and sonics, at places, bordering AOR – or ‘proggy AOR’, in a way.
The songwriting is pretty song-format based, with rocking tracks mixed with atmospheric passages and slow / ballad-type numbers. Mastermind Douglas R. Docker performs a lot of instrumentation, however he’s mainly a keyboardist, so expect an arsenal of vintage and modern keys & synths.
About the story, “The Mystic Technocracy Season 2: The Age of Entropy” is another part of DOCKER’S GUILD concept album series with a story revolving around the idea of fanatical, dogmatic religion waging war and committing atrocities in the name of their God.
You’ll visit the dark world of The Mystic Technocracy, where a silicon-based techno-organic alien race attempts to wipe out all life on Earth through organized religion, while a tormented scientist makes his life’s mission to save humanity. The search for him will take him through the universe and on a personal journey from which there is no return.
It’s all-way entertaining, and easy to enjoy.
Production & mix is huge but not overwhelming, as said plenty of keyboard work (and variants of), well developed guitar parts and bouncing drumming. The vocals are well placed with strong performances, as expected with the talent involved.
Highly Recommended
01 – Terminus
02 – K475 W.A.M.
03 – Nocturne
04 – Rings
05 – Lucy
06 – Die Today
07 – Machine Messiah
08 – Le Chemin
09 – Atlantis Town
10 – The Arrow
11 – Crusades
12 – The King in Purple
13 – Cassilda_s Song
14 – Urbs Aeterna
15 – Pornocracy (Saeculum Obscurum)
16 – The Head
17 – S.O.S. Spazio 1999
Douglas R. Docker – keyboards, 4- & 12-string basses, lead vocals (4,5,8-10,12-17), backing vocals (6,7,11), spoken words (1,12,16)
with:
Anneke Van Giersbergen / lead vocals (13,14,16)
Amanda Somerville / lead vocals (14-16)
Elizabeth Andrews / extreme vocals (13,14,16)
Valentina Procopio / lead vocals (6,10,16), backing vocals (8,17)
Anna Petracca / lead vocals (7,10,12,16), backing vocals (7)
Serena Moine / operatic vocals (2,10,12,16)
Joel Hoekstra / guitar solo 4 (2), guitars (13-16)
Sascha Paeth / guitars (5,10)
Nita Strauss / guitars (17)
Mio Jager / guitars (1,2,6,11)
Toni Urzi / 12-string guitar (4,17), guitars (7-9)
Luigi Iamundo / guitars (17)
Helly / drums (1,2,5-11,13-17)
Anna Portalupi / bass (17)
Luca Pisu / bass (1,2,7,11)
Roby Salvai / bass (8,9,13-16)
Giorgio Novarino / bass (17)
BUY
www.amazon.co.uk/music/player/albums/B0BL398QG7
