His first new album in a decade, ESC is Finn’s most mature as well as his most daring musical work to date. Drawing from a wide array of influences that bring to mind everything from the unabashed pomp of classic QUEEN and the madness of Devin Townsend, to the virtuosity of DREAM THEATER and the eclectic stylings of Hollywood’sDanny Elfman, ZIERLER masterfully walk the fine line between genius and insanity, combining a powerful, multi-layered progressive metal foundation with an often dark, majestic orchestral feel. The result is an intricate musical tour-de-force that took the better part of two years to complete.
“I set different goals for myself in making this new album. I wanted to accomplish doing an album that was 100% uncompromising in every way. I wanted to break through new creative areas. And I wanted to show compositions, structures and techniques that no one has ever heard or seen before”, reflects Finn on the making of ESC.
“This is by far the most time consuming, complex and detail oriented album I’ve ever worked on. I took the time necessary to record this beast out of respect for the players, the compositions, and the music itself. I put a lot of emphasis on not taking the easy way out, not using technology to do edits to save time or whatever. The musicians involved are all so talented – there’s no cheating, no copy/paste anywhere. Everything on the album is recorded as organically as possible. Personally, I’m sick of listening to “plastic” albums that sound more like machines than humans!”
Joining Finn on ESC are Swedish guitarist Per Nilsson (SCAR SYMMETRY, KAIPA), the first to come aboard, and Norwegian bassist/vocalist Truls Haugen (INTENSE, CIRCUS MAXIMUS) on the Scandinavian side. Finn also reached out across the pond to a pair of Texas standouts, drum veteran Bobby Jarzombek, whose stellar resume includes the likes of FATES WARNING, HALFORD, RIOT, and SPASTIC INK, and vocal powerhouseKelly Sundown Carpenter, who sang on BEYOND TWILIGHT’s 2005 album, ‘Section X’and was last seen with Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G’s band, FIREWIND, as well asDARKOLOGY.
The album’s stellar mix comes courtesy of another BEYOND TWILIGHT alum and long-time friend, noted studio whiz Jacob Hansen, best known for his affiliation with Danish superstars VOLBEAT as well as his work with AMARANTHE and DESTRUCTION, amongst others. Last but not least, acclaimed London-based graphic artist Rob Sindermann has been tapped to create the stunning visuals for the ”ESC” album packaging which includes an elaborate deluxe booklet.
ESC track listing:
01. A New Beginning
02. Aggrezzor
03. Darkness Delight
04. Dark To The Bone
05. Evil Spirit
06. Married To The Cause
07. No Chorus
08. Rainheart
09. You Can’t Fix Me No More
10. Water
11. Whispers