The concept of Greek plays has always appealed to me. Having a “Prologue” to set the tone for what’s to come, a chorus to lighten the mood and explain what’s going on through musical melodies, and a narrator to address the audience every now and then. The point is, I never imagined that I would see, or hear, something similar nowadays, and that it would be mastered from beginning to end! I don’t want to sound like a Greek Mythology geek, but the only way I can characterise Tyler Kamen’s talent is that he’s a “Pandora box”, as he has all the gifts indeed, brilliant, marvelous gifts!! I mean, is there anything he can’t do?
“Lizard House” is a flawless masterpiece that could only be created by “Tyler Kamen“! A 22-track album that he wrote, performed, played on every musical sound, and produced himself. Listening to the album was like having the most unrealistic dream and waking up with a hazy remembrance of it; not only the storyline, but also the mesmerising music that only a genius could write to suit perfectly with the lyrics and singing, gave me these sensations. Chapter after another, and I related to the story on another level, as a recent graduate who has finally said goodbye to a major part of her life, I felt that this is my academic life. Especially when Tyler screams “surrender your brain” in “Orientation” to give you a sneak peek of what’s about to happen in the next few years, all the way to “Graduation” and the joy in the melodies and enthusiasm of the vocals and hearing the line “Graduation is not the end, we only began.”
As the Swindlebeast sets out on his quest to defeat evil, we get to embark on our own adventure, accompanied by the charm and beauty of each track. Starting with the prologue-Flying Machines that opens with spooky music, rain, and thunder sounds, followed by slow guitar riffs and drum bass to set the tone for the adventure. The title track, “Lizard House,” opens with an energetic rock n roll intro, and the killer guitar riffs endure till the end of the track, along with the lively, powerful vocals.
Now we’re set to go, the four stations to a psychedelic, wonderful journey is about to get serious. Each chapter adds more to the plot of the story, as well as a new plot about Tyler’s abilities! He continues to astound me with his ability to color his tunes and vocals with more than just a style, not only in each chapter or track, but also in each verse of the same song! Incredible, Huh? As the same artist who developed the most energetic, quick-tempo tunes with loud, enthusiastic, raucous vocals can also create the most peaceful heavenly pieces, such as “The Sanctuary” in Chapter three, or “Mind to Mold” in Chapter four, with delicate, soothing vocals.
It’s impressive how the talented artist paid attention to the details; for example, the ring bell in “Chapter one- Schooldays,” and in “The Academy,” the intro conjures up images of the first day of school with the clever lyrical choice, whistle sound, voice acting part to immerse you in the moment, and the entire uplifting melody that expresses the greatness of the beginnings.
I was mind-blown when I first heard the album, and I’m grateful to this job for introducing me to fantastic artists like Tyler Kamen. “He seems like a cool, talented musician. It’s unfair that one person has so many talents.” A friend said after I went on and on about how skilled Tyler is and how phenomenal this album is. Well, I’ll tell you something. It’s not fair either that this talent exists, and this masterpiece is out there, and you haven’t yet enjoyed it!
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Viola Karmy
