CHARLES SOULZ PROJECT - Split Mind

CHARLES SOULZ PROJECT

Album: Split Mind

Genre: Progressive Metal

Release Date: October 22nd, 2021

Country: Brazil

Label: Self-Released

Band-Links:  BANDCAMP / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

With years of experience on stage and in studio, the talented Brazilian producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist CHARLES SOULZ started his solo project a while ago. After a debut EP, “Reprog”, in 2020, he now released his first full-length record on October 22nd named “Split Mind”. It is a concept album about Rhode, who lost his parents in a housefire, with every track revealing a bit more about the protagonist’s personality. Charles got inspired by the dark nature of man to write about the influence of the shadow on the unconscious. 

Rhode’s story begins with a light piano melody and him waking up, trying to understand what happened. Music-wise, the song develops with amazing harmonies and a varied rhythmic, carried by a strong vocal performance. The short “Digital Kingdom”, which has a kind of crazy circus vibe, leads us to “Waltz of Death”, a powerful progmetal track with some great virtuoso playing. “Burn to Rise” starts with a heavy mid-tempo riff that moves into a thoughtful vocal part, then develops with different emotional expressions, showing Rhode’s doubts and how he’s lost. 

Next up is “BORDERLINE”, an excellent instrumental, and probably the most experimental track on “Split Mind” thanks to the challenging rhythmic and some keyboard / guitar magic, showing the fantastic skills of CHARLES SOULZ as musician and composer. The following “Rhode” could easily appear on a Neal Morse album due to the vocal harmonies, but also offers an interesting, sometimes even jazzy solo part in the middle. 

The numbers 7 to 12 are supposed to be one song – “Split Mind” – divided in different parts, starting with “Flames”. While the vocals follow a slow, touching melody, the underlaying rhythmic brings in something crackling, and the orchestration builds up a cinematic vibe. “Father” is the heaviest and most complex among these chapters, showing a worried, but also dominant man. Afterwards, “Son” and “Mother” express themselves in a more emotional way, before the high-energetic “Carnival of the Mind” takes us to “My New Home”, showing the mental state of the main character. 

With 20 different musicians and singers on board, CHARLES SOULZ created an awesome album for fans of beautiful melodic, yet sophisticated prog. The well-balanced production gives enough space for each instrument, especially when they deserve some spotlight for a virtuosic solo part, with the overall sound being a real listening pleasure. There’s a great variety in Charles’ compositions, with some amazing details, but always flowing, and with him offering his keyboard magic in a wide range. All vocalists add the right expressions to the music, the different voices fit well together. The songs themselves work on their own, but since they’re connected by a story-line, are best enjoyed in the overall context and worth to dive in. 

Written by Katha

Line-Up:

Vocalists:

Fábio Caldeira (Maestrick) as Rhode

Daísa Munhoz (Soulspell/Vandroya/Project Aegis) as Rhode's mother

Guilherme De Siervi (Vikram) as Rhode's father

Kleber Ramalho (Sagittarion/Soulspell) as Rhode's reveries

Daniel Pinho (Terra Prima) as Rhode's doubts

Alex Voorhees (Imago Mortis) as Rhode's anger

Guitarists:

Guilherme Henrique (Order of Destruction)

Gabriel Veloso (solo)

Rafael Bianzeno (solo - Canada)

Luke Oliveira (Imago Mortis)

Marcos Paulo (solo)

Alex Palacín (Blue Vein – Spain)

Bassists:

Paulo Ricardo Silva (Imago Mortis)

Renato Montanha (Maestrick)

Jhonatan Souza (Cavalo de Guerra)

Ernani Júnior (Minero)

Drummer: 

Guilherme Pinheiro

Choirs: Talita Quintano, Camila Souza, Maria Laura De Giorgio

Track-List: 

1. Can I Save My Life Again? 

2. Digital Kingdom (Instrumental) 

3. Waltz Of Death (Digital Kingdom)

4. Burn To Rise

5. BORDERLINE (Instrumental)

6. Rhode

7. Split Mind I: Flames

8. Split Mind II: Father

9. Split Mind III: Son

10. Split Mind IV: Mother

11. Split Mind V: Carnival Of The Mind (Instrumental)

12. Split Mind VI: My New Home

Discography:

Reprog (EP) - 2020

Split Mind - 2021