Tsien navigate turbulent emotional waters in their epic single and video Storm At Sea — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A sonic hurricane that threatens to wreck you as you hang on for dear life, the adventurous track of experimental prog-metal is the lead single from the U.K. outfit’s recently reissued album No Two People Are Not On Fire. Storm At Sea is an audio journey through dreamy vocals, heavy industrial guitars and smashing percussion. Infused with harmonic interludes featuring layered vocals, the track illustrates the heartbreak of a toxic relationship falling apart, the pain of being unable to break free and stop the cycle.
From hushed tones of acceptance, to pulsating screams of resistance, Storm At Sea is as much a revelation as it is a surrender to the power of love’s peril. At nearly eight minutes, the track refuses to back down from its commitment to see through the longing, and the sadness; the acceptance and the fear of being unable to sever ties completely with a floundering former flame.
Speaking of exes and labours of love: For Tsien’s Adam Strazzanti, Alex Baldwin, Tim Wilson, Sandy Strazzanti, Steve Neale and Dave Hill, the making of No Two People Are Not On Fire was a difficult project birthed of over half a decade. Tsien formed in 2006 and remained active until 2011, but recording the album cultivated tension between the group, prompting them to split shortly after. Now, thanks to new equipment, new production techniques and time to remaster the originals, the album is back in full throttle, ready to engage an entirely new audience.
“We finally had the time, space, equipment and inclination to revisit them and polish them to a standard we’re happy with — considering how they were recorded in the first place,” they explain. “So, the album has now finally been properly released a decade after it was recorded, and 15 years after some of the song’s first inceptions.”
No Two People Are Not On Fire is a cascading anthology of metal novellas — with each track clocking in beyond the five minute mark. Every song is a deliciously designed paradox of instrumental enchantment, suddenly raging aggressively through strangled vocals and damned lyrics. What Tsien set out to achieve is an absurdly hypnotizing foray into their ever-changing genre inspirations. As the band say, their “eclectic style fuses inspiration from across the whole musical spectrum; from metal, to funk, to jazz, to pure disgusting tonal noise — all condensed to make for an absurdist auditory experience.”
Watch Storm At Sea above, listen to No Two People Are Not On Fire below, read my review of the album HERE, and follow Tsien on Facebook and Instagram.
