Ever since Joe started his solo venture in June 2018 I've followed his every step. Already from the beginning he kept every release separated musically which made them all cohesive and to the point. A silver lining does run through them, a darkness and a heaviness Joe so elegantly masters. That constant feature and his diligence at keeping each recording to its own style, as well as his excellent musicianship and songwriting skills, are what drew me into his music and has kept me there. On the last few releases though Joe has started to hone in towards a more set style which works great. So what does he do on his latest creation, 'Dark Fusion'? He goes all King Crimson and Allan Holdsworth on us. And it's bloody brilliant, if you ask!
Now, don't worry too much that Joe has stepped away completely from what he does. No, his penchant for the darkness and heaviness I already mentioned is there in full, instead he has intertwined that with the presence of King Crimson and Allan Holdsworth, sounds of that ilk. Opener 'The Sand That Makes The Pearl' might make you think differently being mainly a lone electric guitar playing a wonderful solo but as soon as it gives way to 'Junk Science' the progtastic and jazzy blend with Joe's heaviness is there in full force. This leads to the title track, 'Dark Fusion'. It starts off like it's predecessor but goes off the wall even more. It is very technical, which I always expect from Joe, but this is something else. The rhythm section is excellent allowing him to do wondrous things with his axe. Things mellow out briefly on the short interlude 'Ad Orientum Frater Meus'. It is basically a guitar solo which leads elegantly into 'The Tower'. This one is a strange yet very intriguing piece with Joe mainly picking a off-beat guitar line backed by, what sounds like, thin sheets of metal snapping in the wind. In a sense this creation is a little bit disturbing but works perfectly well. Album closer 'The Grand Level' speeds it up with tribal sounding drums leading the way joined by a sinister sounding guitar, kind of like Killing Joke meets King Crimson, if you like. Brilliant!
Once again, Joe shows his diversity both as a musician, a composer and a songwriter. 'Dark Fusion' is a curveball but a great one. Apart from being a fantastic recording it puts me as a listener and a fan of Joe's music on my toes because it confirms that you'll never know what he'll do next. Well, except for it to be bloody great and that's a great "dilemma" to deal with. I've said it before: don't miss out on what Mr. Carpenter is doing because it deserves all the recognition there is. Regardless of what music preferences you have we need musicians to break the mold and challenge us. And Joe does that and then some. Fantastic, bloody fantastic!
-Swedebeast