A world divided between the luminescent and the shadows provided Forgive Durden with the inspiration for their latest symphonic epic, Razia's Shadow: A Musical.
After losing the three main members of the band in January, the creative mastermind and lead singer, Thomas Dutton, decided to pursue an expansive musical journey with the aid of a few guest musicians.
Razia's Shadow: A Musical follows the story of Ahrima (sung by Dutton) and his everlasting quest to find true love in order to bring the light and dark sides of the world together.
Opening the album, "Genesis" ushers in the plot with a group of ambitious strings and pounding drums as the narrator, lead singer Aaron Weiss of Mewithoutyou, sets the mood.
After Weiss' short monologue, Dutton and Casey Crescenzo (lead man of The Dear Hunter) intertwine melodies building up a larger than life gang vocal chorus.
Nearly every song on the album enlists some of Dutton's closest friends in order to flesh out the cast of characters, including Max Bemis of Say Anything fame, Brendan Urie from Panic at the Disco and Saves the Day's lead singer Chris Conley.
Although most of the cast consists of male vocalists, the most impressive tracks on the album feature Dutton and one of his female counterparts interlocking verses.
"The Missing Voice," featuring Lizzie Huffman, is an early highlight with its stylized piano backbone alongside Huffman's classical voice.
It's lyrically master-crafted with wonderfully romantic bridges and cohesion between the vocalists.
"Everything seems to fade/ When I see her face/ The sky and trees are blurred/ Every time I look at her," sings Dutton.
The first half of Razia's Shadow: A Musical contains many epic choruses, but Dutton's voice seems to play second fiddle to the guests in songs like "Toba the Tura" and "The Oracle."
It is not until the second half of the album where his voice truly shines as Ahrima begins his journey towards attaining the love of his life.
Dutton trades in catchy choruses for plot-driven epitaphs and more intense vocal melodies at the end and it proves to be a risky, yet rewarding move.
"Meet the King" places listeners into a royal kingdom set up with a complete brass section laying the foundation for Dutton's quest to prove his love for Princess Anhura.
Nic Newsham sings the voice of the king. Unfortunately, his vocal range is too similar to that of Dutton's, sure to continue some listeners if full attention isn't given.
Despite this small hiccup, Razia's Shadow: A Musical is truly a revolutionary musical experience for a "scene" band.
Tracks like "The Spider and the Lamps," featuring Bemis as the Spider, and "It's True Love" showcase Dutton's expertise in the development of finely crafted pop gems.
"The Spider and the Lamps" is one of the strongest tracks on the album, as Bemis' voice fits perfectly over the consistent pounding of percussion.
"They don't understand/ This is their last chance/ No more idle hands/ You'll destroy the lamps," sings Bemis.
Razia's Shadow: A Musical is not an album listeners can just pick and choose tracks from; it requires attentive ears and a youthful imagination in order to achieve the full experience.
Forgive Durden have created an overwhelming epic that may prove to be their most musically successful release to date.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
