There are records that don’t just play: they speak, accompany, transform. Transitional Objects, the latest work by Headless, is one of these.
An album that is not satisfied with being prog metal, but becomes an emotional story, a sound reflection, an inner journey.
I’ve known Headless since their beginnings and seeing them get to this point can only make me enormously happy.
The title itself is evocative: the “Transitional Objects” are those that help us to pass from one state to another, from one age to another, from a pain to a new awareness.
Every track on this record seems to embody that role. A bridge between what we were and what we are becoming.
Eight episodes to be lived with intensity
Weightless: the beginning is a controlled explosion. Sharp riffs, pounding drums, vocals hovering above the chaos. It is the manifesto of the album: here you don’t walk, you fly.
Losing Power: an emotional swing that starts off strong. Verses in dim light, a chorus that opens glimpses of melancholic light. A song that speaks of loss, but also of resilience.
Fall to Pieces: a sound puzzle that is put together in real time. The guitars chase each other, the bass beats like a wounded heart, the voice tries to hold the fragments together.
Misery: direct, raw, unfiltered. The central solo is a blade that carves, but not to wound: to liberate. Nice harmonies!
Still My Thrill: the most intimate moment of the album. It is a ballad, but, above all, a sincere tribute to those who are no longer with us. My favourite of the album! The slow groove and the final solo are pure catharsis. The video does its job and highlights the best features of the musicians and the song.
Refugee: restless and dissonant, but surprisingly melodic. It is the song that makes you feel on the run, but in a clear direction, yours.
No One’s Waiting: a journey into the meanders of the mind. Dark atmospheres, hypnotic rhythms, voice that seems to come from a disturbed dream.
I Thought I Knew It All: the closing is a return to the metal origins, with a cover. An awakening after an eight-track long dream, with the awareness that you never stop learning.
A record that is there to stay
Transitional Objects is not an album to be listened to distractedly. It is a work that grows with you, that changes with each listening, that challenges and consoles you.
Recorded very well and played even better, it confirms the growth of Headless on the path we have been following for a while.
Headless show that they know how to blend technique and feeling, power and delicacy, in a rare balance.
A record that does not wear out, repeated listening is recommended.
Spot!
Listen to Crown Blues, the first single by Soulfools available on all the digital platforms
