Hyper Rein - Enigmatic

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Hyper Rein’s Enigmatic is a musical exploration of humanity, full of deep emotion, given substance by emotive lyrics and a rich synth palette. Hyper Rein’s musical guests also contribute to the album’s depth and expressive strength.

Intense and varied emotion pours from Enigmatic as it unfolds. I enjoy the way in which Hyper Rein explores the full range of human feelings through his music. Sometimes the tenor of the music shifts within a single track, roaming from tragedy to hope. The whole album is permeated with expressive musical moments that capture feeling.

Enigmatic. is full of well-crafted, moving lyrical content to The songs are full of strong imagery, heart-touching expression and engaging feeling. Each song’s musical backing is well-considered to bolster the emotional quality of its words and add to the meaning.

Each of the musical guests on the album comes to the table with a unique take on the overall feeling. They are all deeply talented in their own rights and their collaboration with Hyper Rein lends even more quality to the end result.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“2077’ starts off as slowly turning arpeggios move along with sharp, distant notes doubled with round-toned synth. Piano chords form a slowly shifting, tumbling note pattern along with sonorous synth.

After drums briefly drop in, actively trembling synth and piano notes carry a vigorous melody that reaches out above thudding drums. Arpeggios keep twirling and brassy synth calls out in a melody effectively fusing melancholy with a sense of progress.

Vibrating, echoing piano and bright synth intertwine as trumpet-like synth carries the dynamic melody forward. The track ends on the spinning arpeggios and shining synth notes call out above them.

Smoothly oscillating, subtle synth trembles below Tyler Gutman’s rhyme and full-toned, medium-high synth weaves steadily flowing energy to open “Dunes.” Elevated synth twists and howls before the lead melody mingles longing with energetic motion above oscillating bass.

Chimes add a metallic glow and raised, distorted sound vibrates as digital sounds echo into open space. Massive drums thump and wildly wheeling guitar leaps in an intertwining solo full of jazzy energy. In the distance, full-toned synth touchingly carries the aching, moving melody before ending on wind sweeping past.

The storyteller urges people to look around as “the stars are all that we can see.” He asks is if it’s him or us. He talks about the “planetary alignment deep within my spine” and how he aligns with enlightenment and comes to “leaning snakes, serpentine.”

The narrator knows that the time has come to get more of the “energy flowing, deep from within my soul.” He feels the lines for the “planetary segments upon the heavenly round.” He concludes that people are coming “here, right now” to hear and see the “sunlight burning bright, deep between the thing between our eyes.”

Softly hissing sound is broken by wide-sounding, urgently pulsating synth to begin “Sanctity.” There’s a feeling of increasing action in the lead synth that’s joined by steady kick drum and gigantic bass far below.

A taut, repeating synth line with a flat quality effectively contrasts with broad, rushing synth. Nasal-toned synth oscillates before thunder rumbles and gliding synth swirls.

Tender, warm notes are cut by sparkling synth carrying a delicate note pattern as rounded, chiming synth flickers.

Thunder rumbles as drums scatter and flourish while soft-edged synth shines. Gruff, medium-high synth sings out with hazy light and the storm rages. Drums leap out and silence falls.

“Eclipse” commences as heavily bursting drums pound and a blaring synth moves in uneven pulses. The track is touched fragile, shimmering synth along with actively moving bass. Triumphant synth carries a melody skilfully combining aspiration, nobility and energy above smoothly guiding drums and energetic bass.

Golden Goose’s rhyming has a chanting quality that echoes out as rich, brassy synth sings. Drums splash and shape the music before the main melody unfurls, full of encouraging emotion above pulsating bass. The song ends with undulating bass, digital sounds and silence.

Our narrator points out that each person is made of matter and capable of good and evil “some of us more than others.” He says that we create characters for ourselves with some of us “making eyes for the ladder” and others following patterns.

Now the storyteller says that “reality comes together for the taking.” He refers to humans as “flesh machines” who are “perfectly aligned to the stars” and all it takes to see that is a shift in perspective.

“Storm” opens as flaring, medium-high synth moves with smoothly flowing, spinning arpeggios carried on a tranquil synth. An angular synth carries an actively moving line as solid bass slides into the music.

Drums throb in a guiding beat as the glistening, medium-high synth carries a melody wonderfully mingling strength, aching and forward motion as arpeggios twirl.

Peaceful vocal sound briefly drifts and medium-high synth calls out the tumbling melody, full of arcing energy. Arpeggios whirl before the drums and bass drop out and the track ends.

Unctuous, reverberating synth carries a desolately drifting melodic pattern to start “Phaser.” Pulsating, rich bass adds support as a kick drum unevenly throbs. A snare drum adds propulsion as glowing synth sings a pained, majestic melody that cascades through the music.

Lower synth adds flickering accents as raised lead synth calls out with expressively tragic nobility. Drums and bass form a shaping pulse as chanting moves in the distance. The main melody combines aching and pride above solidly shifting bass and propulsive drums. Accenting synth adds taut light as it guides the song to an end.

“Interstellar” begins as cosmically revolving arpeggios create calm and an echoing voice over moves in. Piano chords flare into life as the gigantic drums and bass revolve. The piano carries a well-crafted, galvanizing melody above densely throbbing bass and easy-going drums.

Medium-high synth carries a mournful melody as voices reverberate and a steady drumbeat shapes the music. The melody fades as heavy bass rumbles and arpeggios keep twirling. The voiceover speaks of a space craft malfunction and the melody yearns over trembling piano chords, rebounding bass and slowly turning arpeggios before ending.

Wide-sounding, brassy arpeggios move in gentle waves through open space as “Space Invaders” opens. Unevenly bursting drums and gritty bass move as arpeggios slip out in steady motion.

Elevated chimes carry a pleasing melody brimming with tenderness and delicate light as the drums form a guiding pulse. Arpeggios continue to dance in circular motion and taut synth wriggles to add dynamism above steadily throbbing drums and solid bass.

Trumpeting notes tremble with densely packed energy and string-like synth sings with mournful feeling. Rapidly rising synth trills upward with a soft glow as drums and bass move the track forward. Arpeggios form a constantly shaping presence as the track ends on dancing synth.

“Human” kicks off as sharply flaring synth bends and grunting bass is joined by a kick drum and a snare drum. Extended, cutting synth chords burst before tightly wound synth notes pop and flare. Hyper Rein's gentle voice adds expression and cut glass notes trickle. The chanting chorus moves in as tinkling synth carries a lively melodic pattern.

Drums and bass form an insistent pulse as rough-edged synth chords swell and starry note clusters flicker. I enjoy the way in which Hyper Rein’s voice aches with emotion above bluff bass. The vocal melody exudes touching emotion as the chanted chorus moves before cutting synth notes end the song.

The narrator asks if the song’s subject will call him when they’ve had enough of war and asks if the other person will hold him and “ let the ocean feed our flaws” because they are both human after all. He goes on to say that the human body is “comprised of a brain, a heart and a soul” and urges the other person to “put two minds together” because we’re human after all.

Slowly throbbing bass oscillates as a medium-high, twisting synth plays a roaming melody to open “Wormhole.” Thudding kick drum and gliding snare move below Fan Octo’s guitar as it slices in growling notes above the synth pulse and dense bass.

The guitar snarls in a driving line as bending synth writhes.Fan Octo’s guitar carries a soaring solo as intricately interlinked notes tear with exciting effect from his nimble fingers to add detailed lushness. Wriggling synth shifts as the track ends on pulsating bass and soft-edged synth flitting into quiet.

“Blessed” starts as smoothly undulating piano creates a gently sliding pattern underneath elevated, bright synth that carries a melody full of hopeful, enfolding emotion. String-like, deep synth adds another layer of soothing sound as Hyper Rein's rhymes flow with articulate ease.

Shaping snare and kick drum form a lightly sliding beat and Hyper Rein’s rhyme is equally smooth. Rippling strings arpeggiate and shimmering synth dances with a softly touching light.

The revelatory voice over moves above rebounding drums. Hyper Rein’s rhyming comes in, echoing into openness as scudding drums add form. The drums fade as the vocals chant over the breathing strings and silence falls.

“I take my mind to a hella lot of places” is how the narrator begins as he talks about taking life “through the paces” adding that making waves is “just another waste of time.” He says that it takes “a million faces” to make one person shine and you have to try to make it if possible. He also realizes that “it ain't about me and it ain't about you.”

Our storyteller points out that if you take what was learned in the first twenty years of life "you spend the next ten years trying to think what the fuck was it worth.” He goes on to say that nothing turned out how it was meant to “but I'd never undo what has become” because it isn’t his place. He continues by saying that he’s only a puzzle piece “on a rock under the Sun.”

Now the teller of this tale says that “all it takes is a shockwave to the chest” and after that it’s possible to decompress and breathe. He goes on to say that it’s time to “get some well deserved rest” because it isn’t a race at this point. He speaks about how there’s nothing to chase now and “I feel so blessed.”

In the voice over, the speaker talks about how he awakened and came to understand that “thought was just an illusory thing” and he felt like he was examining his thoughts from another viewpoint. As he did so, he was “thrown into this expansive, amazing feeling of freedom” and he realized he was bigger than “everything and everyone.” He understood that rather than being a “fragment of the Universe” he was the whole universe.

Jagged bass oscillates as a kick drum unevenly throbs to bring “Ethereal” into being. Gleaming, medium-high synth notes trip delicately as natural sounds bring more peace into the music. Ringing, medium-low synth adds accents to the twirling, touching melody that slides above drifting drums and bass.

Radiant chimes sing the calming, wonderfully relaxing melody as elevated synth skips above the low end undulation. Glistening synth floats like airborne seeds, carried along above the solid bass pulse. Drums move in again, adding balance as luscious synth flits along, exuding airiness and ease before ending on bass oscillation.

Conclusion

Enigmatic is a unique synth-based album that combines heartfelt emotional expression, a richly woven musical tapestry and high quality guest performers who help to deepen the music’s thoughtful nature.