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THE TEA PARTY

 

The Ocean At The End

(Anthem/Universal)

Yes it has been 10 years since guitarist Jeff Martin, bassist Stuart Chatworth and drummer Jeff Burrows last released a Tea Party studio recording (2004’s Seven Circles). Yet the announcement that they had put all personal differences aside and re-appeared at the Sarnia Bayfest Concert in 2011 sparked a creative resurgence, triggered initially during the band’s successful 2012 tour of Australia and completed during writing sessions in their native Sarnia. The result is ‘The Ocean At The End’, a 12-track opus, mixed by David Botrill at Toronto’s Revolution Recording,  which sees the band revert back to a more rock focused sound while still retaining their progressive arrangements which had become synonymous with the Tea Party sound. Yes you can say there are still influences from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and lyrically even Iron Maiden yet time has allowed Tea Party to mature these influences into a recording that is a lot more focused than earlier efforts that might have been a little too extreme in their experimentation. Certainly “Black Roses” off the new record boast’s potential as a monster single candidate, with its lyrical hooks and magnetic instrumentation while the 70’s Glam Rock inspired “The Cass Corridor” could be an outtake from David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust opus. TTP APPROVED MAIN EDITAnd then there is the epic eight-minute title track which features some complex guitar work from Martin combined with Pink Floyd-inspired synth work and you have a record that demands attention. Also check out Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson who contributes his trademark flute to the title track to compliment an absolute superb recording.

Download “Black Roses”, “The Cass Corridor” “Water’s On Fire”

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