Laplacian by Fluctus Quadratum

A work released in February 2025, Laplacian by the English band Fluctus Quadratum, who had already released an EP but this is considered their full-fledged debut album.

I'll start by saying that this is a beautiful work, which takes the time to develop a vision of modern progressive rock, a noteworthy independent production.

A band that puts keyboards at the center, like other bands of the past that had keyboardists as a strength, who are also the inspirations of Fluctus Quadratum's leader and keyboardist Jopheus Burtonshaw (Yes and ELP among them).

After listening to it, I have to say that, without taking anything away from the other musicians who worked on the album, Jopheus is truly a great musician. He plays keyboards incredibly, as well as bass (excellent here too) and guitar, and he also took care of all the writing, recording, mastering, artwork, and booklet.

It's not a "one band show," though. His father, Rick, on drums, and Curtis Adamcyk on vocals, who also wrote the lyrics, have a very important contribution.

The idea of ​​his dad being a drummer excites me, as if my son had made a record and asked me to play. But my son doesn't make records, and I'm not at a professional level, it's still a great story. Rick is definitely an exceptional drummer, very precise and with great taste.

The sound, as mentioned, draws influences from great bands of the past like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes, but once again, as I've said with other contemporary bands and musicians, I consider it not only a positive factor, but also inevitable. Influences from the past and present have always influenced the sound of other artists, especially when they have set a precedent.

The voice is good, but the singing is rather unconventional, melancholic, and always in control. It seems unwilling to leap over the edge, which demonstrates great professionalism and dedication to quality. The vocal performances are truly moving.

But I repeat, at the core are a virtuoso piano, splendid keyboard solos, even in very powerful "heavy" moments, with frequent use of "seventies" sounds.

The songs are 12, some about ten minutes long, but others are very short, with intros or interludes lasting one or two minutes.

A "romantic" symphonic rock, with serene or melancholic atmospheres, starting with the album's opening title track, "Laplacian," beautiful in its melody and piano part, in particular.
Also beautiful are "Where the Lack of Logic Lies" and "Direlight," the longest tracks, featuring numerous variations ranging from rock (never truly heavy) to cosmic, at times almost psychedelic, atmospheres.

A debut album that clocks in at over 70 minutes in a complex genre and with a very demanding audience, perfect for keyboard enthusiasts, where Jopheus is truly masterful. However, it perhaps lacks in the guitar parts, which are certainly beautiful and effective, but could have been pushed further by increasing their presence to create a sound less focused on keyboards and synths, to provide a different balance that would have shifted the entire album towards a more assertive prog rock.

The recording isn't at its best in every phase, at times dark and muffled on the drums and guitar, but it should be emphasized that this is an independent production, and for this reason, it's certainly an impressive album, constructed as a whole "handcrafted" and deserving of great attention in the prog world, as well as great encouragement for those who take the risk, in a world where mainstream music is going in the diametrically opposite direction, of pursuing complex compositions and sounds.

So well done! I definitely invite you to support this band; I'm sure they can do even greater things.

Tracks
1. Laplacian (6:07)
2. Dawn of Acquiescence III (7:11)
3. Inertia (5:06)
4. Where the Lack of Logic Lies (11:21)
5. The Grey Room (2:19)
6. The House Within Itself (6:41)
7. Consequences (6:09)
8. Bridge to Suffering (0:50)
9. Suffering in Serenity (6:43)
10. Alone. (5:56)
11. Mistwell (0:43)
12. Direlight (13:01)
Running Time: 72:07

The Lineup
- Jopheus Burtonshaw - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar and bass effects
- Rick Burtonshaw - drums
- Curtis Adamczyk - vocals