photos by Eric Walsh
Ghost Cult Magazine is currently hosting an exclusive stream of The Compromise Rationale, the new solo album from Chicago, Illinois-based progressive Warr guitarist JASON BLAKE, on the eve of the record’s release through Wayfarer Records.
JASON BLAKE delivers the second title in his ongoing Ternary Instinct trilogy. Whereas the prior album Fictional Mirrors represented the superego in psychoanalytical theory, The Compromise Rationale tackles the ego. The album takes on a much more heavy and dark tone as compared to its predecessor.
The Compromise Rationale delivers seven expansive new songs totaling more than forty-two minutes of engaging, unpredictable, instrumental exploration of an incredibly diverse sounding instrument delivered with impeccable precision. Recorded by JASON BLAKE, The Compromise Rationale was mixed by Amery Schmeisser, mastered by Bob Katz, and completed with cover artwork by Michal Karcz.
BLAKE states with the album stream, “Work on part two of this trilogy began almost immediately after releasing Fictional Mirrors (part one). I wanted this album to represent the balance of the ego navigating a compromise between the id and superego. For this reason, the album almost has a split personality to it with the use of darker and lighter tones. The incorporation of odd times signatures and heavy riffing throughout also brings a lot of my progressive influence into what is otherwise a more cinematic experience. As with previous albums, all parts were performed using only a Warr guitar with an assortment of pedals.”
Ghost Cult writes, “As much an album as a soundscape for a personal apocalypse the album reads like a soundtrack to a futuristic dystopian film. Featuring compositions evoking heavy emotions, measured motifs, uplifting phrasing, and terrifying skill all at once, JASON BLAKE has outdone himself once again.”
Listen to JASON BLAKE’s The Compromise Rationale in its entirety now at Ghost Cult RIGHT HERE.
The Compromise Rationale will see release on CD and digital platforms through Wayfarer Records this Friday, September 23rd. Find preorders at Bandcamp HERE and watch the video for “A Certain Balance” HERE.
The Warr Guitar is a twelve-string instrument incorporating the range of a guitar and bass, which is performed by tapping the strings; a technique known as touchstyle guitar. JASON BLAKE plays with the progressive metal instrumental trio, Aziola Cry, who recently released their album, The Ironic Divide, on Sensory Records in early 2021. With this band, he writes music featuring the rhythmic and melodic capabilities of the Warr Guitar in a band setting.
For his solo work, JASON BLAKE pushes the boundaries of the instrument while incorporating elements of progressive rock, ambient, and classical. Signed to the Wayfarer Records label, BLAKE released the first album of a planned progressive ambient trilogy in June of 2021. Beginning the Ternary Instinct trilogy, the album Fictional Mirrors is a musical study of the superego in Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Separate from the trilogy, JASON BLAKE followed Fictional Mirrors with Imaginary Cages, a six-song progressive rock suite of solo Warr guitar.
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