EastScene

There’s something that is just so intriguing about Thomas Dutton. The way he writes his music and his lyrics is very unique, and I’m not too sure if any other musician can pull it off as well as he does. When I began reading up about Razia’s Shadow, I was curious to see what Dutton was cooking up. He was creating a story, one that was put to life with his own music. He lined up some of the greatest artists in the game today, each of them representing a specific character and perfecting the task that Dutton had asked them to perform.

I was more then excited to put on my headphones and begin listening to this masterpiece. My expectations were high and I was fearful that they would be let down. But Dutton didn’t allow that to happen, he truly created something incredible.

The sound of the music reminded me of something mechanical and magical. Each instrument was animated, enabling you to picture the story in your mind. Each note was magnified and examined, and the words were delicately placed for each artist to put their own touch. It’s almost like a read-along book, but a million times better.

Lizzie Huffman of Man In The Blue Van shared a song with Thomas Dutton, their voices complimented each other with elegance. The Missing Piece is a brilliant song about falling in love, and it’s simple lyrics created something intimate.

“Everything seems to fade when I see her face. The skies and trees all blur every time I look at her. Nobody understood me, ‘til her eyes fixed upon me. My puzzle is complete now that I found my missing piece.”

The track that I was looking forward to the most was The Spider and The Lamps, featuring Max Bemis of Say Anything. It exceeded all of my expectations, I couldn’t believe how well Bemis’ voice fit his character. The mix of his voice with Dutton’s was perfect, a mix that should have been put together a long time ago. The song was dark and mysterious, brash and rude, in true Bemis style. “It must hurt so bad, with a knife in your back.”

Dutton has an imagination that is incredibly wide. His creativity is unreal and it’s clear that he was passionate about this production. You can tell that each song and each word were delicately crafted and placed to fit for perfectly in the storyline.

Danny Stevens of The Audition made an appearance as Gargul, the star of the song The Oracle. He sang with a soft, angelic voice that we rarely see from Stevens. It builds up to the explosion of the voice we are more familiar with. He does an amazing job, giving the song a very soft and elegant sound.

The Exit features Dan Young of This Providence and Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco, and the two together, mixed with Dutton, is a combination that is fit for this song. It has a mechanical sound, trickling in ever so lightly, and then explodes with the three voices in a gang-like chant. Urie’s voice never fails, his high notes hit exactly like they should have. It gave me goosebumps to hear his voice, and it made me go back and listen to it all over again.

The story is unique and interesting, truly one of Thomas Dutton’s finest pieces. He created something magical, and incorporated some great musicians into it as well. Overall, it was nothing short of amazing. It was exactly what I had hoped for, and a heck of a lot more. If this doesn’t make you a fan of Thomas Dutton and Forgive Durden, I don’t know what will.

Razia’s Shadow: A Musical by Forgive Durden

Written by: Thomas and Paul Dutton
Excecutive produced by: Fueled By Ramen Records

Characters

• O the Scientist – Casey Crescenzo (The Dear Hunter)
• Bawaba Brothers – John Gourley (Portugal. The Man), Kris Ayana (An Angle)
• Gargul the Oracle – Danny Stevens (The Audition)
• Toba The Tura – Chris Conley (Saves The Day)
• Sangara – Dan Young (This Providence)
• Barayas the Spider – Max Bemis (Say Anything)
• Princess Anhura – Greta Salpeter (The Hush Sound)
• Pallis – Brendon Urie (Panic! At The Disco)
• King Malka – Nic Newsham (Gatsbys American Dream)
• Doctor Dumaya – Shawn Harris (The Matches)
• Nidria – Lizzie Huffman (Man in the Blue Van)
• Adakis – Thomas Dutton
• Ahrima – Thomas Dutton
• Narrated by Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYOU)

Track Listing

1. Genesis (ft. Casey Crescenzo)
2. The Missing Piece (ft. Lizzie Huffman)
3. Life is Looking Up
4. The Spider and The Lamps (ft. Max Bemis)
5. Toba the Tura (ft. Chris Conley)
6. The Oracle (ft. Danny Stevens)
7. A Thousand Year, Minute Long Intermission
8. The Exit (ft. Brendon Urie & Dan Young)
9. It’s True Love (ft. Greta Salpeter)
10. Meet The King (ft. Greta Salpeter & Nic Newsham)
11. Holy The Sea (ft. John Gourley & Kris Ayana)
12. Doctor Doctor (ft. Shawn Harris)
13. The Apex and The Beginning (ft. Greta Salpeter & Brendon Urie)

For additional information, you can check out the album’s website.