Rick Black - Bassist/Math Coach - Huntington, WV

Review: Chamber Music From Hell

Sometime in the summer of 1999, a friend of mine turned me on to this strange album by this dude attending Berklee College of Music named Chris Opperman.  That album was Oppy Music Vol. I: Purple, Crayon.

For my 18-year-old mind, I was blown away.  How could this guy write such insane music at such a young age?  Yes, some of the material had veiled tongue-in-cheek humor attached but form the moment I heard “The 22nd Overture” and all of its 22/8 meter goodness, I was hooked.  What was even more impressive was the fact that once he knew I had received the album (since he was a one-man operation and could check the tracking information on the order), he actually called my house to ask my opinion.  Needless to say, I was quite impressed. 

I followed his music output for the years that followed.  From his time playing trumpet on Mike Keneally and Beer for Dolphin’s Dancing to his orchestrations for Mike and Steve Vai for their performances with the Metropole Orchestra, I continued to intake all that Chris had to offer.  Sometime during those years, we struck up a distant but cordial relationship (possibly bordering on friendship) via online mediums.  Chris was and is a good dude.

That brings us to the now.  That brings us up to 2020. 21 years after discovering the genius that is Chris Opperman, I now have the definitive proof that he is a genius.  That proof is Chamber Music from Hell, his newest release on his own Purple Cow Records. 

The crowd funded album shows the maturity of the now 41-year-old and demonstrates to the world that his breed of classical music is fitting alongside the genius that was Frank Zappa.  Upon initial listen, the first thought that came to me was this is the reincarnation of Civilization: Phaze III.  Chamber Music from Hell is full of melodies dashing this way and there.  It is a cultivation of pure artistry reaching the highest of all levels.  Each track fits a purpose.  Each track takes you further on a journey deep into thoughts about the brilliance the music displays as it enters your subconscious.

I could go on in detail about each of the pieces, but that would be forever long, and I would rather not bore the reader which such novelties.  I will, though, hit on what might be one of the single greatest musical moments Chris has ever set up.

 “Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?”

This track by far is the standout for me.  Chris created an amazing motif for which he then turned the genius of Mike Keneally loose to just destroy what you think you know about truly outstanding guitar playing.  Upon first listen, I stopped dead in my tracks, shed a tear of joy, and didn’t move for the entire five minutes and forty seconds of the track.  The beauty within this track is what life is all about.  It makes your heart melt with bliss and brain race with thoughts of sheer delight.  The bass playing by album producer Kurt Morgan and drums by fellow Zappa Plays Zappa Alum Ryan Brown are the perfect complement to Keneally’s progressively more frantic guitar artistry.  Not necessarily a contemporary classical piece, but the fitting climax to a structured masterpiece and hands down a real winner.