Images of Eden - Chapter 1

Gordon Tittsworth was at a crossroads in 1999. He had just been fired from his previous band Out Of Nowhere in a very unprofessional fashion. That would be cause to crawl into a hole and hide for a while, right? Not in his case! In actuality, he was looking for any excuse to leave the band because of the bad situation he was in. Now that he was out, he had FREEDOM! He decided to use that freedom to focus his energies on making an album which showcased his abilities, and could be used to help form a new band which would help him create the music he always dreamed of making. Armed with a batch of killer songs, Gordon decided to head into the studio with session drummer Steve Kilgallon in tow to record this record. Showing incredible versatility, Gordon not only wrote the music, but did the vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards! After a year and a half of hard work, he emerged with what is now known as the debut album for the Maryland/Pennsylvania-based prog metal wizards Images of Eden, which is entitled Chapter 1.

We could spend days and moons and eons here in a fierce debate over whether this is a “true” Images of Eden record or if it is just a solo album. I don’t want to waste time here doing that. Instead, read my interview with Gordon Tittsworth (which is also on this site) and you should have all of your questions answered. OK? Now, let’s get on to the music.

The opening track, “Stealth”, leads off the fun, and you can rest assured that this record will deliver plenty of it. Driven by one of the best mid-tempo riffs I have ever heard, and kicked in the ass by the computer-like precision of Kilgallon’s drumming, this track should make you a fan of the band right off! If not, I feel sorry for you. Go home and bang your head into a wall 10,000 times. Maybe that will give you some sense!

“Tied To A Wish” is one of those tracks where I can close my eyes and make myself and all of my problems drift away like wind-blown smoke. Bursting with beautiful piano melodies, a simple but sweet guitar solo, and Gordon’s awesome vocals, this track will put you in mind of the joys of spring. I suggest you plug this into your portable CD or MP3 player and listen to this track outside during a cool spring morning. If it rained the night before, it’s a plus. Now, you’ll get the picture of how this song makes me feel.

I love the rhythm of this next song, “Return To Twilight”. Drums, bass, guitars and even Gordon’s vocals unite for a really amazing effect on this track. This has to be one of the coolest and most unique guitar riffs ever written. Where does he come up with this stuff? Pure genius! Another track to lose yourself in. As you go on, you will find this album is loaded with them.

The gentle sound of falling rain announces the arrival of another work of beauty. Acoustic guitars and yet another sweet melody invite you into the world which is my favorite track on the record, “September”. I fell in love with this song while on a Sunday morning drive through the farm country near my home. A testament to the fact that even sometimes bad things happen in your life for a reason, but if you make it through, the rewards are great. The melodies in this song are so amazing I cannot describe them with words. GT really belts out some killer vocals on this track. Let this song be your guide through hard times. You’ll be glad you did.

Native American pow-wow? The drums, the rain stick and the haunting keyboard may make you think so, but the tribal vibe then kicks into some more catchy guitar work and you are now in the land of the “Brave Horse”. I love this song! It’s really awesome live and one listen will have you hooked! Very nice guitar effects and a really simple but effective guitar solo equals another home run for GT! He’s batting 1,000 so far! NOW I’M ALIVE! Oh yeah!

“Jade’s Dream” leads off with more beautiful piano, and leads into a cool bass line and some more killer odd-meter riffs. Another melodic masterpiece. Damn! This is only the sixth track and I am running out of adjectives and clichés! See how great this record is already? Bottom line: A nice mellow number with a nice mix of heavy moments as well and another cool guitar solo.

Pretty, pretty music! Gentle feelings of reflection abound when the beginning of “Dawn (Another Sunrise)” hits your speakers. Drift off and enjoy. GT shows great emotion all around on this song, vocals, guitar…everything! The feelings of gentleness eventually end and are muscled away by another tight guitar riff. Cool keyboard solo in this one, too!

‘Edge Of The Ocean” is powered by yet ANOTHER sweet riff from GT’s seemingly endless bag of cool guitar riffs! This song will either take you away or cause you to start head banging….or both! Very few songs possess that ability. Good God! I am really grabbing for descriptions here!

Take a break for awhile during the nice interlude entitled “Images of Eden”. The mood is about to change!

Crashing chords and MORE cool hooks bring about some anger management as GT uses “Only In My World” to give a telling off to all the negative forces we have to deal with everyday. It’s a call to get out of the world that the news pumps into your mind everyday and for you to step into your own private Eden. Take his advice because it will save your sanity. I love this track because I am also sick of all the bullshit we have to put up with day in day out. Hey! Stay out of his world and while you are at it, stay out of mine too! Go on, GET! Great track!

Aggression comes out to play in the guise of heavy riffing on “One Last Hero”. Easily the heaviest and fastest track on the record, it is a frenetic cacophony of chords, heavy drumming and spoken word verses that lead to pain-filled screaming choruses and GT asking, “Where were you when I was falling down?”. Total madness! Very strange but very satisfying! I have a few theories on who he may be telling off on this killer but I will keep them to myself. I’m a journalist, not a psychologist.

The final epic, “Autumn’s End (The Last Sunset)”, has much personal meaning for me. Autumn is my favorite season and I always feel a sense of finality to the year when winter finally rolls around. The cold takes over and holds the world hostage for four months until spring, and then, rebirth! Melancholy beauty abounds in the vocals, the keyboards, and builds into loud guitars that explode at just the right spot during the song. Longing, sorrow and hope fill this final chapter from Chapter 1 as we forge on into the great unknown. A perfect epic!

Musically, Gordon Tittsworth proves himself to be a jack-of-all-trades in the musician department. It takes a lot of guts, courage and patience to perform most of the instruments on an album, let alone sing! His guitar and bass work is solid and dependable, and he has this ability to write awesome guitar riffs that don’t sound complex by themselves, but as a whole sound incredible! Great musicians have that gift to write music that fits the song as a whole, and doesn’t sound like complicated mish-mash. He also plays some pretty underrated guitar solos on the album too! Greg White does some sweet soloing in the guest role on the tracks “Brave Horse” and “Only In My World”. Keyboard-wise, GT also does a very nice job, going from soothing backgrounds to sweet melodies with no trouble. He also plays some good keyboard solos. His ability as a bass player needs to be mentioned as he plays some really cool licks on songs such as “Jade’s Dream”. His bass lines lock in perfectly with Steve Kilgallon’s tight and precise drum work. GT drafted the perfect drummer to play on this album, and the results speak for themselves. Vocally, Tittsworth is amazing. He possesses a great vocal range and shows great emotion and depth of feeling. You can feel the passion that was put into this record.

Production on this album is almost perfect and everything sounds clear and powerful. The drums boom, the guitars sound heavy enough to bang your head yet melodic enough to let your consciousness slip away and lose yourself in another world for almost an hour. Keyboards and bass are not overpowered in the mix. Everything is in its place.

Do yourself a favor and pick up the album which saw the birth of one of the next prog metal powerhouses in the world. In due time and with a little luck, you will see their name mentioned alongside names like Rush, Queensryche, Dream Theater and Fates Warning. Hurry, before it goes out of print! You’ll be sorry if you don’t!

Gordon said to me in the interview that completing this album was like “climbing Everest." Well, he should be as proud as Sir Edmund Hillary for completing this masterwork! With this record, GT had the perfect vehicle to showcase his abundant talent and songwriting ability. Now, would finding the right musicians to complete his band be like climbing K2? To be continued…

Review written by: Matt B.        
Date: May 12, 2006             
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5