You may have seen Descendants of Erdrick (progressive metal arrangements of classic video game soundtracks) at VoyagerFest 2015 with guitarist and occasional vocalist Amanda Lepre fronting. She has a solo album of quite different music and has been playing shows of the material this summer.
Beneath the Forest of Error is driven by energetic acoustic guitar riffs backed by drums, bass, keyboards, and electric guitar. The intensity of some acoustic guitar parts reminds me of Steve Morse–check out the beginning of the song “The Gift.” Lead vocals are passionate and vocal harmonies abound. A few songs edge into metal territory but at its heart the album is acoustic guitar and vocals.
There are some progressive elements to the music. For example, there are a few places where a bridge or chorus shifts into an odd time signature such as 13/8, 7/4, or 5/4. A few songs have many creative vocal overdubs that give a Kate Bush vibe. Check out the vocal layers in the middle portion of the song “Forest of Error” for instance. The VoyagerFest shirt from last year had the phrase “explore something outside the mainstream” and this album certainly meets that standard!
