Alter Echo (album)

Alter Echo is the fourth studio album by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. It was released on 20 March 2020 by Sony Music.[1][2][3]

Alter Echo
Studio album by
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Released20 March 2020
RecordedAugust 2019 – January 2020
StudioThe Color Mill Studio (Copenhagen, Denmark)
GenreAlternative rock
progressive rock
Length46:16
LabelSony Music
ProducerTim Christensen
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy chronology
Livegasm!
(2017)		 Alter Echo
(2020)
Singles from Alter Echo
  1. "California Rain"
    Released: 7 November 2019
  2. "In the Blood"
    Released: 20 February 2020
  3. "The Middle"
    Released: 18 September 2020
  4. "Amelia"
    Released: 27 August 2021

Background

Following the band's 2014 reunion, their third studio album Forward in Reverse in 2016 marked their first original material released in nearly 20 years. The shift from the band's more grunge-oriented music from the 1990s towards hard rock was well-received by both critics and fans,[4] and helped Dizzy Mizz Lizzy regain their position as Denmark's most popular rock band.[5]

After touring Forward in Reverse, the band started to work on new material in the studio in the second half of 2017,[4] and expected to release an album in 2018.[6] However, the band decided to take extra time out to meet their high production quality standard. In 2018 and 2019, they continued to occasionally play shows, also trying out new songs they were working on, such as "In the Blood" and "California Rain". Album recording began in August 2,019 inches (5,130 cm) the privately owned Color Mill Studio. It marks the first album entirely self-produced by Tim Christensen.[7]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Gaffa[8]
Jyllands-Posten[9]

Alter Echo was ultimately released on 20 March 2020 to favorable reviews. The album was lauded with the GAFFA Award for "Danish rock album of the year", while it garnered Christensen his first award for "Songwriter of the year".[10] The album's name was inspired by TC Electronic's Alter Ego echo pedal, the meaning of which refers to an altered or alternative sound, particularly marking the band's transition in sound.[7]

Because the album hit the market in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band had to postpone their "Arena Tour" several times, playing only several smaller shows in between. The tour ultimately commenced April 2022, with the shows being widely praised.[11][12]

Musical style

Stylistically, Alter Echo continues in a similar heavier vein as Forward in Reverse, with GAFFA describing the songs as "their slowest, longest and also heaviest to date", due to their metal and progressive influences.[8] At the same time, in addition to the instruments of the power trio, orchestral and ambient arrangements play an increasingly dominant role.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Tim Christensen and Marcus Winther-John; all music is composed by Tim Christensen

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Ricochet"2:42
2."In the Blood"5:44
3."Boy Doom"5:38
4."The Middle"5:38
5."California Rain"3:46
Total length:23:18
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Amelia Part 1: Nothing They Do They Do for You"4:11
2."Amelia Part 2: The Path of Least Existence"5:06
3."Amelia Part 3: Lights Out"4:07
4."Amelia Part 4: All Saints Are Sinners"4:31
5."Amelia Part 5: Alter Echo"4:47
Total length:22:42
Japan CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
15."Madness"3:52

An instrumental version of the album, Alter Echo Instrumental, with remixed and newly mastered instrumentals of all tracks, was exclusively released on vinyl on 12 February 2021, initially to a limited run of 600 copies, but later receiving a second pressing due to high demand. The cover art is a near-inverted version of the album's visuals.

Singles and music videos
  • "California Rain"
  • "In the Blood"
  • "The Middle"
  • "Amelia"

"California Rain" and "In the Blood" were released as singles prior to the album's release. The song "The Middle" was released on 18 September 2020 as a single, including music video. By public demand, the five-piece suite "Amelia", totaling 23 minutes, was released as a single on 27 August 2021.[13][14] The music video premiered on 1 September 2021 at the Odense International Film Festival. It was made as a short film to visually tell the conceptual story told in "Amelia", about a young woman seeking help from the wrong people to get her back on track in life, resulting in a slow descent into a fanatic cult. It was directed by Marc Louis Sutton and starring Angela Bundalovic.[15] It among other things won "Best rock music video" at the Euro Music Video Song Awards (February 2022) and "Best music video" at the 2022 San Francisco Indie Short Festival.

Personnel
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
  • Tim Christensen – guitars, vocals, songwriter, producer, keyboards
  • Martin Nielsen – bass
  • Søren Friis – drums
Additional musicians
  • Rune Olesen – additional percussion
Production

Charts
Chart performance for Alter Echo
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[16] 2
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[17] 35

References
  1. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – Alter Echo. Allmusic.com. Accessed 3 February 2022.
  2. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – Alter Echo. Discogs.com. Accessed 3 February 2022.
  3. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – Alter Echo. iMusic.dk. Accessed 3 February 2022.
  4. Kallehave, Cæcilie (12 March 2017). "De dobbelte GAFFA-Prisvindere Dizzy Mizz Lizzy: Vi er hotte igen" ("Double GAFFA Award winners Dizzy Mizz Lizzy: We are hot again"). GAFFA. (in Danish)
  5. Poulsen, Jan Opstrup (2017). "Toptunet rocktrio på sejrstogt" Archived 2017-12-16 at the Wayback Machine ("Toptuned trio triumphs"). GAFFA. (in Danish)
  6. Svidt, Ole Rosenstand (5 December 2017). "Dizzy Mizz Lizzy udgiver snart livealbum" ("Dizzy Mizz Lizzy to release live album soon"). GAFFA. (in Danish)
  7. Natsume, Sin (27 April 2020). "NEW DISC REVIEW + INTERVIEW 【DIZZY MIZZ LIZZY : ALTER ECHO】". Marunouchi Muzik Magazine. (in Japanese)
  8. Betontunget og mere end bundsolidt, review in the Gaffa magazine, (by: Ole Rosenstand Svidt)
  9. Dansk Dynamit fra rockende treenighed, review in the Jyllands-Posten, (by: Anders Houmøller Thomsen )
  10. Gonzalez, Michael Jose (6 March 2021). "GAFFA-Pris-vinderne Dizzy Mizz Lizzy: Vi er supertaknemmelige for, at så mange stadig er med på vores vogn" ("GAFFA Prize winners Dizzy Mizz Lizzy: We are super grateful that so many are still on our bandwagon"). GAFFA. (in Danish)
  11. Broksø, Keld (2 April 2022). "Opvisning i vellyd til fuld plade. Punktum." Archived 2022-04-27 at the Wayback Machine ("A display of musicality across the board. Period."). GAFFA. (in Danish)
  12. Pristed, Mads (19 April 2022). "I gør mig rundtosset, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy!" ("You make me feel dizzy, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy! "). Metal A Day. (in Danish)
  13. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy at Apple Music. Accessed: 3 February 2022.
  14. 'Amelia' – longest rock single in Denmark, Latebar.org. Accessed: 3 February 2022.
  15. Night, Focus (2021). "Dizzy Mizz Lizzy: musik og film" ("Dizzy Mizz Lizzy: Music and film"). OFF. (in Danish)
  16. "Danishcharts.dk – Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – Alter Echo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: {{{date}}}" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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