On paper, at least, hard rock and classical music appear to be unlikely companions. In practice, they’re much closer than most would guess. Both thrive on drama and dynamics—rising tension, sudden stillness, sweeping crescendos, moments of delicate restraint. Both are built on scale, spectacle, and that sense of something larger than life. And, as Brian Hunsaker’s latest single shows, you can neatly build a bridge between the two.
Now, I’m not saying that “Power Over You” is music made by incorporating classical sounds; it is music made with contemporary rock instrumentation, but those contemporary sonic weapons are used to build the same scope and dynamics, the same grandeur and grace, the same might and majesty, to deliver something that has a similar dynamic quest.
This is very much rock music, but with a sense of classical familiarity that pushes into heavier and more proggy realms. Guitars grind, beats power everything along, bass lines crunch and growl, and Hunsaker’s vocals soar. However, it is a clever line that is being walked here, and as such, those powerful elements are balanced by more poised and understated deliveries. To that end, guitars also offer classical, finger-picked deftness, drums provide more spaciousness, basslines swap muscle for melody, pianos chime and charm, and the vocals are equally at home in understated lulls as they are scaling sonic crescendos.
Proggy? Yes, but never in a pretentious way. Metal? Of course, but creatively so. Hard rock? Indeed, but as made by players who understand dynamic and delicacy as well as how to kick ass and deliver the goods. Classical? Okay, no, not in the conventional sense, but certainly able to build sonic landscapes every bit as big and clever as the most adept orchestral compositions.
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