To Better Days

Steve Hickey is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore Maryland. Writing and recording since 1997, Steve has tapped into many different genres of music, favoring Classical/Electronic. "The Decadent Era," his debut concerto, was written and conceptualized over the years of 2000-2004. It wasn't until 2010 that "The Decadent Era" took its true form, with added orchestral instrumentation, and a few experimental non-ethnic twists.

Review of "The Decadent Era" by Jerry Zamostny of Blastbox media:
Steve Hickey has created something I have not seen the local music community dare to produce. In a world of pop and rock/metal acts, Hickey turns face to the wind and offers up one of the most thought provoking pieces of work around. Through the years, Hickey has produced several iterations of this piece, none of which speak at the soul like this version. While this release is nothing short of breathtaking, it is a gamble. The risks associated with creating soundscapes of this magnitude usually fend off most musicians, leaving the unoriginal and predictable mediocrity at listeners feet. This piece of work really deserves a straight through listen, focused and uninterrupted. There hasn’t been a Deformative Records release this profound before. This is, “The Decadent Era.”

From its delicate first note, The Decadent Era’s first movement “The Love, The Loss” rolls the red carpet out. It’s overture style immediately establishes the overall mood for one of the most emotional and elegant pieces of music Steve Hickey has ever created. In traditional form, the first few measures features Hickey’s acoustic drum programming. I found this quite ironic; it was as if he was saying, “this is still me, but now I am going to venture into uncharted territories.” And that he did immediately following the drum section. From out of left field, warm string sections and grandiose timpani’s accent the latter half of “The Love, The Loss” which holds a much more dreary overtone. The sweeping string section takes lead with French Horns supporting the underlying melodies. Thunderous timpani’s bring the classic battle of emotions that true love inevitably instills upon us to its close.

Descending in melodic branches, we are given the second movement, “Greener On the Other Side.” Hickey’s uncanny ability to establish melodies that feel like days gone by is highlighted here. Woodwinds intertwine themselves between the piano’s delicate dream sequence. The feeling of weightlessness is short-lived and your’re quickly whipped into a downward spiral with driving timpani’s and emotive classical guitar passages.
The contrasting visions portrayed in “To Better Days,” accurately detail the struggle one might have if forced to seek greener pastures beyond his own. The passage is quick and swift with force. The harp synth dances as if it were the bait, luring one to temptation. Suddenly, the reality seems to sink in as the piano draws the argument home.

The hypnotic “The Light Begins to Fade” is laden with groove in a semi-ritualistic atmosphere. Nearing delirium, the melody lends itself to the thoughts of insanity and day dreaming. The drums are extremely prominent here, beating their way into a stand-off-ish climax. The choice of synth accompaniment here is sublime.

Hauntingly ominous, low note piano melodic churns introduce us to the albums title track, “The Decadent Era.” The scene feels dark and cold, almost desert like. The swaying of the song’s beautiful undercurrent drifts us on into the wind. In an instant we are blind sided by a fury of notes in the triumphant mid-section, which hints at the symphonic first movements of the album in a whimsical fashion. The duality of light and dark bring us back to where we started from, conflicted and tense as the massive low notes ring out.

As the title insinuates, “We Were Only Dreaming” feels as if the previous movements were the dream and we awake from. Calmness sweeps over in layers of beautiful strings and horns. Hickey’s on the money with his pace throughout the entire album and leaving this uplifting and peaceful movement at the end was genius. The perfect end to a flight of conflict, disparity, isolation, and pain.