The review by Geert Ryssen is in Dutch, translated poorly by Google below.
“Semantic Saturation is the brainchild of Canadian guitarist Shant Hagopian, who with his second album Paradigms consolidates his fusion between metal, progressive rock and jazz. He does not want to be stuck with the same musician, and besides guest contributions from Derek Sherinian, Alex Argento (keyboards) and Squiggy McFlannel (trumpet) – each with a song – he opted for a rhythm section consisting of Kristoffer Gildenlów (ex-Pain Of Salvation) on bass / double bass Crain Blundell (Frost*/Steven Wilson) on drums. Particularly original is the choice of jazz singer Houry Dora Apartian in Empty Whiskey Jar, the only vocal number on the record. Hagopian does not want to fall into the trap of virtuosity because of the virtuosity and plays in the compositions, that offers enough space to display his guitar skills. Hagopian is not dictated by a certain sound but chooses variation in the sound spectrum and has a nice, full tone. He can fiercely and energetically rage, but also lyrical and thoughtful and that never goes away because the focus always remains on the composition. The interplay of the three protagonists is communicative and does not sound mechanical at all, here are clearly three musicians who are listening to each other. With the ten-minute closing song Where Dreams Have Died, Shant puts the crown on an enjoyable album.”
