There have been many one-man bands throughout recording history and in the world of metal perhaps the underground niche of black metal has attracted the most misanthropic loners who don't work well with others but in recent years it seems many other styles of metal have been finding a sole multi-instrumentalist take on the entire project without the volatile nature of fellow band members. For better or for worse this trend seems to be growing and Australia's CAVE SERMON is just one more such case. The alter ego of Melbourne based Charlie Park, the CAVE SERMON project started cranking out post-metal recordings in 2021 with both and EP and a full-length debut. While both releases pretty much flew under the radar, the same can't be said about Park's sophomore album DIVINE LAUGHTER which seems to be causing quite the raucous in the world of experimental metal. It should be mentioned however that while Park handles all instruments, the vocals are brought to you courtesy of guest screamer Pablo Miguel Méndez of the Colombian blackened disso-death / core band Mico.

Fresh out in January 2024, DIVINE LAUGHTER is one of those albums in the modern world that is ever increasingly difficult to classify as all the once traditional subgenres of metal have confluently joined at the hip and created a rather bizarre array of hybridization efforts with traces of death metal here, sludge metal there, blackened elements, moments of core, prog, classic heavy metal melodies and so forth and so on. To convey it all on paper requires a vast list of up to six genres (at least) just to try to grasp the contents in this art metal extravaganza. While the caustic dissonance and guttural growls point first and foremost to the world of death metal, the compositional styles are fairly unique in that they don't adhere to any particular style of metal and as heard on the lengthy 9 1/2 opening "Beyond Recognition," moments of metal are dropped completely in lieu of a sprawling lysergic journey into the world of Krautrock-ish psychedelia.

But this is indeed an extreme metal album through and through with caustic sludge metal tones and drumming techniques, blackened overtones and even bouts with post-metal, CAVE SERMON certainly has done its homework in the exploration of the larger metal universe and crafted a abstractly wild beastly ugliness with DIVINE LAUGHTER. The dissonance at full decibelage enhanced by thundering tempos and frenetic blastbeats may point to Ulcerate, Artificial Brain or a number of modern bands but where CAVE SERMON differs in the completely unorthodox shifts in where the compositions take you. The core elements from deathcore, metalcore and even moments of mathcore, Park keeps you guessing what will be the next hairpin turn move yet never strays to far for too long from the crushing death sludge that squeals and churns and evokes the very bowels of hell.

A crushingly brutal album for the most part however lush psychedelic interludes occur ("Beyond Recognition") in the middle of tracks as to pacifying post-rock moments ("The Pain of an Invader"). Intros and outros also serve as the opportunity to pain the canvass with different colors of sound and although the metal aspects are dark and ominous, these contrasting elements are actually quite bright and cheerful but also fleeting in the big picture compared to the dominance of the caustic deathened sludgery. The lengthiest tracks are quite progressive and offer excursions into varying motifs, tempo shifts and even time signature deviations. The strangest head scratching track on the album is the penultimate "Birds and Machines in Brunswick" which completely drops the metal and rather offers an electroacoustic birdsong with a droning background. Sounding more like something from Nurse Than Wound than say Convulsing, this cements the fact that this album is pretty out there and attempts to take extreme metal into territories that nobody has dared gone before. However as cool as the track is, it sounds completely out of sync with anything else on the album and probably was too "artistic" for its own good.

In a way the electroacoustic turbulence is more like a 5-minute fluffer for the closing title track at 12 minutes plus which is by far the longest track. This one jumps right back into the metal with a series of stomping riffs with an accompanying atmospheric guitar sweeping all over the backdrop. The keys add a nice ambient touch as well. This one begins more as a posty death doom sound in the vein of classic Neurosis or Isis only with death metal bantering and growls. The addition of the chaotic swirls of sound above the main chugga-chug adds nice layers of tension. This last track is the most focused as it tends to use a post-metal structure of repetition which makes it easier to follow than the abstract nature of the rest of the album. It also delivers all the elements in the right doses and in the right logical procession and in a way provides a recap of what you just experienced. It's an amazingly clever slab of weirdo metal freakery!

A veritable stab of psychedelic death / sludge / progressive / experimental metal, CAVE SERMON delivers exactly what the artistic album cover insinuates and that is something completely new for the world of (mostly) death metal. While i think the album could've been streamlined a bit better in the vein of the final track, overall this is an exhilarating slab of psychedelic freakery meets technical brutality. Yeah the electroacoustic "Birds and Machines in Brunswick" seems a bit like a fish out of water without any thought as to how it relates to the rest of the album but i have a feeling this was basically just a warm up album for more to come. Despite my own thoughts about how element A should've been replaced with element B and so forth, i do find this to be an excellent listening pleasure in its own right and perfect for those who love the crushing caustic nature of extreme metal augmented by moments of psychedelia.

— First review of this album —

PSICOSFERA is an all-instrumental quartet that emerged in the suburb of Morón just outside the city of Buenos AIres, Argentina in 2013. The band experienced three distinct phases, the first lineup that lasted up to and included the debut album ALPHA, the second lineup that produced the sophomore release "Beta," and the third which added a vocalist and focused more on the black metal aspects. On this debut from 2015, PSICOSFERA consisted of Gabriel Luque (guitar), Gabriel Sabatini (guitar), Juan Facundo Brinville (drums) and Juan Martin Venezia (bass, 2013-15).

This idiosyncratic band has found a way to amalgamate disparate styles of metal and offers a totally new methodology of delivering. By taking the tones, dissonance and cosmic dread of Deathspell Omega, PSICOSFERA has forged a veritable blend of djent-ish post-metal that drifts mid-tempo through 9 tracks (simply titled as Roman numerals) that add up to almost 43 minutes. While sounding like a strain of black metal, the musical procession is not anything like the torturous bleakness of bands like Germany's Ascension or Blut Aus Nord but offers a touch of dissonant death metal in the vein of Ulcerate or Gorguts without really being death metal all the while meandering through semi-progressive game changers without truly being prog.

This album is a smooth flow of transitions although abrupt changes occur but despite heavy dissonant power chords ceding to clean guitar arpeggios and moments of respite erupting into loud frenzies of instrumental interplay, ALPHA logically connects and doesn't deliver a strange mix of avant-garde freakery but rather a coordinated attack of instrumental prowess most resembling a typical instrumental post-rock / post-metal act. The absence of vocals gives the entire affair an abstract feel to it but the relaxed oft sludgy chords are designed to evoke philosophical reflection and human suffering. Not sure that translated well but the darkened tones and bleak overall atmosphere certainly evokes a sense of discombobulation that doesn't resolve throughout the album's run.

The band is skilled at playing their unique spin on proggy djent delivered in a post-metal procession however the tracks begin to sound a bit repetitive by end's length and the addition of a wider pallet of influences might've served it well but as it is it's not a bad listening experience at all and allows for a nice drifting escapism albeit a noise boisterous din of one. I always admire bands that know how to develop their own style in between the cracks of the existing genre and evoke the sense of many metal styles simultaneously without really sounding like any. PSICOSFERA has certainly achieved that lofty task but at this point the band still lacks the ability to craft enough disparate ideas to take their stylized efforts to the next level. Still though a very interesting album despite it all.

3.5 rounded down

Review Nº 770

Mostly Autumn, as its name indicates, is a name that conjures the images of an October sky, and this is precisely the month when I'm writing this review, with leaves on the ground, trees preparing to sleep trough the coming season change and shortened days. This is a season sometimes with shining moments, others with raining moments and we have also sometimes storms over us. In the fall we enter to a twilight realm in which a kind of a mystical unfolding is taking place. Alike, the music of Mostly Autumn evokes all these natural diverse qualities. They've been bringing their mysterious music to us for many years now, treading the boundaries of folk, rock, prog and Celtic music, conjuring the ghosts of a past that's still subtly hanging on to the present. We have walked in their meadows, slept by the rivers, climbed mountains, strolled through valleys and journeyed to the Middle Earth. They created a very own music world.

I have always felt a very special soft spot for Mostly Autumn but unfortunately I've never had the chance to see them live. However, if their live concerts are anything like these live releases, then I have to say that I've lost too much. Certainly, their studio albums have revealed a band of growing talent and vocal prowess, but listening their music live is a very different thing. Hearing their music live for the first time, and this was my case with this live album, it opened up to me an amazing vista of hidden treasures that I didn't recognize in their studio material. Their music sparks as if something wild has been set free and, in a certain way, it has something special when performed live. I wrote all these before about this live album, because "Storms Over London Town" was my real first contact with Mostly Autumn live.

"Storms Over London Town" is the eighth live album of Mostly Autumn and was released in 2006. It was recorded from a live concert made by Mostly Autumn at the London Astoria on Saturday 4th June 2005. This live concert was played to celebrate the launch of their sixth studio album "Storms Over Still Water", an album that was released in the same year.

The line up on "Storms Over London Town" is Heather Findlay (lead vocals and tambourine), Angela Gordon (vocals, flute, keyboards and tambourine), Bryan Josh (lead vocals and lead and rhythm guitars), Liam Davison (vocals and electric, acoustic and slide guitars), Iain Jennings (keyboards), Andy Smith (bass guitar) and Andrew Jennings (drums). "Storms Over London Town" had also the participation of Ben Matthews (lead and rhythm guitars), Troy Donockley (low whistles and Uilleann pipes) and Olivia Sparnenn and Rachel Jones (vocals and backing vocals).

"Storms Over London Town" has eleven tracks. The first track "Out Of The Green Sky" was released on "Storms Over Still Water", the second track "Broken Glass" was released on "Storms Over Still Water", the third track "Answer The Question" was released on "Passengers", the fourth track "Black Rain" was released on "Storms Over Still Water", the fifth track "Never The Rainbow" was released on "The Last Bright Light", the sixth track "Distant Train" was released on "Passengers", the seventh track "Evergreen" was released on "The Spirit Of Autumn Past", the eighth track "Carpe Diem" was released on "Storms Over Still Water", the ninth track "Finlandia" is, from what I know, an unreleased studio track by Mostly Autumn. The tenth track "Storms Over Still Water" was released on "Storms Over Still Water" and the eleventh track "The Spirit Of Autumn Past ? (Part 1)" was released on "The Spirit Of Autumn Past".

"Storms Over London Town" is a great live gig in an unforgettable night. The first two songs are played in a very fast tempo. The up-beat tempo of those two songs continues with "Answer The Question" and the other two next songs. Ben Matthews brings "Black Rain" to a higher level with his tasty guitar playing. And with the excellent vocals of Olivia Sparnenn and a nice guitar solo at the end of "Never The Rainbow" became really worthy to be listened again. With the great instrumental track "Distant Train" the live gig turns into the more symphonic side with great keyboard riff and the unmistakeable guitar solo of Bryan. "Carpe Diem" and "Storms Over Still Water", with the lovely voice of Rachel Jones, are another two classical highlights. The show ends with "The Spirit Of Autumn Past ? (Part 1)" one of their best pieces.

Conclusion: "Storms Over London Town" is an excellent live album of Mostly Autumn that represents perfectly well their excellent studio album "Storms Over Still Water". As I wrote above, this was the album that represents my first live experience with the group, beyond the view of their excellent track "Mother Nature" on the DVD "Progressive Rock Anthology", a DVD with a collection of ten progressive live concert clips from several progressive bands and artists, already reviewed by me on this site. That clip represents also my first contact with Mostly Autumn's music. Despite be far from being one of the best live albums from the band, I recommend "Storms Over London Town" to everyone who likes melodic and accessible progressive rock with a touch of Pink Floyd's style. So, and as a conclusion, this is a nice live album, especially for all their fans, because there aren't enough typical titles from the older albums from the band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

"Ki" is the tenth full-length studio album by Canadian artist Devin Townsend. The album was released through HevyDevy Records (Townsend´s own label) in May 2009. It´s the successor to "Ziltoid The Omniscient" from May 2007 and marks the end of a 2 year release hiatus, which at the time was an unusually long break between releases for Townsend. After a period of hectic recording and touring activity, Townsend however decided that he would withdraw from touring, to concentrate on family life and on getting sober from his addiction to alcohol and drugs. He recorded and released "Ziltoid The Omniscient" during the first period of his isolation, but then stopped writing music for a full year, before returning to composing at full force, writing around 60 tracks, some of which ended up on "Ki". Townsend brought in drummer Duris Maxwell and bassist Jean Savoie who he had never worked with before, and also asked former Devin Townsend Band member Dave Young to join the project and play keyboards. Female vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval (who Townsend would create the Casualties of Cool duo project with a few years down the line) sings additional vocals on the album.

Compared to "Ziltoid The Omniscient", "Ki" is a completely different type of release. It´s still unmistakably a Devin Townsend album (although released under The Devin Townsend Project monicker), but it´s predominantly a non-distorted, non-metal oriented release (although it can still be pretty heavy at times). Instead Townsend have opted for a stripped down, organic, and earthy rock sound, which often works through tension and release type dynamics. It´s sometimes a pretty intense album, and often not meant for mellow listening pleasure, so it´s not one of those atmospheric and pretty acoustic guitar releases, although the album does feature a good share of mellow and laid back sections and tracks. Some of the tracks feature jam parts combined with more structured sections and the whole album feels loose and creative in spirit. Featuring 13 tracks and a total playing time of 66:50 minutes, it´s also a pretty long release.

"Ki" is probably Townsend´s most personal release in terms of the lyrical subjects which include subjects like dealing with sober life, self-discovery, and spirituality. "Ki" features a gorgeous organic and earthy sound production. It´s an absolutely brilliant production, where you can hear every detail of the music and all instruments and vocals are well balanced in the mix. It´s interesting to hear Townsend´s music presented in this type of production package, as it stands in great contrast to his usual wall of sound/multi-layered sound productions, but that´s pretty obviously the whole point of "Ki"...to produce a release which sounds vastly different from anything which Townsend had been involved in before.

Personally I find "Ki" a very hard album to get into and it´s taken me many years to get through the album and many re-visits to be able to write something about it. And it´s not because it´s an overtly complex release in terms of the song structures or challenging parts, but it´s the whole atmosphere and the sometimes slow building and repetitive nature of the music (which is often laid back and ambient), which has taken me a while (well...actually a very long time) to get into. Even after all this time "Ki" still leaves me a bit perplexed...

...I´m sure the often idiosyncratic Townsend would be delighted if he read my reaction to "Ki" and the struggles I´ve been through to understand what he has created, but at some point you do have to ask yourself if it´s worth it. Some albums just seem to alienate you even though you try everything to understand them and appreciate them. And that´s how I felt about "Ki" for many years. But understanding and appreciating music sometimes comes down to experience with different types of music, the real life situation you´re experiencing at the given moment, and maybe who you listen to the music with. Negative feelings often create a negative reaction to difficult music, because you don´t have the emotional surplus to grasp it.

The point is that "Ki" is one of the most unique but also one of the most difficult releases in Devin Townsend´s discography, and it´s one of those releases which is an aquired taste. Just because you think of yourself as a Townsend fan doesn´t mean you´ll be able to appreciate "Ki". In parts maybe, but probably not the full album in one sitting unless you´re one of those rare folks who get it right away. But while you should consider yourself warned at this point, I would still urge you to give "Ki" a listen. This is the work of a real artist trying something new and working outside his comfort zone, and while I still have a way to go before I completely surrender to "Ki", there are arguably musical treasures buried on the album, which deserve to be discovered. The only way to find them...is to keep digging. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

A year after the stellar 'Remeber the Future', Nektar made use of experiences and sensations drawn from the circus world and its characters to conceive and release 'Down to Earth', their fifth album (1974). A proposal that moves away from the spatial narratives and extensive instrumentation so characteristic of the band in exchange for more ephemeral and earthly developments, and which is made up of pieces that, although they share a conceptually common theme, carry with them their own particular stories.

Beyond the introductory and digestible sixties rock of 'Astral Man', the album moves between gentle melodies like the sensitive 'Early Morning Clown' and its acoustic similarities to the song 'And You And I' (Yes), or the beautiful and crystalline 'Little Boy', and pieces complemented by arrangements adapted to the circus show, such as the trumpets, saxophones and trombones preceded by the introductions of Bob Calvert (late ex-singer of Hawkwind), occasional master of ceremonies, in the persistent half-time of 'Nelly the Elephant' or in the active 'Fidgety Queen', adorned with the brief and effective guitar slides of Roye Albrighton.

In the last section, and without departing too much from the general atmosphere of the album, the bubbly 'Oh Willy' picks up the pace (brief jazz interlude included) with a very active Ron Howden on percussion accompanied by the intense bass of Derek Moore, and the rousing 'Show Me the Way' with the rhythmic cadence that Allan Freeman's keyboards and Albrighton's riffs impose and a beautiful vocal counterpoint in between, precede 'Finale', the instrumental appendix taken from 'Nelly the Elephant' that brings the show to a close.

Down to Earth", which reached number 32 on the US Billboard 200, is a few steps below the contemporary "A Tab in the Ocean" and "Remember the Future", perhaps because of the lightness of its development at times, but it is a remarkable attempt by Nektar not to repeat themselves and to continue experimenting with different sonic structures, and that gives it a special appeal.

3/3.5 stars

The artist addition sure was a quick one! Here's the first review for this new Finnish electronic music artist hiding behind a moniker -- plainly a pseudonym instead of a real (sur)name. Without further speculation let's go straight to the music. The tracks are averagely pretty short, only one piece of the twelve exceeds even five minutes. Also the album in total remains rather short, but I don't see that as a downside here.

Dark Ambient is a suitable description, and so is Dungeon Synth, which was a new term for me used in the promo sheet. Despite these terms, the music doesn't turn out to be distubingly sinister or depressive. In fact any listener deep into the world of Electronic Music (or "Progressive electronic") will feel fairly at home and probably think of reference artists within the genre that may come to mind. TANGERINE DREAM sounds sometimes a bit similar, for example on their soundtrack album The Sorcerer.

The overall sharp soundscape has perhaps more in common with some post-70's stuff by artists such as ROBERT SCHROEDER or ED STARINK. And something you might hear on the compilations of Innovative Communication label, although they're usually not this dark in tone. Rauduskoivu's approach is also rather minimalistic, leaving a lot of empty canvas in the background instead of building layered sonic carpets. In that sense one could think of VANGELIS at his most minimalistic (Beaubourgh for instance), with the crucial difference of tighter track structures.

On some tracks there's a threateningly throbbling low sound joined by crystal-bright higher sounds sometimes slightly reminiscent of morse coding. The low, see-sawing sound may make you think of John Williams' soundtrack for Jaws. On 'Lurking III' the see-sawing low sound sounds a lot like cello and makes me think of sleeping. This album could be used as a soundtrack for somewhat disturbing Sci-Fi/horror series. The deliberately blurry and synthetic cover art -- indeed very fitting for the music in spirit -- features a submarine and some men on its top deck, I think.

These days pure Electronic Music isn't too crowded as a genre, so initially I warmly welcome this album. However, on the long run the impression may soon wear out and the listener is bound to turn into old classics instead.

— First review of this album —

Here we have the latest project from French writer poet, vocalist and lyricist Thierry Sportouche (Anoxie, Silver Lining, Silver Hunter), who is best known in the prog scene for running the indispensable Acid Dragon progzine. Here he has joined forces with Florida-based keyboardist/composer Stephen Gilbert-Rivera (Azureth, Cosmic Singularity), while Norwegian based Kenneth Aspesl'en (Blue Lynx, Wasted) guests on two tracks. With Thierry providing vocals and flute, Stephen keyboards, and Kenneth vocals (on one track), bass, guitars, drums on the two tracks he is involved with, here we have a prog project which is looking backwards to the Seventies, bringing in some classic ELP sounds and styles.

Opening number 'On The Prowl' is one of the weakest, with the vocals and keyboards not really gelling, but in many ways it is false representation of what the rest of the album is like as from here on in there are some very positive elements indeed. To my ears it is a shame that Aspesl'en is not more involved as 'Reason of Truth' is where the guys really come alive, with the additional instrumentation providing a much broader and heavier approach. Here we have a band really firing on all cylinders, powering through the longest song on the album, the keyboards rising, guitar crunching, drums providing the backbone and vocals perfectly in sync. Contrast that to the far more thoughtful and restrained 'Intermission', where Thierry talks us through man's stupidity, then allows Stephen to provide some lovely, layered, keyboards which are both delicate and passionate, with the sung section perfectly capturing the moment.

They even manage to bring us a prog track which is only just slightly longer than 2:30, which is highly unusual, yet works well. This is an interesting project, and I certainly hope it does not take as long for the next one to come out (this took more than three years), and for that one they need to get Aspesl'en onboard as a full member as that is the direction they should be moving in as it is just so powerful.

Track 1: Rytter av dommedag: This is a modern prog rock masterpiece, "Rytter av dommedag," a vintage keyboard aficionado's dream come true. From the ethereal mellotron soundscape that bookends the track to the intricate riffs on the ARP and Moog synthesizers, every moment is a testament to the enduring power of classic keyboard instruments.

Lars Hammond C3 layering adds a rich, organic texture to the mix, whether it's just heavily overdriven rhythmic chords or percussive melodies, while a symphony of other keyboards weave in and out, creating a sonic tapestry that is both intricate and captivating. But it's the eruption of the 15/8 Moog riff towards the climax that truly showcases the brilliance of this composition. As the music reaches this peak, it's impossible not to surrender to the urge to headbang. Despite not understanding the juxtaposed Norwegian verses, the sheer emotional impact of the sound transcends language barriers. This is Symphonic Prog at its finest, a testament to the enduring legacy of vintage keyboards in the modern prog scene.

Track 2: Elsted under himmelhvelvet "Et sted under himmelhvelvet" emerges as a seamless continuation/spiritual successor of the sonic journey initiated by the previous piece (despite being a standalone track). Once again, we're treated to the intoxicating allure of vintage keyboards, with the unmistakable charm of Moog tones leading the charge this time.

As the track unfolds, the rhythmic backbone provided by the chunky 12/8 Rickenbacker bassline adds depth and drive, while a sublime Moog solo takes center stage, intertwining effortlessly with mellotron strings that echo its melodic phrasing. One of the true marvels of this composition lies in its attention to detail. The flute sections, expertly mixed, blur the lines between reality and illusion, showcasing Lars' meticulous craftsmanship. The reason for this is because it is the mellotron, and unless one is extremely familiar with the instrument, you likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference between real flutes or mellotron.

As the journey draws to a close, we find ourselves back where we started, enveloped in a grand, orchestrated vintage organ soundscape. It's a fitting conclusion, tying together the thematic threads that run through both this track and its predecessor, and leaving us in awe of the masterful storytelling achieved through the language of vintage keyboards!

Track 3: Jærtegn "Jærtegn" ventures into territory reminiscent of the distinct soundscapes often found on Wobbler albums, and for fans of this unique style, that's an absolute treat. There's a sense of familiarity and comfort in the familiarity of this sound, a testament to the enduring appeal of a genre steeped in tradition. At the heart of this track lies a standout moment: Lars' theremin solo (in fact, it is definitely not a theremin but it really sounds like one). It's a masterclass in virtuosity and innovation, showcasing his ability to push the boundaries of sound and transport listeners to otherworldly realms. This solo elevates "Jærtegn" to a new level of sonic excellence, making it a standout gem in its own right.

While this track may stand alone compared to the other tunes, it doesn't exist in isolation. It's a vital part of the greater tapestry woven by the album, contributing its own unique hue to the overall sonic palette. And for vintage keyboard enthusiasts, it's yet another reason to celebrate the enduring legacy of this timeless genre.

Track 4: Naturens katedral "Naturens katedral" unfolds as a journey into darker realms, offering a tonal depth that sets it apart from its predecessors. While the rhythm remains steady, it's the atmospheric nuances that transport listeners to a place where the glorious slow headbang feels inevitable.

At the forefront of this track is Lars' vocal prowess, showcasing his ability to command attention with his unique Norwegian singing style. Whether delivering high-energy chants or soft-spoken verses, Lars proves himself a master of many trades, capable of completely carrying the album on his own.

As the music evolves, we're treated to familiar echoes of the "Rites At Dawn" era, with swinging rhythms complemented by the spectacular interplay of Moog and Leslie-treated Hammond. The mellotron adds its ethereal choir-like effect, blending seamlessly with Lars' vocals to create a majestic soundscape that envelops the listener.

But it's the sinister turn halfway through that truly captivates, evoking the raw, classical sound of 90s Norwegian prog. The atmosphere becomes imbued with darkness and cold, reminiscent of black metal and dungeon synth influences, yet firmly rooted in the progressive rock tradition. Lars' trademark organ sound and tone brings the track to a haunting conclusion, leaving a lasting impression.

As a listener from New Zealand, the music's connection to Norway feels extremely relatable, adding an extra layer of depth to the experience, and at the same time it makes me think of the wilderness and ranges near where I live. I'd been eagerly awaiting receiving this CD and have been listening to it for the past two weeks before I wrote my review. I very rarely give out a 5 star on this website, but this one simply meets the mark and requirements of an essential masterpiece.

...one of King Gizzard's most popular albums to date! To me this album builds off on of their previous albums "I'm in Your Mind Fuzz" with a very similar garage rock aesthetic. To me this is what Mind Fuzz really should have been, with more progressive elements, catchier melodies, and a lot more drive to the sound. It's certainly one of their best works to date, and I'm inclined to give this one 5 stars simply because (and this is the same reasoning I had for Paper Mâché Dream Balloon) it feels a lot closer to masterpiece than just a really solid album. The overarching story, transitions between songs to feel like the album is one long song, and the psychedelic tone on top of everything makes a really amazing listening experience. This album especially is a lot more personal to me, because it was the first I had listened to, and it opened me up to a lot more modern progressive and psychedelic music. I grew to really appreciate the compositional abilities of especially Stu Mackenzie who made this entire thing basically by himself. I don't understand the lyrics or the story insanely well, but I can sort of gather what is happening in the songs from checking people properly doing an analysis.

Robot Stop Really fantastic start to the entire album, it pretty much sets the stage perfectly for what's to come, a garage rock masterpiece in my opinion. It also introduces the 'Nonagon Infinity opens the door' theme that we get to hear throughout the album, and here it change keys a bunch. I believe that it's one of the first times that the band really messed with doing odd time, and it introduces in a really natural way, using a 7/4 riff to get people listening acquainted. Super energetic and driven with the groove and the double tracked drums(!!!), also has an incredibly catchy melody and lyrics throughout. It really uses e minor, and said pentatonic scale in a really groovy way, and this is what makes it so punchy and driven. The song uses chromatic and whole tone movement to open up the song and add some diversity to the changes. The solo section is a great tradeoff between all the guitars + harmonica. It also sets up a bunch of the references to other songs like Big Fig Wasp, and Hot Water (from the album I'm in Your Mind Fuzz). NONAGON INFINITY OPENS THE DOOR!

Big Fig Wasp Essentially works as a continuation off of Robot Stop with the smooth transitions, and the same tempo + e minor key. It feels a little more sharp and direct than the more grungy Robot Stop. The lyrics are a lot of fun, as are most of them on this album. It continues a lot of the pentatonic stuff that happened in the previous song, with a little more bass action which is very appreciated. Sometimes this one feels just a little too lengthy to be justified, mainly because there's no solo section in this one. That's possibly done to differentiate this one more from Robot Stop? I like the use of the wah pedal on this song (and its continued use on other sections of the album as well). The ending is really satisfying with the loop around back to robot stop, and then the key change to move to d minor which the next song is in.

Gamma Knife Best song on the album (tied with Invisible Face) for me. It's just so consistently good and constantly 1-ups itself as it goes on. Super catchy, lyrics are great, rhythm is great. The time signatures are so much fun, with the 12/8 to 11/8 kind of feel. What's cool about that is the fact that the drums are actually playing something more like 6/4 because the snare is on every 2md eighth note, but the harmonica kind of counteracts that putting the emphasis and downbeat on every 3 eighth notes. This song also has some whole tone progression stuff on the 'gamma knife, nice' part. The drum solo is great midway point of the song, with it being in 11/8 and maintaining a fun feel to it, and also the mix has it panning across the ears which is really cool. There's some nods to People Vultures and Evil Death Roll on this song.

People Vultures The lyrics are probably the most notable thing for me on this one. There's another really great main riff on this one as well. what differentiates this one from the rest of the album is probably the more active chord progression with a lot more movement, opposed to some of the more stagnant (yet awesome) riffs. This one sort of gets overshadowed to me because of the vast amount of great songs on this album. The synth adds some more high pitches that aren't really present in any off the other songs either, as well as the fun pick scrapes at the end. I don't think there are any references in this song? At least any obvious ones.

Mr Beat This one definitely has the most tedious lyrics, however I've really grown to love this song a lot. It's the midway break from all the hyper energetic music that's on this album, with the slower tempo attached to it. The organ really stands out on this one, with sort of a more vintage prog sound to it. 'Once I'm Mr. Beat, only missed a beat' in 7/4 very cheeky King Gizz moment. Apparently (and I looked this up) the verse is the same as Big Fig Wasp, just slowed down which is kind of crazy that attention to detail is put in. The synth at 3:00 is so cool, and if anyone can tell me the name of it that would be greatly appreciated. This song has the best synth use, and the most diverse to me. The soft 'Mr. Beat' lyrics near the end are a fun little addition. The very in your face Evil Death Roll reference as well.

Evil Death Roll Easily one of the best intros on any song in this album (maybe one of their best ever). The phrygian movement on this one is great, and this really adds to the psychedelic environment. One thing I wish is that they could've expanded upon the key change at the lyrics 'Evil Death Roll... Now!'. Very soft organ synths are appreciated during that section as well, that I only noticed recently. I think the part where it delves into complete silence besides the guitar is really interesting, I'm curious what brought upon that choice musically. To me the song goes on for just a tiny bit too long, because it feels like it over explores these riffs that we've already heard a lot. There's a Robot Stop and an Invisible Face reference in this one.

Invisible Face This song has my favourite groove to it by far, the rhythm is just so fun to listen to. The melody has a sort of 7/8 feel over top of the 7/4 overarching idea which is just really cool. This one has very silly lyrics, but that ambiguity and strong melody of them makes it really fun to sing along. The transition into the Latin groove is really great solid, with the added bongo percussion, and the sort of bossa comping guitars to it. The key change leading to the end is so solid, plus the tempo slow down, on first listen I thought they actually just slowed down the whole recording. No obvious references.

Wah Wah The lyrics stand out the most on this one, probably my favourite on the album with how they tell a more direct story at hand. The zurna is a really interesting decision, and could just be the fact that they were setting up to make Flying Microtonal Banana, which sort of feels like instrument foreshadowing. I think the melodic line has a really nice feel to it, with it sort of walking up and down the b minor scale. Definitely not my favourite riff on the album, but adds a different time signature with a fun energy. The vocal harmony at 2:27 I had never noticed upon relisten, but is a really cool addition. It also just has a really strong end to it that leads to the next song. Only reference I spotted was the use of the zurna.

Road Train The weakest song on the album to me. I think it's most just the place of the song on the album, because I think it's a really not a bad song, just a questionable send off back to the beginning (though I do love the ending of this song). The melody is okay, the groove stands out to me as the best thing. It makes it sort of feel like a hillbilly train song to me, would've been fun to use some banjo. 1:57 sounds great however with the low vocals and the guitar added on after.

Issues: My biggest issues tended to just be that the songs could go on for just a bit too long, and that the ending feels a little bit disappointing.

Strengths: Some of the strongest grooves, melodies, and ideas they've ever written. It working as a concept album also really helps add some more interest to the sound. Great lyrics, and it sounds like they just had a lot of fun playing this one. The mix I didn't talk about a whole lot, but is really strong because of just how perfect it fits the style of music here.

Overall the album is really outstanding, it definitely feels worthy of 5 stars to me with just how insanely well this album is crafted, also adding to the fact that these guys made 5 more albums the next year (2017). With how well received this album was, one could only say this was...

Same lineup as Coses Nostres and Sentiments, last album from these awesome J-R Fusionists. The band here sliding a little more into the Latin-biased sounds and styles that Chick Corea was gravitating to in his solo work of the same period.

1. "El caminant nocturn" (8:21) Fender Rhodes chord play is soon joined by bubble-effected bass and militaristic jazz drumming before synthesizer and electric guitar step in to take the lead. Lots of stops and goes, lots of rock and prog-sounding riffs and passages give this an almost NOVA-like feel, though something about it also reminds me of The MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA's last album, Inner Worlds. We've definitely entered the gratuitous world of commercial J-R Fuse that Herbie Hancock's Thrust and Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior opened up to the world. (17.5/20)

2. "Càntics de la carn" (11:18) so like the music that Chick Corea was doing with Leprechaun, My Spanish Heart, and The Mad Hatter that I had to keep checking as I was listening to this to make sure it wasn't something from him, Al Di, or a hidden RTF album that I'd missed! Excellent performances top to bottom (despite Kitflus' rather schlocky and now-dated array of keyboard sounds). (18/20)

3. "Riu d'agost" (7:41) piano and acoustic guitar opening that sounds suspiciously like something from Al Di Meola and Chick Corea. Even the sound engineering seems perfectly imitative of some of those earlier RTF albums (not Romantic Warrior). At 1:45 the full band breaks the spell of the acoustic duo and launches into a long bridge before settling into another Latin-rhythmed dance tune. The lead instrumentalists retain their acoustic orientations while bouncing back and forth between 10-to-20 second bursts as soloists often bridged by patches in which they play together. Quite a nice, light and jolly, and impressive song of instrumental prowess--and such tight, whole-band feel coming from the quartet. (13.5/15)

4. "Embrujo" (6:14) yet another song in which the band lets their ethnic roots come shining through--though once again expressed with incredible virtuosity and intuitive interplay. These guys are really gelling! And Max has never been more effusive! (9.25/10)

5. "Crisàlide" (6:30) piano and acoustic guitar open this one until 1:20 when searing Al Di MEOLA-like electric guitar ushers in the rest of the band. This complex, never straightforward song offers some great bass playing as well as tight disco-ish drumming with Kitflus' DEODATO-like bouncy Fender Rhodes play when Max is shredding up front. (9.25/10)

Total Time: 40:04

A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion approaching the Smooth Jazz era.