PRESSUREHED 
572139
CD
EXPLAINING THE UNEXPLAINED

SPACE-ROCK (PSYCH)

A seventy-six minute album that was eagerly anticipated by several genre audiences when it was first released, and it did not disappoint, finding the group moving into more electronic waters, while still retaining their space-rock values of the past. With a core band line-up of spaced-out synths, fuzzed-up guitars, deep powerhouse bass and muscular drums, the album moves through 16 tracks in total, many of which are linked, so you get the drift of what kind of album this is. Overall, it is phenomenal release and easily the bands’ best to date! It is not really comparable with Hawkwind or any of the other space-rock band for that matter, for this group have managed to achieve a sound and feel that is very much their own – An individual style of the genre that works extremely well from start to finish on a simply excellent album.

The album opens with electronic percussion rhythms over a galaxy of synth textures, with a deep, rumbling bass undercurrent helping create the vast soundscape that is being born, and with a real sense of urgency too. It is spacey, yet travelling, and eventually fades into track 2, where the drums, guitars and bass take off on a fantastic space-rock flight, with superb fuzz guitar riffs, muscular drum work (which avoids the overly heavy approach of past efforts) and a classic Lemmy-like bass line, as the guitars ride into oblivion. It is a superb, well delivered track, with layers of excellent guitar work and synths that really only come in a support role towards the end, which actually adds to the overall effect as the guitars soar away in 'Silver Machine' style mode and just blow you away. You almost feel that this track could have come off of the ‘Capt. Lockheed’ album, although I stress it is definitely not a Calvert sound-a-like affair. Track 3 starts with subdued drums, synth and eerie deep voices, before mutating into a massive slice of multi-layered fuzz guitar, with huge solid drum rhythms and spacey synths forming a huge instrumental soundscape that threatens to engulf you as the track marches on in unstoppable fashion, adding ever more layers and textures as it goes. Track 4 is calmer, with a springier rhythmic base and some great phased synth work. Gradually it builds the intensity, with bass, guitars and more synths creating a very 'out there’ effect as the ghostly voice appears once more, but buried in the mix and quite unnerving. Without going into too much more detail, the remainder of the album is phenomenal too, and it’s easily their best to date!

Weight: 150.00 g