HELLO COPERNICUS

The ALPHA ZENTRADI members remain faithful to their style compared to the debut 'Five Man Army' from the year before. This time more sophisticated but basically a mix of psychedelic and hyperactive progressive hard rock characterizes the music once again - worked out with a lot of care. The songs are longer, more melodic, less prog metal influenced and first of all epic, divided in different moods. Even Kyle's vocals are diversified and the band is successful to improve indeed - that's for the first conclusion.

Tarry and Oppugn Foul Villain starts as an alternative/college rock piece - ouch! - and you are willing to be disappointed but then the song suddenly turns to a very smooth melodic part with impressing psychedelic guitars. The band continues in this way along the lines of 'the only constant is variation' just as well as with the following songs. The Second Coming - A True Beginning is gripping - the two guitars are interacting with many effects which drives you mad culminating into the crazy PostMeridianisticalRapidEyeMovement, a collage of samples. The Orion Nebula - Mother Earth Is Watching first links to the former song with echo delayed guitars but then glides into a speedy rocking section.

The following (and last) three songs are the musical core. Mercury The Courier has really opened its flower for me after several rounds. Led Zeppelin alike riffs are obvious relatively quick but the song also has a hidden psych flavour - what an excellent example! Alienated vocals are attracting attention on Ouroborus - a melancholic awe-inspiring spaced out one. Finally the epic and emotional Epilogue is wrapped with psych/space portions but has an impulsive hard rocking centre where the band accelerates once more.

A recommended album - heavy art rock, prog metal and psychedelic bordering - ambitious and worth exploring!