THE MACHINE

Hibernal

Post Rock/Math rock

3.93 | 75 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

I thought this album deserved my time to write a review. Why? Well, because I haven't heard an album like it in 2013. Actually, I didn't hear one like it last year or the year before either.

What we have with Hibernal's 'The Machine' is something totally out of left field. Combining narration, instrumentals, sound effects and some brilliant atmospherics, we end up with an experience that occupies a space somewhere between a movie, an album and an audio book. The only comparison I can make is with Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds', but Hibernal have used their own original story instead of adapting a famous work.

And what a great story. I won't give too much away, but this sci-fi flavored tale is both enthralling and entertaining, and provides some interesting commentary on modern day life.

Musically there are elements of post rock, hard rock and even some space rock, but there are also plenty of strong, catchy melodies and some nice riffs and lead guitar. Probably the greatest element of the music is how well it matches the story, time after time setting the perfect mood for each successive scene. In this way it really elevates the album to something special.

It's one thing to come up with an idea for something novel, and another to execute it and put all the pieces together so coherently. And that's what has been done here.

Like many good albums, I found this one on the great Progstreaming site a few months ago. If it's no longer there you can stream from Hibernal's Bandcamp page. Find some time to sit down with it for an hour and experience it as you might a movie, and enjoy this utterly original concept album.

peterpea | 5/5 | 2013-11-25

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