QUANTUM

I found this disc in the metal section while nosing around in my local music store for something new to listen to. The spaced out artwork and freaky abstract track titles set it apart from some of the other offerings I was considering so I snatched it up on these impressions alone. I can`t say that I`m totally dissatisfied with this really heavy instrumental album which has many hints of fusion jazz, including an appearance by fusion guitar god Alan Holdsworth, but I can`t really categorize this otherwise cerebral linear music which is lacking in melody and any form of true passion.

Most of the tracks are built around heavy synth- bass rythmn structures, the overuse of which tends to give the work as a whole an aura of repetitiveness and by track # 5 ( Space Foam ) I had to take a break from the barrage. This is not to say that there aren`t any exciting moments here, there are more than enough to keep the listener interested, it`s just that the excitement always flat-lines itself. Nothing is ever resolved and there are frequent and abrupt changes in tempo ( everything seems to be in 4/4 though ) on the individual compositions that also make the work as a whole come off as a fragmented collection of snippets.

Nevertheless, through all this Holdsworth comes forth with some really cool impressionistic guitar work ( particularily on his solo on The Thinking Stone ) as does the other guitarist Brett Garsed who was previously unknown to me. Everything is held together with some exceptionally tight drumming by Virgil Donati and the sometimes sureal keyboards by Derek Sherinian help to keep this from regressing into 2 star territory. Considering all the equipment they had at their disposal I would have liked to have heard more extended ambient keyboard soundscapes like the short eerie intro to track 1, Alien Hip Hop. With a bass player of the calibre of Rufus Philpot on the album I just don`t understand why that relentless synth- bass was used to the point of overkill.

No doubt these guys are all superb technicians and this discovery did encourage me to explore some of their previous material with different musicians. So, if you`re looking for a head banging math-rock blowout Quantum contains enough energy and angular momentum to blow your mind into the next few parallell universes and back. I really did enjoy some sections of it so I`ll add another ½ star.