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Amplifier - Amplifier CD (album) cover

AMPLIFIER

Amplifier

 

Psychedelic/Space Rock

3.69 | 176 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

PinkPangolin
5 stars I totally love this. It absolutely rocks but whilst also taking you into space at the same time, and not many bands can achieve this.

This is their best effort so far (although don't get me wrong - I DO really like HAL and Insider). I did own HAL and Insider before this, and I got this as an afterthought to complete my collection as it were. But what an afterthought! I can totally rock out to this (when you in that sort of mood). There's a lot of very heavy stuff on this - but so so so much better than a lot of metal these days that is totally taken over with growling vocals and hideous machine-gun style double bass pedalling - it's so good to hear metal with that taken out - it's so much better.

Then mix in SPACE - Sel Balamir uses his talent in creating other-worldly sounds with the guitar to his very best in this album, and where it seems a little broken up on Insider on this album it fuses beautifully and extends into the heavy stuff with brilliant continuance. This is particularly so on the brilliant tracks Airborne (this track has an amazing intense ending), Old Movies, Post Acid Youth, One Great Summer, UFO's and Glory Electricity (on the bonus disc but actually includes a solo from normally a rhythm dominated sound). All the tracks are excellent - I wouldn't rate any less than 8 out of 10 - whilst 6 or 7 of the tracks I would rate as 9 or 10 out of ten.

(PS - Good decision to relegate Half Life to the bonus material on the SPV version, this was definitely the worst track, whilst on the other hand Glory Electricity is superb - one of the best b-sides ever!)

And the melodies... wow - they are lush, and mixed with a really nice voice - mixed in with the heavyweight sound and immensely good riffs lead to a tremendous mix of power and beauty.

They make a lot of noise for a three-piece (remember Rush?)

CAREFUL! Classic prog lovers may not like this - it doesn't have 10 minute+ tracks or lengthy synthesisor pieces or straight guitar solos (although Sel's superb riffs - including lovely lead riffs that he should always use - make up for that). Sure, it's not Prog in the classic sense of the word - but isn't space rock always like that? Yes, this is more rock and roll, but who cares - let yourself go!

However, if you like it heavy, melodic (and hate growling vocals and nasty over-the-top double bass pedalling), and if you like recent Porcupine Tree, Oceansize etc - Then this is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I think they are a cornerstone of how modern heavy SPACE ROCK should sound - with the track UFO's leading the way. ( PS - Please more tracks like the hidden Scarecrows on the HAL EP.)

This rocks! Superb! I can't wait til the release of The Octopus! I sincerely hope they build further on this sound

I have thought long and hard about the rating - I have decided that this is a masterpiece of modern heavy space rock and a pig-headed push against the norm of Indie and classic Prog but the same influenced by both. It's not a masterpiece of Classic Prog, but it's so good I cannot help but give it maximum points.

PinkPangolin | 5/5 |

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