KORB

It is always a good idea to venture into other trusted sources to find new progressive music that may tingle the senses, and I am fortunate to rely on a few (Lazland.org, ProgArchives and Prog Critique being the main troika). Recently I latched onto more electronic oriented prog such as Detlev Schmidtchen (of Eloy fame), Australians All India Radio/Kilbey-Kennedy and American solo artist Liquefy, positively loved all what I heard, going out and getting their whole discographies in one shot! I had read on French prog site PROG CRITIQUE, a review of a British electronic prog band KORB and was enthused enough to purchase all three studio albums. The duo of Alec Wood and Jonathan Parkes choose to create a denser form of electronic music, with occasional moments of ambient (not into droning wallpaper music!) and the results are most appealing indeed. There are obvious and overt hints at the Berlin School and Kosmische Musik, but adding bass, guitar vintage drums and percussion seemingly establishes their credentials quite succinctly. This their third recording is another amazing slice of muscular electronics with plenty of searing guitar phrasings.

'Remote Viewer' is a gentle yet brief entrance into their impending interstellar voyage with breezy synths charting the course. In a few moments, the intensity ramps up with 'Korb's Third Android' as the psychedelic guitar takes the front stage , boldly laying down some gritty phrasings, with choppy synths and percussion as co-conspirators. It has a both an organic and mechanical feel, electronic music with melody, soul and some atmospheric backbone. The more ominous sounding 'The Hunter' gathers quickly steam, as it throbs with determined bravura, the various synthesized layers coalescing into an ever-growing maelstrom of sounds, heavily reliant on percussive propulsion. The outro sounds like a soundtrack for a successful capture of prey. The mood veers into a higher plane, suggesting a visit to the towering Peruvian plateau, made famous for its geoglyphs etched into the desert sands and visible from a much higher altitude (aka airborne). 'Lords of Nazca' conveys the majestic enigma with bold synthesized lines, carving the musical foundation with sharp electronic dimensions that emphasizes grandeur, power, and mystery. A perfect segue into a similar vein, and peaking of great civilizations, 'Temples of Mars' may refer to the one in Rome built in the Second Century BC. This companion to the previous track only further underlines the creative qualities of this duo. A highlight track is the lumbering mastodon 'Rituals for the Gods ' , which perhaps neatly summarizes the devotion the Incas and the Romans had for their multiple gods , coincidently both eventually succumbing to a less inhumane form of deity (There is a recent theory that Teotihuacan, the huge and enigmatic complex in Mexico was abandoned because of the eruption of a civil war fighting to abolish human sacrifice). Regardless the 6 minutes + are a pure musical joy to behold, already ensuring that this album will get its just rewards. The blistering and raw 'Infrared' offers a short sonic wake up call, with a sound that may rekindle images of Astounding Sounds and Amazing Music era Hawkwind, a grittier resonance to keep the juices flowing and the interest forever avid and hungry. The more linear but equally compelling 'Robots of The Ancient World' keeps that science fiction mindset rolling, blending a vision of the future with hints from the past. While not a clone of anyone similar specifically, they nevertheless keep the ship zooming at a proper warp speed in keeping the adventurous ears balanced, content and even enthused. They also have mastered the ability to mix things up in terms of pace , such as the relative reflective intonation of 'A Rare Bird' , a sultry slice of euphoric atmosphere, very cinematographic and soundtrack-ish, a inspirational melody swooshing softly into the cosmic horizon, most definitely a master track that deserves celestial applause.

Of course, what better title for a finale than 'Cosmic Dawn' , an electronic goodbye, surely another futuristic future album from this up and coming band I was so glad to discover thanks to Gabriel of Prog Critique ! Merci! Their previous two albums, cockily titled I and II, are just as captivating and I have become a fan, big time. You should too.

4.5 timber estates