AMPLIFIER

1. "Two Way Mirror" (5:32) Prog metal lite fuzzy three-chord rock opening over which Sel Balamir joins in with his voice mixed a little too far back in the mix (especially too far back when there is this kind of un boring, repetitive music as the foundation). There are moments of Steven Wilson- (or Sanguine Hum)-like beauty or magic, but overall this is just too much milk toast. (8.6/10)

2. "Sweet Perfume" (6:22) trying to go back to Black Sabbath? It's kind of hard with the Joff Winks/Sanguine Hum effect on Sel's pretty voice. Attempts at some microtonal guitar sounds with occasional/intermittent high-pitch guitar flourishes make this interesting, but the Sabbath-like chord progressions and walls of fuzzy sound mire this a swimmer trying to swim through the mud. In the end of the fifth minute the guitar mud disappears and we're left with a very cool Porcupine Tree-like finish. (8.7/10)

3. "Hologram" (6:51) What it might sound like if you took Focus' Eff Elbers song, "Orion," and put it on a RUSH rhythm track and then let Joff Winks sing over it. (13.125/15)

4. "Tundra" (3:52) such a simple, endlessly repetitive song construct. What is Sel even singing about?(8.5/10)

5. "Let Me Drive" (7:04) again, the music constructed here is so incredibly simplistic that I question Sel and Matt's allegiance to the Progressive Rock world that got them here. Maybe Sel just wants to be a writer of pop songs? (13/15)

6. "Gargantuan (Part 1)" (6:49) Very Steven Wilson-like without the musical/compositional complexity of some of Steven's more sophisticated stuff, more on the simplistic pop-oriented side of his more recent releases. (13.125/15)

Total Time 36:30

I don't know what happened to these guys, but they suck at short songs. I think, like Joff Winks and the Antique Seeking Nuns guys over in Oxford when they turned Sanguine Hum, Sel and friends decided they wanted to be lyrics-oriented songwriters more than prog rockers.

C+/3.5 stars; a possible addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you like the direction Steven Wilson has taken in recent years.

"Amplified 99" is a great opener with plenty of energy, catchy too. "Come on and let yourself go." Heavy stuff. "Area 51" is such a cool track with experimental sounds to open and close it. Another killer tune with great vocals. Love when they amp it up each time. "The Ways of Amplifier" has a spacey start then the heaviness rolls in with some attitude in those vocals. Intense, especially after 3 minutes. "My Corrosion" is my favourite. It just doesn't sound like them with the synths? dancing like flute over top as what sounds like processed laughter comes and goes. Who knows? Then organ floods the soundscape. So different but it works to perfection. The warmth, the emotion, just too much. "Departure Lounge" sounds like a PINK FLOYD track from "Division Bell" quite ballad-like with the vocals going up at the end of the sentence at times like Gilmour does it once in a while. My least favourite yet I really dig this tune. "Number One Son" has such an anthemic way to end it repeating those lines over and over. Again it's just different opening with him saying "It's all about balance, it's all about discipline" in a fragile, processed sounding voice. Yeah I think of my only son a lot when listening to this one. So proud!

Four written reviews all 5 stars. I think that says it all.

"Echo Street" released in 2013 was followed by this record "Mystoria" in 2014. This is a stripped down, leaner album like "Echo Street" and they are having too much fun. This is melodic and heavy and the first three tracks exemplify this perfectly beginning with that opening instrumental "Magic Carpet" with the dual guitars and heavy rhythm section simply a ripping instrumental. "Black Rainbow" is a thunderous track with vocals. "Named After Rocky" has some great vocals and harmonies and the guitar is crying out before 2 1/2 minutes and the guitars really light this tune up. Least favourite is "Cat's Cradle" and I'm not that big on "The Meaning Of It" but the rest is gravy including the heavy closer "Crystal Anthem".

Such a great guitar album and I'm a big fan of Sel's vocals plus that rhythm section kills. Yes this is AMPLIFIER and a solid 4 star record.

The opener "Matmos" at 8 minutes gets us off on the right foot. It's so quiet to start with spacey sounds for a minute then strummed guitar almost baritone sounding joins in with vocal melodies. Reserved vocals just before 2 minutes. How uplifting is this after 3 minutes as the sound changes including the vocals. Oh my! Check it out after 3 1/2 minutes. Back to the mellow sound after 4 minutes as contrasts continue. Man they hit such highs on this one. Drums to the fore after 7 minutes during a killer instrumental section then it ends like it began.

"Extra Vehicular" is top three number two. Twelve minutes long and the longest piece on here. Sounds build beautifully as reserved vocals join in. The sound is rich with plenty of depth as it moves along in a relaxed way. Vocals just before 2 minutes and it all gets kicked up a notch a minute later. A heavy instrumental section starts around 4 1/2 minutes with guitar over top. Themes are repeated and how good is this? How about the guitar after 7 minutes and later after 9 minutes. Final top three is "Echo Street" for being this unique sounding song with distant sounding vocals crying out the lyrics. So much atmosphere that we're drowning in it. Those vocals arrive after 2 minutes along with vocal melodies later. Check out the guitar very late.

Tracks 5 and 6 are my least favourites but this is still a very solid 4 star album in my world.

Several months ago I went through a few week stretch of listening everything Amplifier had released (and available to me). It's one of those bands that is very consistent in the quality of their output.

Amplifier's signature sound and style is present in all of their albums and, if you like it, you will like each album to varying degrees. Their use of guitars instead of keys to create excellent soundscapes and their somewhat unique style of vocals and song structures result and something a little different than anything else out there. "Unique" is tough to achieve, and Amplifier pulls it off, repeatedly.

Echo Street may be my favourite from a prog perspective. It's a little darker overall than their other albums and the music is top notch. It's also a little more palpable at 60 minutes versus the 120 minutes of the excellent, Octopus. When I am more interested in something "a more rock", I'll put on their first two albums.

Echo Street opens with a 5 star tune called Mantos. Guitar with delay and light vibrato creates a wonderful wall of soundscape for the opening verses. You know you are in for an interesting listening experience quite quickly

I have mixed feeling for the next track, The Wheel. While a very good song, the repetitive, and a little cliché, chorus is a little off-putting to me. Extra Vehicular launches us back into the similar vibe of the opening track.

Where the River Goes is a very good tune that's just smooth and enjoyable with some nice, rock hooks, breaking into heaviness at 4:20 or so, expanding on the dominant chord progression of the chorus. Pure classic rock feel on this one.

Paris in the Spring?.what a nice tune! A very simple, done-a-million-time chord progression begins the track, but then a vocal theme that shows again several times in the tune come up and make it interesting, before the switch to a very nice new, dark melody, soft percussion with gentle ride symbol and wonderful vocals. At 8:30, this song keeps the listener's attention throughout, all with a very good flow between the various parts.

Between Today and Yesterday is another amazing tune with a nice folk music feel with acoustic guitar, nice melodies and great harmonies. The guitar work reminds me of Mikael Åkerfeldt's acoustic work. Very nice.

The title track is a little dreamy, with delayed guitars, accompanied by bass and drums and layers of sound and muted vocals. Psychedelic in the Amplifier way. The vocal build progressively over top all the zone-out repetition.

Mary Rose concludes the album with a repetitive note bass guitar in an eastern style in the signature style of the band. The vocals follow the notes of the bass. The song then kicks into a nice new melody with some catchy motif's. Rinse, repeat. Nice, more upbeat conclusion to a fine album. "Come on, let's catch the wind by its tail." "Come on, catch the wind in your sail!"

If you've never listened to Amplifier and want to give them spin, this is as good a place as any. They have managed to create a sound of their own, and that deserves some attention.

And with the same line-up, Sel Balamir produced and composed this collection of alternative prog-rock songs with an even more saturated sound, strong drums and great bass lines. The lyrics are so philosophical as ever, with some humor always implicit on them, and the style of the band remains more or less unaltered in comparison with the first album, leaving a bit the most experimental side of the band showed in And The Astronaut Dismantles Hal.

Sadly, the album lacks a bit of variety in the long term and the compositions are also not so outstanding this time, despite a pair of truly great and inspired moments. So although Insider is a worthy follow-up of the incredible Amplifier, it's impossible not to feel a bit of disappointed after repeated listening.

Best Tracks: Gustav's Arrival (incredible instrumental opener), O Fortuna (one of Amplifier's classics and a very stimulating mixture of alternative rock, progressive structures and even country influences) and Strange Seas of Thought (great guitar riffs)

Conclusion: Insider was the confirmation that Amplifier was here to stay, showing moments of true talent with songs like O Fortuna. Sadly, in comparison with the almost perfect debut of the band this second album feels a bit repetitive, hollow and with some uninspired moments in the form of songs like the boring What is Music?

Nevertheless, it's an album that I will continue to hear in the future and a worthy addition to the very interesting Amplifier's discography.

My rating: ***

And what can we found here? One of the most psychedelic and interesting works of this criminally underrated band, traveling through passages of pure space rock (For Marcia) to more alternative ones (Continuum) and some very stimulating experiments like the acoustic Scarecrows and the robotic and syncopated Into the Spacer Age.

The production is very good, almost better than in their debut, and although the quality of the album is not great the whole time (The Brain Room and Live Human are a bit under the rest in terms of songwriting), this is a another excellent work of this great British band!

Best Tracks: Continuum (a true Amplifier classic in live shows!), Into the Space Age (strange and very original track, unique in the band's career), Everyday Combat (typical Amplifier sound, dense and intense) and Scarecrows (a perfect acoustic and meditative ending for a great EP)

Conclusion: if you like Amplifier, you will love this EP. Nevertheless, if you do not know Amplifier yet I recommend you to start with their debut album instead, because this record is a more challenging and difficult one.

But please, don't take me wrong! The Astronaut Dismantles Hal is excellent anyway and a very worthy addition to any prog-rock collection.

My rating: ****

From the noisy, alternative and stoner atmosphere to truly space-rock moments, Amplifier are not the typical prog rock band. So, if you are seeking for some conventional progressions and instrumental flourishes, you are in the wrong direction.

The album opens with the incredible Motorhead, a blast of a track with powerful guitar, serious vocals and tons of ambiences disguised as a simplistic song. Wow! And surprisingly Airborne is even better with its sampled guitars and powerful bass lines. Is a song which grows and grows to an intense and catchy ending. At first listening it's a shock, but after a few plays you will not able to take this music out of your mind. The riff after minute 06:00 is pure magic!

Panzer does not give truce with even more power which takes the album close to stoner metal. And that's not a problem to me, because after progressive rock stoner is my favorite genre. What a blast! Old Movies has a beautiful beginning with hypnotic guitars, followed by the mellow voice of Belamir. The voice of this man is maybe not spectacular, but he sings in a deep, mellow tone which makes the music of Amplifier very nice to be heard despite the amount of noise that they sometimes make. And Old Movies is a good example. I love the guitars about 02:30!

Post Acid Youth has a strong bass at the beginning and a marvelous vocal melody, followed by another amount of hypnotic guitars and spacey ambients, with some strong distortion here on there. Definitely, it's nothing like Amplifier in the scene of music. Take it or leave it! At 03:35, we can hear a crazy rhythm with cool guitar effects followed by convoluted guitar riffs and space rock keyboards. And don't ask me how, it magically works!

Neon is bit more conventional, with guitar riffs which maybe could bring some post-grunge bands to mind. But this feeling soon disappears when a cool bass is introduced making the track sound like something new again. In this little details is where Amplifier really shines, and if you are not a thorough listener you can easily pass over them. On/Off starts again in a mellow semi-acoustic way which could bring even bands like Pearl Jam to mind and this time the song keeps this way, contributing to a very welcomed alternative variety to the album, till the song grows again around the minute 4 returning the omnipresent distortion, powerful drums and a curious falsetto from Belamir.

The Consultancy starts with a curious and piercing riff, which transform itself in the verses in a great rhythm for one of the most punk and direct songs of the album, with even some pop elements towards the end! It's also one of the shortest. And after that comes One Great Summer, my personal favorite of this album together with UFO's which is an hymn to positivism, self-confidence and the power of will. Just a perfect song for bad moments with a very well-crafted instrumental interlude!

And finally, UFO's closes this great album with a pure space-rock song with a truly beautiful guitar work and an incredible psychedelic ending with an astonishing instrumental passage which lead to one of the most intense vocal sections of the album at minute 06:00. Marvelous!

Conclusion: Amplifier is one hell of an album. Intense, extremely well written and with a bunch of really incredible songs. If you are into this kind of alternative-stoner-space-psychedelic rock you must hear this band!

They are one of the most underrated and criminally ignored bands of the last decade, and in their first and excellent album they managed to sound mature, consolidated and truly innovative.

Best tracks: Motorhead, Airborne, Panzer, One Great Summer, UFO's.

My rating: ****

"Rainbow Machine" opens with distortion that builds followed by drums and bass. A powerful soundscape is the result. Vocals arrive before 1 1/2 minutes as the powerful sound continues throughout. Nice start! Distortion and power end it as it blends into "Freakzone". Soon rumbling drums lead the way in this powerful soundscape. Vocals just before a minute. Man this is heavy stuff until they slow it down after 7 minutes as it winds down to the end.

"Kosmos(Grooves Of Triumph)" opens with guitar and atmosphere then it kicks in heavily. Vocals a minute in. I like this a lot, in fact it's a top four song for me. Like the previous track we get a very heavy sound until it settles back before 4 minutes although this is still heavy. It kicks back in with vocals before 4 1/2 minutes to the end. "The Commotion(Big Time Party maker)" has this heavy groove that kicks in fairly quickly. Distorted guitars join in as well then vocals a minute in. Catchy stuff. A calm 3 minutes in but it's brief. Love the guitar before 5 1/2 minutes to the end as he rips it up.

"Big Daddy" has lots of distortion and power as usual but we get female vocals this time for a change of pace. Nice guitar starting before 2 1/2 minutes and that bass is amazing as well. Vocals are back! "Horse" is another top four tune for me. Love this one, the lyrics are great and I like that there's some space to breathe here as we get some good contrasts between the heavy and less powerful(haha). The drumming kills after 3 1/2 minutes as the guitar screams away.

"Anubis" starts with acoustic guitar and a beat. Where's the power? Vocals are mellow too as they join in this catchy song. "Supernova" is another top four. This one is different with the synths and higher pitched vocals. Check out that opening line "Hey Mona Lisa, how's it hanging?" No wall of distorted guitar as instead we get upfront bass and a powerful atmosphere. Love the guitar and power 4 minutes in but it settles back quickly to end it.

"Silvio" opens with a guitar melody then vocals and pounding drums take over. It turns heavier before a minute. I like this one, it's different. Drums and vocals lead the way again before 2 1/2 minutes then it turns heavier as themes are repeated. "Old Blue Eyes" is my final top four. Oh my! Check out the distortion as the drums pound. Vocals join in quickly but that distortion will continue throughout. So good! Check out the guitar after 4 minutes to the end. Goodnight that's good!

If you like your music on the heavy side with an Alternative/ Psychedelic vibe then you really need to check this band out. A solid 4 stars!

First of all... double cd rambling on for two powerful hours? Yes please! The first cd takes a strong headstart with the Pink Floyd rip-off (ok, let's say inspired by) "Minion's song", to then lead the listener back to the more Amplifier-sounding tracks of "Interglacial spell" and "The wave". After a bit of this fill, the scene is now set for a brutal prog-piece, the title track "Octopus". Certainly not throwing the listener at the deep end right away, we are talking about a very slow build-up, which ends in some extremely strong prog-atmosphere, ticking and ticking towards the refrain, which then blows up in your face like a bomb with its beautifully built riffs after five minutes of slow expansion. The rest of the cd holds some mediocre and some more amazing moments alike, "White horses at sea" certainly belonging to the second one with its dreamy Floyd-like atmosphere again.

Then as you move on to the second cd, it will be hard not to notice that the opening 20 minutes are nothing short of a sheer prog-miracle, starting with "The sick rose". Eastern sounding soundscapes butter up the way for a series of increasingly heavy riffs, ending in a jaw-dropping and epic finale... Amplifier at their best. Not allowing you to rest much, the ride takes you right on to a much more playful song, "Interstellar". It is another favourite of mine with its bubbling riffs, which are toying with the listener through half of the song, not knowing where to go, then eventually settling for a less dark but definitely groovy finale. As for the rest of the cd, whilst not much else will stand out ("Fall of the empire" has a few cool bits though and I certainly love "Oscar night") I will still give the whole album the maximum rating... because it is just so damn well put together and because some of the songs are amongst the best ones I ever heard in this genre. Amplifier wanted to make a masterpiece that they can be measured against, and they did. And whilst they could (and probably should) have got rid of some more mediocre moments to result in a somewhat shorter but more spotless album, it does not change the fact that the strengths of The Octopus make this album outstanding enough for the band to be measured against it for the rest of their career... and yes, maybe even those other British bands.