http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?cd_id=14369 - COMETS ON FIRE* — Blue Cathedral
Review by http://www.progarchives.com/Collaborators.asp?id=3532 - The Wizard (Michael Crown)

— First review of this album —

Comets on Fire, one of today's most exciting bands, have successfully blown my mind into pieces with their epic masterpiece Blue Cathedral. Playing sludgy psychedelia at high velocities and creating volleys of sonic textures amongst powerful riffs in loose but never lost jams, the flaming comets have proven themselves a cosmic force to be reckoned with. They never fail to rear their influences, while still maintaining vibrant originality. The feedback noise attacks of Sonic Youth, the electric blues of Led Zeppelin and Hendrix, the sludgy proto-metal riffing of the MC5 and Blue Cheer, the spaced out interstellar vibes of Hawkwind and early Floyd, and the volleys of ear shattering sludge which liken to Black Sabbath, The Melvins, and Dead Meadow all combine to give Comets on Fire the unique sound they craft in Blue Cathedral.

In their debut and Field Recordings From the Sun the band successfully established their roots. Blue Cathedral shows them progressing, becoming the great band they are. Song structures are more complex and tend to be jazzy, as well as moving more to the space-rock side of things. Maybe it's the addition of guitarist Ben Chasny, who re- invented 'acid-folk' with his groundbreaking band Six Organs of Admittance. Chasney is certainly a very experimental and progressive musician, his spaced out guitar noises will certainly ring a bell to fans of Syd Barrett and Steve Hillage.

Blue Cathedral opens with the jolt of pure adrenaline that is The Bee and Cracking Egg. With a gonzoid riff, powerful drum attacks, and singer Ethan Miller almost screaming, the song will drill into your mind. This is almost what hardcore punk rock would sound like if it was in the hands of Hawkwind or Dead Meadow. The band easily switches from riff to riff, at times sounds sounding very bluesy. Everything is almost completely out of control, the only thing keeping it together is bassist Ben Flashman, playing sludgy and steady bass-lines. Noel von Harmonson adds sonic layers of fuzz, echo, and electronics over it all. Utrillo Kushner's drumming is, as Julian Cope once said, like "two drummers who think they are Kieth Moon". I could not think of a better description for his manic style which somehow manages to keep a strong rhythm.

While Blue Cathedral prefers the band drill deep caverns holes into your mind, they also know how to slow down, still keeping the energy level as high as ever. And while the structure of the jams are loose, they never get lost and noodle into oblivion. These are comets who stay on track and know where they're going. It's almost like a constant burst of random brilliance is following the band.

Comets on Fire are certainly not for everyone on this site. They are noisy, dangerous, and intense. They have obvious punk references in their music and the production is anything but clean. If you're hoping for slickly produced neo-prog look somewhere else because Comets on Fire are certainly not what your looking for. But for the adventurous , those who love music that rocks hard (you could head-bang to this, yet it's not metal) and trips out at the same time then Comets on Fire are the gang of cosmic outlaws you are looking for.

I highly reccomend them to open minded hard rock/psyche fans. They're like a modern Hawkwind but much more.