MAGIC MACHINE

How in the hell has nobody reviewed this yet? Seriously!!! It even features Rudess.... Something needs to change with this site. Anyway, to put it simply, this album sounds like a Camel had sex with a stolen Pineapple in an old theater's elevator during a dream, oh yeah and a bunch of muscular mimes were making noise somewhere in the distance. If you are already a fan of this band, boy are you going to enjoy this. I play dumb little games to this album, I [%*!#] to this album, I sleep to this album. Enjoy.

If you arent... Listen to this album now!!

This instrumental Progressive band took 7 years to release this new album after their first album. This time, 13 musicians are playing including Roine Stolt and Jordan Rudess. This release is displaying great musicianship with a huge variety of instruments too long to describe here. The music is covering plenty of musical styles and contains sudden rhythm changes from the fast djent metal to a completely opposite direction of music in a slower tempo, giving to the whole thing a range of moods and instrumentation. We can appreciate the distinctive bass sound of Jonas Reingold. They pushed the envelope a lot more than Haken did in the past in this kind of patchwork music. Zach Karmins must have some fun to put together parts of about 10 styles of music. So I can imagine that a lot of Progressive fans will enjoy this experience too if you can find any cohesion in this work.

The polished, computer-supported cinematic sound of Guitar Hero contributor and Berklee School of Music grad Zach Kamins here finds contributions from more than a dozen well-known professionals. The problem is that I have a little trouble connecting to all of this super-fast-changing music. It sounds like modern compressed, sound byte- oriented music, intended for masses who have attention spans of no more than 20 seconds, not the prog rock that I am used to or comfortable with--much in the same way Jem Godfrey's FROST* project has evolved into compacting 7- and 8-minute songs into four minute blurts. Stylistically, Zach reminds me of ANTHONY PHILLIPS's keyboard work only speeded up to 45 or even 78 rpm. I find no really weak songs, per se, but a lot of disjointed or cheezy/computerized shifts and structures--that is, half the time I feel exactly as if I'm listening to a video game soundtrack--albeit a high quality, highly skilled, complex soundtrack--and the other some nice cinema soundtrack music composed and performed by highly skilled musicians.

1. "The Departure" (5:54) powerful, dynamic, hook-filled opener (is a little fast and sudden in its shifts). (9/10)

2. "Magic Machine" (5:04) opening like an overture to a Broadway musical, employing some very nice transitions and instrumental performances--up to the 1:30 mark when two ridiculously cheesy sounding keyboards take over-- taking us into the Outer Limits. The guitar work starting at 2:50 tries to right the wrongs accrued and the song does play out fairly well. (9/10)

3. "Galactic Tactic" (3:06) playing out like a monster film soundtrack (9/10)

4. "Finding The Falls" (5:35) a delightfully cinematic piece in the vein of ESTRADASPHERE, LEBOWSKI and ATOMIC APE (9/10)

5. "The Assembly" (5:14) another pleasant cinematic song turned on its heels in the fourth minute by "popcorn" like metal turns of events--such a mishmash of moods and styles (7/10)

6. "Agile Descent" (4:15) starts out gently, then gets funky, even jazzy, before going bonkers at 3:35. (7/10)

7. "Sky Run" (8:54) an example of how Zach can create some really good songs if he were to stretch things out over a longer period of time--this despite his typical impatience or intolerance for long, drawn out passages. (9/10)

8. "Through The Fog" (4:19) the first half of this song remains quiet, subtle, and slow--signs of great restraint--but then it all breaks loose into the typical Mario mayhem (8/10)

9. "Sea Voyage" (2:54) whimsy and good mood (8/10)

10. "Impulse II" (4:27) This is the best song on the album but it still sounds like a video soundtrack to me. (10/10)

I'm a little unsettled that this could be the direction of progressive rock music for the future. I am a creature that loves space, pregnant pauses, even silence, stillness, and slow development. I find the quick stop-and-change formats here to be quite unsettling, sometimes unnerving, though, again, I truly appreciate the talent and skill required to both compose and perform these challenging pieces.

A very good, solid four star album.

Eclectic, unique, metallic and highly vivacious: 8/10

You see, AN ENDLESS SPORADIC gained much prominence after their song Impulse I was added as an "additional track" on Guitar Hero 3, the most popular installment of the legendary "play-a-guitar" game. Many teens, me included, were amazed by this strange and highly creative composition, unlike everything we had heard until then. It was definitely metal... or was it? Different from roughly all tracks on the game, Impulse was not labellable. I didn't know what amazing music genre it was, all I knew is that I loved it. It was delightful when I discovered that it was "progressive metal", whatever progressive meant.

Fast-forward two years and I became a prog-aficionado; add one year to this time skip and AN ENDLESS SPORADIC had released a full album. Oh boy, when that news came to my ears I was simply hyped to the bone. I always thought Zach was underrated and I kept this mentality until I found out big players from DREAM THEATER (Rudess), THE FLOWER KINGS (Reingold and Stolt), SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM (Mellender) and ANIMALS AS LEADERS (Nevene) accepted teaming up with him. Seems like they recognized Kamins' potential, as much as Zach recognized theirs, and utilized it to the maximum, culminating in this progressive and metal delicatessen.

MAGIC MACHINE is characterized by the constant tempo swings (variation between calm and slow) and mood variations (change of structure/"musical feel") within a single song. This confers the album much dynamism and energy as well relative complexity. We can say there's not a referential core that unites the concept of all songs; they're pretty distinctive on their own. It is also easily observable that, although countless instruments are featured, the guitar is the most prominent one, taking leading rhythmical roles in pieces on roughly all tracks - that's what makes this "prog metal" and not "symphonic/eclectic prog" after all. So, under this perspective, there's enough content to please both prog rockers and metalheads alike. Lastly, while this is indisputably a metal record, it's leaning to "hard rocking" rather than "extreme metal", with a highly cheerful and joyful sonority. In short, don't expect melancholy.

Another thing that really called my attention is that almost all songs (more visible on the first four tracks) seem to follow a rather narrative structure. You can imagine them being soundtracks to stories being told, and that confers a somewhat synesthetic approach (you can connect what you hear to what you'd read or watch) to MAGIC MACHINE. I'll use this "narrative" style on many song descriptions, which are just right down below:

The Departure, solidly an allegoric prog metal track, features several interesting passages under the energetic metal guitar riffages where a slightly jazzy foundation sustains everything. Rudess (keyboards) and Mellender (marimba/glockenspiel) do a lot of work. Highly enjoyable. (7/10)

Magic Machine intro is no less mystical than of a medieval fantasy movie, where an excited piano slowly builds up the momentum. The Moog Voyager is highly present on the lighthearted, dreamy main riffs that succeed the intro. The outro builds up the tension as the guitar passages become heavier and the synthesizers more distorted. Overall it feels a lot like a Legend of Zelda soundtrack. And there's a dandy guitar solo. (8/10)

Galactic Tactic greets the listener with heavy synthesizers on a voyaging space-rock energy. The main section becomes much epic with the repeating keyboard progression and posterior retake of the synth introduction as well as arrival melodic guitar notes. A calmer, jazzier section hits, which survives until the song's outro. (7/10)

Finding the Falls features energetic guitar riffs and highly cheerful and unpretentious guitar passage - that really sounds like neo-prog/alt-rock - playing alternately. Chris Bleth is featured in the midsection, with his Pan-like flute abilities. Shortly after, a complex heavy guitar riffage strikes, followed by an absolutely beautiful violin/guitar duet. These two elements join together and the violin goes wickedly mad along the djenty background of the guitar riffs. The violin/guitar duet returns, accompanied by an epic western-sounding French horn. The outro climaxes and the song then ends. Undoubtfully the high point of the album. (9/10)

The Assembly... or is it "La Aventura de Los Mariachis"? Our Mariachis, on the nowheres of the brutally hot Mojave Desert, march, accompanied only by their friends, el trumpetero and el cornetero. They then meet el glockenspielador and el pianista. The musical assembly progressively grows in varied sounds and countless el -eros to enrichen the our Mariachi fellas' soundtrack. It takes not long before el guitarista and el violinista arrive too, which transforms the musical passage intro a metallic distorted riff. Too bad el guitarista's metal approach blew the mood. Still, a good track. (7/10)

Agile Descent sounds, if anything, a noir detective soundtrack. Just as jazzy as you might expect, and Reingold's bass is easily highlightable (on the first part of the song). The bohemian atmosphere is broken as tense violins and guitar riffs strike in and the "metal" part of the equation shows up, but frankly, it breaks the mood of an otherwise delicious song. (6/10)

Sky Run is the embodiment of what AN ENDLESS SPORADIC's music represents and a dignified creativity successor of Impulse I. The joviality and interest of all personnel involved to build the complex riffs and maddened keyboard and guitar riffs are easily visible thanks to the top notch musicianship. Stolt's furious guitar and Rudess' beautiful keyboards are easy highlights. (8/10)

Through the Fog begins on a lullaby-esque (thanks to the world's cutest instrument, the glockenspiel) sound, but things get slightly more excited as (still mellow) guitar, bass and (what an emotional!) piano separately introduces themselves. The atmosphere transitions from slow and soft to joyful and amicable (where both Rudess and Stolt shows up), and later then, to... well, uhh, "prog metal"? The third part isn't really interesting. An absolutely delicious Moog Voyager solo strikes in, but other than that, this metal part honestly feels UNFOLDED LIKE STARCAISE by DISCIPLINE was ripped off (that take metaphorically - it obviously wasn't). (7/10)

Sea Voyage's heartfelt piano introduces the song, followed by the most YES-ish of the keyboards. The next part, however, is played on the floaty Voyager (and on the tropical kalimba), and not on the keyboard. The guitar shows up, but something tells me the plethora of keyboard instruments didn't invite it to the party as it doesn't fit well, too good most of the 'metal' part is occupied by Stolt melodic solo. I need to remind myself to listen to THE FLOWER KINGS... (8/10)

A single glockenspiel note on the ending of the voyage announces the arrival...

Of Impulse II! I love how they feature a kalimba instead of the bubbling keyboards on the pre-heavy part. In general, the song is preserved as if Zach immersed it into amber. Something tells me he merely asked for his new assembly to give a take on band's all-time classic without adding anything almost anything new. Honestly? It's just perfect. (9/10)

In my opinion, it would be too presumptuous to define this as a "masterpiece of prog rock music", but even so, MAGIC MACHINE is a pleasant and refreshing experience (enough with this technical metal being called prog for the sake of nomenclature!) that'll hardly find opposition when putting in perspective enjoyability. It's a versatile album, so it can fits the criteria of countless different tastes, and as BrufordFreak said, a solid four-stars rating - but differently from him, it's pleasing to imagine this as the future of prog metal. See? We have divergent opinions but even so we agree it's this is fine material. Good job, AN ENDLESS SPORADIC.

1. The Departure for the RUSH fusion and the LTE momentum, a zest of crazy electro rock à la ZAPPA, keyboards galore, the mix of crystalline, symphonic drops and apoplectic flights with the riff that suits it well, uncontrollable djent; well we understand that one played on the SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM it sets the fire uncontrollably 2. Magic Machine for the musical melting pot, melting of jazzy, djent, bossa, frantic riffs with keyboards that come out of everywhere, for a frenetic rhythm between the FLOWER KINGS and ANIMALS AS LEADERS, modern and fusional 3. Galactic Tactic follows and settles down, the sound clears up, almost melodic 4. Finding the Falls still hooked, frippien riff, djent for a piece of 2016 not bad, modern osmosis before its time; a zest of zeuhl flute to embellish, the Olympian keyboard suddenly, airy, the heavy riff again before the folk violin; yes the SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM are not far and the spaghetti trumpet that clears the sky of this musical deluge either; it's pretty crazy anyway 5. The Assembly for another slap with this funfair tune, on the Balkans, this roaring tuba, this trumpet which was ultimately not just a straw; the grandiloquent tune, rummaging fair, the martial tune, solemn, the hilarious tune; the finale reminding me of the madness of the magnificent 'Time of the Gypsies'

6. Agile Descent for contemplation, the air becomes rarefied, the piano rolls, we enter ART ZOYD's chamber orchestra; halfway through it explodes suddenly before finding the violin then the crazy, calm variation then both, a conglomerate of predigestible cinematics 7. Sky Run for the cinema intro, space film, revisited stars wars; the longest title which shows Rudess' touch with the symphonic, cinematic, electric and dithyrambic orchestration; notes coming out of every corner of the keyboard giving a semblance of air; the piano break is worth the detour, crystalline, divine, airy, making you cry for nothing; the second based on acoustic guitar puts the listener down before launching into a frantic and frenetic, energetic tango movement 8. Through the Fog as its name suggests seems to take you through the fog on tiptoe; Jordan's classical piano takes you high, the catchy tune surfing on the great old ones, the sounds of the 70s, 80s and 90s for a buzz of notes; the fresh, heady, hard, dynamic finale 9. Sea Voyage for the Achilles travel ballad, piano and synth forward; it looks towards synthetic music before Roine's magic guitar comes to rest; the FLOWER KINGS for a festive, rustic, hilarious, charming piece; a touch of Olympian caviar, provided they cultivate it as high 10. Impulse II for the cinematic finale, Jonas still piling up the tracks with a frenzied dose of bass and triple bass; it's aggressive, it's violent, it's stroboscopic, borderline epileptic.