WELCOME TO THE MACHINE

1. "Ignition" (10:38) prolonged space synth work to open before radio voices are heard (as if from a spaceship). at 1:29 an explosion of guitars sets off a chain reaction that leads to a hard-driving motif of heavy prog. The motif develops at the end of the third minute into a vehicle for a pretty wild electric guitar solo--which lasts about a minute before giving way to another spacious patch of lone synth and then rolling bass ' la PF Animals. Drums, spacey echo-guitar strums, and Richard Wright-like synth make intermittent contributions, somewhat filling the very atmospheric soundscape over the rolling bass guitar. (17.75/20)

2. "Collision" (6:03) percussion drums and rolling "Stranglehold" bass fills the opening minute of this while synth washes and random echoed noises flit in and out. At the 1:30 mark the lead guitar begins a rather sedate solo but then backs off for the whole band to congeal around a gentle space-synth motif before returning to the "Stranglehold" motif and some lead guitar soloing. At 2:55 everything ramps up into a metal version of the opening motif--that's when Boris really begins to rage around his fretboard--all leading up to a cool crescendo finish. A surprisingly simple yet satisfying song. (8.87510)

3. "Kali Yuga" (10:01) great sound and dynamics but it never really ever seems to come together into something with purpose or resolve. (17.75/20)

4. "Rackman" (7:13) a bombastic, slow-moving power chord progression that is actually very satisfying in a kind of Devin Townsend way. In the fourth minute the guitar power chords back off, bass and drums trodding along, so that lead guitarist can solo, but then they all come back to the hard-drivin' motif for the fifth and sixth minutes, but the guitarist then moves back and forth from power chord strumming to soloing for the remainder of the song. I think this is my favorite song on the album! (13.5/15)

5. "Collapse" (12:50) an obvious nod to PINK FLOYD--at times getting a little too close with some of its sound and instrument imitations--but, ultimately, this is a very satisfying song--one that gets better (and further away from the PF imitations) as it goes on. (22.5/25)

Total Time 46:45

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of heavy atmospheric space/psychedelic prog.

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