IT'S UNDERSTOOD

If your a massive fan of SECRET CHIEFS 3 your going to have some difficulty finding like-minded bands. Of course the six satellite bands of SECRET CHIEFS 3 will scratch that itch, but there's also this band called ESTRADASPHERE, also from California who will offer the same stuff. They formed in 1998, the same year that SECRET CHIEFS 3 released their second album. They had to have heard, and also been inspired by John Zorn, MR BUNGLE or SECRET CHIEFS 3 by then. Maybe by all three of those bands I don't know, but Trey Spruance from MR BUNGLE and SECRET CHIEFS 3 was impressed enough to sign them to his label Mimicry Records.

"It's Understood" is their debut from 2000 but before that was even released Trey got one of the band members to guest on "California", the last MR BUNGLE album from 1999. That was Timb Harris by the way and he along with Tim Smolens and Jason Schimmel would all be part of "Book M" from 2001 by the SECRET CHIEFS 3 as well as being part of some of those satellite bands. Trey put these three talented musicians to good use as well on SECRET CHIEFS 3 releases that would follow "Book M'.

The music on "It's Understood" is all over the place with a strong ethnic foundation. We get death growls and extreme music along with bluegrass just to give you an idea here. Lots of humour as well. And to me that is maybe the biggest difference between the two bands, the humour that ESTRADASPHERE brings to the table. Look at the terrible album cover here, especially when compared to the classy ones that SECRET CHIEFS 3 have used over the years. Hey both bands are irreverent, ESTRADASPHERE is just more immature.

We get around 75 minutes of music, and I rate this a low 3 stars. I'm so not into this, but man these are players.