SPIRALS IN HYPERSPACE

Bogged down with such electronic noises and heavy, driving beats, it's very difficult to see what is psychedelic or even spacey about this album. If by "space rock," one means music for an arcade game about intergalactic battles and alien races, then perhaps that label is appropriate. The music is decidedly progressive electronic with a few heavy elements. The greatest constituent of the album for me are the sporadic electric guitar solos, which just rip right through the jumbled fabric of the electronic music. For all its wraithlike creativity in terms of uncanny sounds and spiraling arrangements, the biggest disappointment with this album is that it becomes stale as a whole, and I personally only like to digest the music here in moderate sips.

"Chewier" Thick electronic sounds and pounding drums make up the bulk of this relatively short track. Only distant acoustic guitar and the electric guitar solo offer this piece any organic quality whatsoever, and for me, they are the best thing about this track.

"Spirals in Hyperspace" Layers of sound created by some of the most intriguing tones imaginable build over a static electronic riff in an odd time signature until a power guitar lead comes ripping through. The riffs are fantastic, but the otherworldly solo just over four minutes in is not to be missed. The frenetic guitar soloing in the second half is likewise fantastic.

"Slinky" With a steady beat and various electronic sounds, this belongs in nightclubs, for laidback, late-night partiers to groove too with their drinks in their hands. Otherwise, all I can say is that this is an effects-drenched piece that makes for decent background music.

"Toka Tola" Further video game music ensues (by that, I don't mean 8-bit bloops and beeps, only that this track in particular sounds like something from one of the later Mega Man series games- not necessarily a bad thing, in my opinion). The bass maintains a nice groove, and the drum-programming offers some variety, especially as the crystal-clear acoustic guitar and whistling synthesizer enter in the middle.

"Plasmoid" One of the more grating tracks for me, "Plasmoid" sputters along until the electric guitar solo. Even then, this is a completely passable track; the sounds used throughout are simply displeasing.

"Oakum" Far more atmospheric than any of the previous works, this piece is saturated with New Age flavors. Halfway through, the music takes on a completely different visage, morphing into a rapid wave of descending sounds and feverish guitar soloing, and the keyboard solo is one of the finer moments of the album. Zia's bass work is also exciting to hear. One part of the track, with the vocals interjecting over the fast-paced music calls to my mind the final section of a piece by Kerry Livgren entitled, "And I Saw, As It Were... Konelrad."

"Akasha" This is a lighter piece and does impart some much needed variety to the overall sound, utilizing instrumentation not heard on other tracks (like a harpsichord-like tone). Sleek keyboard sounds and screaming outbursts of guitar are what this track is primarily about. Rhythmically speaking, though, it's really uninteresting.

"Psychic Chasm" Soft, back-and-forth panned sounds introduce this lengthy piece. The guitar parts over the more spacey elements make this track quite exceptional, however. The eerie vocals are a pleasing, if haunting, section, as is the aquatic part that follows.

"Zoemetra" This is a most fluid track, with flowing exotic-sounding guitar and keyboards and faraway percussion and fretless bass. The synthesizer lead invokes a Middle Eastern sound. The bass solo is nothing special, but adds variety along with the plops of yet the more rhythmic synthesizer.