A SCEPTIC'S UNIVERSE

Spiral Architect stand alone at the peak of tech-metal's mountain. While many criticize this release for being just an excuse to show off the musician's chops, the truth is, in my eyes anyway, that the complexity creates it's own atmosphere. It's like the best science fiction that just challenges what one knows and understands and thrusts the imagination far beyond the typical. Not every band needs to be catchy and Spiral Architect certainly isn't. Haegland's vocal lines are damn near as angular as the avant-jazz-fusion architecture as the rest of the band. But I asked myself, if I were a singer and I got a tape with this music, how would I put vocals to it? The feel here is all quantuum mechanical mysticism. It reminds me of the roots of Jazz-Fusion. Which came first, the music? Or was it the galactic feel of Return to Forever, the Eastern mysticism of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Do the concepts drive the writing process, or do you try to find concepts that line up with the crazed musical output?