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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Space Invaders

Dreadnought

Review by Gary Hill

This album consists of instrumental, improvised space rock. As such, there is a definite potential toward jamming that’s more gradual than quick shifting changes and musical virtuosity. While the changes aren’t drastic and a lot of this covers similar ground, this never feels stale or boring. It tends to be a little hard to classify in terms of descriptions for track by track reviews, though. This is more the kind of thing to just sort of get into the groove and let it drift over you. It’s a great set from start to finish, really.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
The Gap You Leave Behind

This is quite a ride. It starts off tentatively, but builds out into a number of smoking hot space jams. .It drops down at the end to space bits that create the start of the next piece.

Dungeons
Coming out of the previous one, this is more rhythmic than melodic at the beginning. It takes a while for it to build out beyond that. When it does, though, there is almost a bit of a funky element to the space jamming. It eventually shifts toward more standard space before it drops down to segue into the next piece.
Two Skulls
Keyboards bring this up from the previous one is a cool and rather mysterious way. As it builds out to more rocking sounds there are hints of more of a blues rock jam. Still, this is all space rock in so many ways. This really gets pretty intense at times.
Hexensabber
Coming out of echoey space that ended the last piece, this is almost more traditional space rock. In some ways I can hear Hawkwind in this. Yet, there is also almost a jazz edge to it. .
Dreadnought
The title track might be the best song here. This is screaming hot. It lands near to heavy metal in some ways. There is definitely some serious crunch in the mix, at least. There is some particularly intense jamming built into this.
It's Raining Bones
Featuring some talk box, this is another screaming hot jam. It’s loud, it’s fast and it’s a powerhouse. The later sections lower the intensity and tempo quite a bit, but definitely increase the space factor.
Jolly Roger High Speed Groove

Here we get a short, but fast paced and intense space rock jam. The keyboards drive it in a lot of ways.

Out in the Madness
The final cut is the most extensive, coming in at nearly 22 and a half minutes in length. It starts somewhat gradually. By around the minute and a half mark, it threatens to seriously explode outward. The jamming begins building up around the listener from there. More talk box emerges here. The cut builds out to some powerhouse space rock as it continues. After a drop down it comes back out into some space rock that even has some elements of punk in the mix. The jamming moves and evolves organically, but it really does keep shifting and changing. There’s a major tempo increasing section around the 16 and a half minute mark. More melodic jamming emerges beyond that point.
  
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