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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Ape Shifter

Ape Shifter

Review by Gary Hill

The boundaries of what is and isn't prog are always changing. They are also very subjective. I suppose both of those things are good. Well, this act is being billed as prog. While I'm going to go with that categorization, I'm not convinced it's right. Still, these guys do have elements of things like the Dixie Dregs and King Crimson in the mix. Add in some old Rush, stoner metal and a lot of Joe Satriani, and you'll have an idea what this album sounds like. It's instrumental and just a bit monolithic. It has some great moments for certain, though. Besides, who could argue with that album cover?
 
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Uhluhtc

I love the screaming hot guitar sound that leads this set out. The cut is one part stoner rock, one part fast paced fusion and a lot of hard edged prog. The shifts and changes make me think of old Rush a bit. There is a drop back to a mellower, exploratory section that feels like fusion turned space.

Revolution Summer
Hard rocking stuff, this is perhaps not all that proggy, but it's very cool. It's almost like mixing Black Sabbath with the Allman Brothers to me.
Desert Rock
The riff that brings this into being is just plain mean. These guys fire out from there into a cut that's part stoner metal and part prog rock. It's screaming hot stuff.
Dopamatic
There is definitely a lot of old school Rush here. That's combined with something like Joe Satriani.
Hot Rod
Take some Van Halen and merge it with Joe Satriani and a bit of old school Rush. You'll be pretty close to this.
Verdammt
There is no huge change here, but this is perhaps more purely proggy than some of the rest. It has some killer turns and driving riffs.
Dead Tuna Boogie
There is a definite boogie element here, bringing some Southern rock to the table. This makes me think of the Dregs in a lot of ways.
Ratchet Attack
Here we get a cut that's a bit heavier at the start. It drops to some of the mellowest stuff of the album for a time, but powers back out. This is part metal and part fusion along with some stoner rock.
Sakrotani
This reminds me a lot of Joe Satriani. It's killer rocking stuff. The dropped back movement lands closer to fusion.
Brain-O-Mat
The mix of stoner metal and prog here is so strong. This is possibly one of my favorite cuts here. It definitely has hints of things like Giant Squid. There are some bits that make me think of King Crimson, too.
Superhero Helden
More along the lines of Satriani, this is solid, but not a big change.
 
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