AMPLIFIER – ‘Gargantuan’
(Rockosmos Music)
What’s that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? No! It’s a gargantuan!
(Sorry. Couldn’t help myself)
Ampifier’s 8th studio album has been a long time coming, but the good news is, the 9th won’t be too long! The band managed to write enough for two albums. So ‘Gargantuan’ at 75 minutes is the more riffy stuff and the follow up is the more jam related songs.
I stumbled across AMPLIFIER quite by accident, several years ago, prior to the release of their debut album. I had gone to see SOPHIA in Manchester; The band fronted by former GOD MACHINE frontman Robin Proper-Shepherd. Between the local support band and his set, I got talking to Robin and the support band guys. Robin asked “Who are the other local bands I should know about? One of the guys said “AMPLIFIER make an amazing sound for just three of ’em”. This comment must have stuck in my mind.
A few months later I went back to Manchester to see MELISSA AUF DER MAUR and walked in while the support band were on. The sound was immense! Great walls of guitars practically pinning me to the back wall and drums that were being played by some human/octopus hybrid! I was intrigued and pushed myself forward. I was transfixed, watching Matt Brobin hitting the drums and being a real integral part of the sound. Not a time keeper. And frontman/guitar player struck me as another Matt Bellamy. A man capable of making that guitar make sounds it really shouldn’t be able to do.
At the time, AMPLIFIER were a trio. Later they became four by adding Steve Durose of Oceansize as a second guitar player. The best I ever saw them to date was as a five piece and…then there were two!
0The core of AMPLIFIER is now just Sel and Matt and somehow, with ‘Gargantuan’ they have made an album which is recognisably AMPLIFIER, but what is that? Prog? Space rock? Psyche? All of the above. Probably. But AMPLIFIER genuinely don’t fit easily into any box.
The opening glorious Om riff intro sets the scene perfectly before the first crunching guitars and pounding drums of ‘Gateway’ come in. By third song ‘Invader’ it’s already clear that the pair have managed to create an album in the ball park sound of the period between the debut and the collossus that is ‘The Octopus’ (first three albums). No mean feat as a duo, although fans who have watched how ‘The Old Forge’ sessions developed probably won’t be surprised.
‘Long Road’ provides a lift in the sound with the addition of female vocals at the end before ‘Gargantuan’ (part 2) closes in a space rock stylee. I have a feeling this album is going to benefit from the time of repeat plays and the space of putting it away and coming back to it in a month. That’s my plan to see if it reveals its secrets in that way. I feel sure it will.
So use this review to pique your interest and then give it time to see how you feel about it. For me, it’s already a worthy addition to the AMPLIFIER catalogue.
Chris McGlyn | Now Spinning Magazine
