Review Summary: The second LP that should have been...
Having burst onto the British progressive/hard rock scene with their debut self-titled LP, Amplifier had on their first attempt created a masterpiece of mind-melting riffs, earth-shattering bass and colossal drumming. The problem that always faces a band that peaks on a first release is the question of "how do we follow this?"
What eventually materialised as their second full-length,
Insider, was in many ways a let-down with far too much repetition and lack of fresh ideas, simply feeling like a rehashed version of
Amplifier but lacking a band constantly firing on all cylinders.
What is often overlooked in Amplifier's discography is this gem of an EP that dropped in the year between those two, expressing a departure from their debut, the band clearly expanding on and becoming more confident in their sound. This is most obvious in the 9-minute opener
Continuum which was at the time their longest song and easily remains one of their best, throwing in some unexpected passages such as a heavy solo that suddenly drops into one of Sel Balamir's most mellow and exquisite, expertly giving off those signature space-rock vibes and breaking what could otherwise have become a monotony of heaviness and aggression in Amplifier's music. Coupled with this are spine-tingling lyrics like "The closeness of monsters as we slept / and the creaking of hands where masons met / The loneliness of a shooting star / and the beating of drums where the wild things are", certainly some of their most well-crafted.
For Marcia and hidden track
Scarecrows also explore the band's new-found delicacy, building to gentle anti-climaxes with Neil Mahoney's prominent yet soothing bass guiding you through, more masterful and sometimes introspective lyrics asking questions like "Never got to see much sun, been stuck in darkness far too long. / And where have all our twenties gone?" and creating a subtly satisfying experience.
This is not to say Amplifier's heavy grooves are gone. In fact they are as good as ever,
Continuum providing several epic crescendos and rockers
Into The Space Age and
Everyday Combat drawing a single riff out over their fairly lengthy running-times, allowing it to slowly develop in an almost hypnotic way. And finally, there's thundering closer
Live Human, which has the listener "slipping over the precipice" in a stirring chorus that would not be out of place on their debut LP, a welcome nod to that sound.
At almost 40 minutes (including the 5 minutes of silence before the hidden track), The Astronaut Dismantles HAL is almost long enough to be a full-length. This is all the more frustrating since its music feels more diverse, interesting and inspired than that of follow-up LP
Insider, yet it is sidelined in Amplifier's discography and not quite fleshed-out enough to fully succeed in its shorter length. Fortunately, in the time since its release the EP has become a fan-favourite, and after the band's sound became more progressive on later releases like
The Octopus, those craving more of the Amplifier's early sound have something quintessential.
