I don’t know about you but I always prefer seeing Dr. Smith to Dr. Doolittle… I mean, I never learnt to trust the animal-loving semi-amateur. And now, after having heard this opus here, I do not want to make an appointment with any other doctor in the Universe. In fact, in this doctor’s office you will bump into three veteran surgeons, all graduates from the ghostly school of thought, better known as Spectral Incursion, a standout progressive metal outfit who roamed the late-80’s/early-90’s for a bit.
The musicians reminded of themselves with an “Anthology” compilation in 2011 which contained the entire Spectral Incursion output, and three years later they re-joined forces in Doctor Smith’s office. The name of the game this time is spacey multi-layered prog-metal opera which crosses 70’s psychedelia (think Hawkwind, above all) with the Canadian progressive heritage (Rush, Voivod). Add a few dreamy atmospheric etudes in the vein of Pink Floyd, and the picture nearly becomes complete.
The core of the album are two gigantic (Part 1, Part 2) compositions which occupy more than half an hour, seamlessly flowing into each other, the beginning reminiscent of the early Rush opuses, with Art Melonas assisting the composed musical parade with a not very emotional but pretty effective deep clean croon. More drama gets accumulated gradually before sizzling faster-paced riffs get mixed with ominous doomy rhythms, an ambient psychedelic Hawkwind-esque etude ending this appetizing tussle. Variations on jazz and fusion arrive later where the bass plays a major role, with abrasive doomy decisions ala early Sabbath being introduced as well right next to ethereal balladic idylls those vintage mid-period Pink Floyd, with Melonas becoming both more lyrical and more authoritative, sounding like a pleasantly stoned Classic Literature lecturer delivering a tractate on fairy tales. This academic admonition episode is put an abrupt end with a fountain of jarring atonal shreds with the shadow of the Voivods rising high for a thrilling bouncy ride the latter superseded by a more linear epic power metal passage.
The mentioned ingredients are mixed in Part 2 but not before a virtuoso “drums vs. bass” section shows the guys’ skills. The approach on that one is a tad heavier and moodier, the tranquil Floydian soundscapes more prolonged, but watch out for the near-headbanging dissonant excursion thrown mid-way, with “Killing Technology” feverishly revisited within mere 3-min. Three bonus tracks eagerly await at the end, attractive compelling blends of 70’s psychedelia and early Sabbath, with “Jack the Tripper” a brilliant atmospheric semi-balladic etude.
The production is suitably archaic and semi-noisy, courting the 70’s again, but it only enhances the very eventful musical delivery which constantly switches from one element to another, with the two mentioned parts creating one ambitious but strangely uplifting spacey whole; the listener may not even notice the transition between the two, and will only acknowledge the presence of another standalone composition once the first bonus track enters the scene. The works of mid-period Mastodon (“Crack the Skye”, “The Hunter”) will also come to mind when listening to these multifarious psychedelic sounds that make unheralded quantum leaps in whichever direction the musicians deem (ir)relevant, juggling through contrasting nuances and motifs, invariably winning the audience to their cause regardless of how far into the unknown the latter may end up at the end of the journey…
but not to worry, it’s this fabulous, also not threatening at all “Jack the Tripper” they will encounter there, the trippy ride finding its fitting optimistic epitaph, the band having cooked something which doesn’t quite recall the Spectral Incursion repertoire. It sure belongs to the progressive metal branch, but the overall approach is more complex and more mind-consuming, and not only because of the first two lengthy numbers. The guys have enriched their palette thus producing the same positive impression although if they had tried this particular amalgam as an immediate follow-up to their previous act’s feats, it wouldn’t have had the same impact. Nostalgic trips of the kind only work to the fullest when released in the right environment; who would care about looks back at the 70’s in the midst of a most furious aggro/groovy campaign?
The spectres… sorry, doctors are still active; no intricate surgeries scheduled in the near future, but rest assured that the emergency section in their clinic works 24/7; urgent cases will always be treated promptly be it with mild psychedelic substances or with crooked metallic strokes.