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Combat Astronomy - Flak Planet

SKU Zond 03
Fourth album and another great, heavy one. As usual, this features band mastermind James Huggett on fretless, five string bass, churning up a heavy, zeuhl-based sound and also provding the drumming via computer programming (and doing a fine job of it too). This time around there are more guests on heavy horns and beyond: Martin Archer (organ, electronics, multi-saxes), Mich Beck (tenor sax) and Mike Ward (tenor sax, bass and concert flutes). Imagine a really heavy, Sonny Sharrock-less, Zeuhl-influenced Last Exit session and...well, it doesn't sound like that. But it is great and it definitely kicks out the jams! Instrumentally, their best ever, I think. Highly recommended.

"Flak Planet is Combat Astronomy's fourth album as an ensemble. As ever, this outing sees the band stubbornly idiosyncratic, hypnotic and heavy. Combat Astronomy continue to achieve alchemical brilliance in their fusion of 70's influenced avant jazz and 21st century doom metal, producing something (yet again!) rather special and rather unique. The result is a sprawling, martial beast: kicking and screaming in its joyous fractal webs. Huggett's overdriven double-tracked bass churns in complex cycling patterns of additive time signatures, locked with the intricate drums, never failing to conjure an incessant force wall of grinding poly-rhythmic groove. Danceable, yes, though probably for the disco at the end of time. The music asks you to submit to its ecstasy, uncompromising as it may be. Martin Archer and his cohorts, Mike Ward and Mick Beck, cut through and soar over this super-sized grizzled rhythm section with a high energy brass and woodwind attack: often dissonant, but equally likely to erupt into surprisingly uplifting exultations that are bursting with questing exuberance. Certain to appeal to fans of modern avant metal (Meshuggah, Gorguts etc.), modern heavy prog (Guapo, Circle, Zu etc.) and the forerunners of modern jazz-grind (God, Godflesh and 16/17)."



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