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French-Canadian jazz-rock-fusion specialists Spaced Out have returned with album number five entitled Evolution so get ready because it’s going to be a bumpy ride! And by bumpy I mean a full-on assault of the senses that will leave you breathless. The band remains a trio consisting of founder Antoine Fafard (bass, guitars), Martin Maheux (drums) and Mark Tremblay (guitar). As in previous outings Fafard writes and produces all the material, but this time around they’ve left the keyboards to two others; Alex Argento (tracks 5 & 6) and Eric St-Jean (tracks 2, 8, & 10) and you do get the sense of more keyboard sounds this time around, nice fat analog keyboards that fit really well with Spaced Out’s meaty bass lines. This is a really powerful set of compositions and yet melody lines fly in-and-out throughout. 

 

Evolution launches with a BANG…heavy-guitar crunching accents, double kick-drum banging away and a bass line that shakes the earth, supporting it all are some fat synth strings and the house is rockin’ in a very proggy manner. The opening “Biomechanic” [4:42] the first of nine tracks is indicative of the tone for this time around. It works on two levels, the opening staccato accents repeat around a more melodic guitar laced body of music. This has an almost prog-metal tone to it, but that’s softened by all the less intense musical complexity that is present in the track. That overt heaviness goes away for the next track “Fun Key” [5:06] and is replaced by Spaced Out’s recognizable rumbling jazz-fusion inspired riffing. This track has some really effective pregnant-pauses where the band comes back with a distinct musical shift making this track quite complex. Throughout the disc, listeners will be treated to lots going on. Even when the band slows down, the music is arranged with many musical elements all vying for attention. The band’s style which has obviously evolved over their five discs continues to be one where the emphasis is on musicianship. So any opportunity for a tiny solo or a small instrument spot-light is never missed. It’s like listening to a fast-paced tennis match; the ball is always moving and you have got to keep up. 

The music on Evolution easily falls into the progressive rock milieu by virtue of the band’s focus on instrumental virtuosity. In addition to that the arrangements are loaded with more changing time signatures, crescendos and climaxes than you can count. At times while listening it’s easy to be reminded of some of the more aggressive Japanese prog-fusion band’s such as Gerard or Ars Nova.  Spaced Out has created yet another great CD, one that I think should easily appeal to new and existing fans alike. If you enjoy aggressive progressive jazz rock fusion look no further than Evolution....

Poster: Digitalrika


Tracklist:

01. Biomechanic I (4:39)
02. Fun Key (5:03)
03. Power Struggle (5:27)
04. Octavium (4:56)
05. Nemesis (5:59)
06. Biomechanic II (3:50)
07. Furax II (4:38)
08. Replication Junction (6:35)
09. Polymorph (8:23)

Personnel:
Antoine Fafard:electric bass
Martin Maheux:drums
Mark Tremblay:electric guitar

Guests:
Alex Argento:keyboard
Éric St-Jean:keyboard