Taking account of the diversity of styles that AMT can play in (& that many of their albums contain a number of different styles, varying from track to track), this c.d is remarkably straightforward to categorise, being essentially two very long 'hard rock' pieces.
Of course, AMT's version of hard rock still sounds significantly different from the rock bands that have obviously influenced them. Even when the individual elements of a track all sound familiar (such as the first track here, which is a built on a 'classic' sounding blues-rock riff ). many things about their playing, their approach, & their recording techniques end up giving their 'rock' tracks a unique edge.
First of all, there's the production & mixing, which is odd in that drums & bass are often very low in the mix, whereas guitars are extra loud. (if there's a good rhythm guitar track, you pick up the rhythm more from that than you do from the drums & bass). Sometimes I wonder if this peculiar mixing is just bad recording practice &/or the limitations of lo-fi home recording technology (perhaps they don't have enough microphones to mike up a drum kit properly ?), but after hearing so many albums by them, I'm more convinced that this is actually the sound that they want to get.
Then there's all the synth splashes & whooshes. When they play 'spacerock' (in a Hawkwind style) synthesiser noises are to be expected, & are par for the course. However, hearing these spacerock style synth sounds on other kinds of numbers (such as Black Sabbath style 'rocking out') is very unusual, & again contributes them their unique sound.
Finally, what makes AMT very different from other 'rock' bands is their approach to structure. In the case of this c.d, it's not just the sheer length of these tracks (none of the rock bands that have influenced them ever made tracks this long). It's also the relentlessness of everybody's playing that creates a different kind of structure.
The two tracks here don't 'build' or go through any changes. Instruments neither drop out nor drop back, & nobody 'takes a solo'.(in fact, as regards Makoto, he's effectively playing a 'solo' through the entire length of each track).
Tracks just start with everybody playing, & they carry on in that groove till the end, with really no variation in texture (the only thing that really differentiates any point in a track from any other point is just what the lead guitar happens to be doing at that point). As such, the two tracks really are just unrelenting blocks of sound (though there are simple melodies, repeated riffs & distinct rhythm, so this is still clearly 'rock' music & not just 'noise').
This relentless approach is obviously the one they want to take, & is very much their signature style here. It's not an approach that I have any problems with per se. This is often how they play at gigs, & there are many great AMT albums where they're playing like this.
The only issue for any track with that approach is is the question of whether or not it's a good track. Results are all that matter.
The first track - 'Trigger In Trigger Out' (20.17) starts with about 30 seconds of ambient sounds, then a fantastic blues rock riff kicks in, & straight away the whole band are up & running on a fast number, locking into a groove & not letting go of it. Makoto's lead guitar is there right from the start, & is fantastic throughout the whole track. The drumming is great on this track, never losing the rhythm, but peppered with a lot of interesting fills. The bass is doing some really good melodic runs, and it's just a shame that both the bass & the drums aren't a bit more clear & louder in the mix (though I've certainly heard many other AMT recordings on which drums & bass are a lot more submerged & muddy than this).
Despite the relative quietness of the bass & drums, this track still hits you viscerally as much as any great rock track (especially due to that great rhythm guitar riff). It sounds exciting & makes you want to bang your head.
The track never goes off the rails or into 'noise freakout' territory, & only slightly speeds up in the last few minutes, to head for the big climax. I'm amazed at the intensity of everybody's playing over such a long track (especially the drummer who is fantastic from start to finish).
The only thing I don't like on this track are the very occasional burst of vocals (through a lot of echo & reverb). Thankfully though, there's not much of them. Maybe they add a bit of variety to the track, but due to everybody's relentless playing, there just doesn't see to be any 'space' for them to fit in.
However, apart from that, this is a great track, with really impressive & inspired playing from everybody.
The second track - 'They're Coming From The Cosmic Inferno' (43.50) I found disappointing. It's more or less doing what the first track did, but just doesn't sound as good (& goes on far too long). Breaking it down to it's individual elements, it consists of all the same things (again with a short ambient start) but lacking the great blues rock rhythm guitar.
I don't know if the tracks were recorded in the order they are on this c.d. If so, I wonder if perhaps they just exhausted themselves after the first track, Apart from Makoto's lead guitar, none of the rest of the band's playing sounds nearly as inspired as the first track. There's something lacking from this performance. It sounds like they needed a 40 minute track, & knocked one out, but didn't have anything good to build it from.
Everything just becomes monotonous & repetitive. While the drumming on the first track was great, with some interesting & intricate fills, here it's just a relentless 'thud ... thud ... thud' (albeit perfectly in time). However, that dull as dishwater drumming just starts to become headache inducing after ten minutes (1). The drums are louder on this track than they were on the first track, and I really wish it was the other way round.
Generally on albums, the pacing of tracks follows a general principle. If the first track is great, that's still just an 'opener', and the next track should be even better. Perhaps a different dynamic might have to apply to an album that's just two very long tracks.
However, this album's problem is after a great opening track, the second (& significantly longer) track is just a let down, especially as it comes across as just a very third rate version of the preceding track. Perhaps if there had been a differently style of track at this point, it would have made for a better album.
Of course, all this is just my opinion. I'm sure that there are people who love this album, and I'm sure there will be glowing reviews of it elsewhere on the internet. I am a huge AMT fan, and I hate to give them a bad review, but I have to be honest. Despite loving the majority of what I've heard by them, occasionally I will hear an album by them that disappoints me, and this is one of them.
Notes
(1) I had to laugh when I saw some reviewer referring to the monotonous thud on this track as a 'krautrock rhythm'. Given the vast diversity of bands & musics that are now grouped together under the retroactive umbrella term 'krautrock', the notion that there is some singular & definitive 'krautrock rhythm' is absurd. (of course, if that reviewer had been even more hip, he could called that awful thumping 'motorik').
Far too often, I see the term 'krautrock' used as cliche (& usually a false comparison) by people reviewing AMT albums. AMT could probably just blow their noses, & you could guarantee that some dreadful hipster somewhere would call it 'krautrock' sounding.
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