GRAVITYSAYS_I – QUANTUM UNKNOWN (Inner Ear Records LP, CD, D/L).

It’s been a long time since the last Gravitysays_i album, The Figures Of Enormous Grey And The Patterns Of Fraud, was released in 2011. In the five years following that record they have been locked in a creative phase of recording and intense experimentation, mixing the base elements of Progressive Rock and acoustic music from their Mediterranean/Aegean heritage along with a hint of Psychedelia and experimental Jazz. The Greek Post Prog Rock band are now back with a third album, Quantum Unknown……… a record that has made the long wait worthwhile. With a blend of conventional amplified rock band instrumentation, ambient electronics and more ethnic, acoustic instruments such as the bowed Cretan lyra and the distinctive sound of the hammered santur, Gravitysays_i create gorgeous soundscapes that combine Prog Rock virtuosity with a traditional Mediterranean flair that underpin six compositions inspired by the egotism, vanity and isolation of modern man. It is a conceptual album characterized by consecutive flow, where the electronic element meets traditional instrumentation, while minimalistic forms follow Post Rock paths taking in Future Jazz and Psychedelic detours along the way.

There are some excellent songs on this record that ProgHeads are gonna really love…….. ‘Of Woe / Migratory Birds’ mashes together the spacey grooves of the final incarnation of Pink Floyd with the swirling guitars of bands such as Secret Machines and adds the beautiful melodies of the santur with bursts of jazzy trumpet in a breathtaking 10 minute track, while ‘Every Man’ and the album’s title track are both epic Progressive Rock tunes in the truest sense as Gravitysays_i pull together the sum of their influences to craft unique sounding, spellbinding tunes. Quantum Unknown is a beautifully constructed record, the five years of recording and experimentation have been spent well……..mixing ambient electronica with Space Jazz, ‘Dowser’ is the result of one of the band’s more experimental studio sessions. Gravitysays_i have a very modern approach to Prog Rock…………..unlike many of their Prog/Psych contemporaries they are not stylistically stuck in the early 70s, in thrall to the “Classic Rock” giants of the day……………………..tracks such as the opener ‘More Than A Matter Of Instinct’ glide like a sleek, metallic Star Cruiser unlike the more D.I.Y. Kosmik travels of many new bands that are influenced by the early progressive groups. Pulsing electronica and spiraling guitars merge with the Greek folk tradition creating the captivating sound of a band pushing the envelope of what can be quite a staid, conservative genre. Quantum Unknown is a wonderful mix of the experimental and the traditional which although may not be to everybody’s taste, is never the less a fantastic modern Prog Rock album which fans of the genre need to check out.

Due for release on the 16^th September by the eclectic Greek label Inner Ear Records, Quantum Unknown will be available on vinyl, CD and as a digital download……..there does not appear to be any info at the moment about pre-release orders, distributors etc. so we suggest you check the label website and Bandcamp page closer to the release date.

THEE PSYCHEDELICATESSEN