Amplifier

by

Amplifier

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It's almost criminal that these guys aren't massive in North America. Primarily due to a limp marketing campaign by Sony with this debut (Amplifier has since amicably split from Sony), Amplifier-Debut is just a monsterous album. Combining equal parts Zeppelin, Sabbath, Floyd, and a dash of Rush, Amplifier comes off as something completely unique. Walls of guitars swell and swoop around the listener to lead them through 10 huge tracks... and that's not all. Along with the main first disc, a second is offered with 4 more tracks... and the song "Glory Electricity" is quite possibly the best b-side ever; it wasn't even on the original release which had 13 songs it.

Pressing "play" and one is immediately assualted with the track "Motorhead". This is "I'm on a mountain, turn it up to 11" space rock without the boredom that that genre is often known for. Sel Balamir's guitar playing is a perfect combination of Gilmour's "emotion through simplicity" stylings and Plant's baddass crunch. But it's Balamir's vocals that makes this band really stand out. No screams, no scratchy yells, just calm, emotive, and thoroughly engaging.

Next "Airborne" reveals the anthemic side of the band, and one of the reasons why their live shows are so incredible. 3:30+ minutes of build-up and then they take it back to a lower level only to thunder to an even higher level once they charge it up a minute later.

"Panzer" showcases the talents of Neil Mahony and his ballsy bass tactics, and Matt Brobin channels Bonham but not to the point of mockery... just in Bonham's gigantic sound.

And then what follows are 7 more songs, each with their own distinctive style and voice, yet wholly Amplifier. There is not a single dud or misfire amongst any of them.

"Neon" is probably the only radio-friendly song on here simply due to it's sub-5 minute length. And how it didn't become one of the largest hits of 2005 is just wierd.

Lyrically the band can be a tad ambigious and often times on the darker side, but they are totally infectious.

Amplifier's Debut is a titanic album in every way. Ambitious, yes. But they totally deliver on ever count. While bands like Wolfmother, Foo Fighters, and Audioslave line the radio waves with complete homage to the point of copyright infringement, create sappy-happy songs that are easily digested and just as easily discarded, or just sound bored out of their skulls while creating music, bands like Amplifier bypass the mainstream to its detriment.

If you like rock, if you like ambition that pays off, if you like crisp production, if you like the idea of a 3-piece band sounding liking a 6-piece, Amplifier's debut album is absolutely for you.

I'm sorry, but comparisons to Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Sabbath are a huge stretch.

These guys play a style that was popular in the mid to late 90s, and this disc is from 2005, so it sounds dated.

I think an accurate description would be that they sound like HUM or FILTER, albeit slightly better than those bands; only because they have some moments of prog-tinged passages and then times when there is a TOOL influence detectable (in a good way).

If your into listening to power chord, slick-sounding alt rock, then this Amplifier debut is a solid "3 stars."