s t e v e

SGM is made-up of guitar, bass, violin, and drums (the male guitarist and the female violinist also sing), but the band also loves to create 5uu's-like avant-garde sound effects on home-made instruments, and toy pianos, that sets them apart from other modern bands. The Univers Zero-like melodies, bizarre rhythms and percussion work, that I remember from their live show are intact on the CD. What really surprised me, though, on the CD are the White Zombie-esque sections featured on some of the tracks. I'm talking about heavier shit that can compete head-on with most modern metal bands. However, SGM's dada-esque attitude towards metal riffs gives an awkward, disjointed, sound that will still appeal to prog fans. Some of the heavier sections also remind me of Änglagård's Epilog, and even modern King Crimson. The Zappa-esque sections on some of the tracks also surprised me, because I didn't remember hearing Zappa influences during their live set. Those sections remind me of the 12-tone vocal section on "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", and some of Ruth Underwood's marimba melodies. Overall, Grand Opening and Closing ties with the Dreadnaught album for best album of the year. Fans of RIO (especially 5uu's and Univers Zero), Dada, avant-garde classical will be blown away by this masterpiece, but keep in mind that some sections get quite heavy. I've heard some people complain about the cookie monster vocals during some of the heavy sections, but I don't really hear it. Of course, I enjoy heavy metal once in a while, so the male vocals here are actually quite good compared to most metal singers. But, if metal isn't your thing you might have to test the music to see if you like it or not. undated

b r a n d o n

LOUD: my first impression. Grand Opening and Closing is not for the faint of heart; it's filled with huge crescendoes, off-kilter vocals (death metal screaming in places), and just plain weird noise. One look at the instrumentation gives an idea: there's lots of miscellaneous percussion backing up various lead instruments: mostly an array of stringed instruments, from conventional guitar and electric violin to truly odd-sounding plucked instruments that were probably invented by the band. Style ranges from "Sleep is Wrong" and "1997", which border on speed-metal, to the gradual buildups and crescendoes of "Ambugaton" and "Sleepytime", to weirdly haunting slow pieces like "Ablutions" and the closing track. There's an overall oppressive feel though, and the whole album is incredibly edgy; even the quieter tracks are brimming with suppressed energy. My favorite is "Powerless", which explodes angrily and, like many of the other pieces, finds an incredibly powerful riff and rides it for all it's worth. The creativity in this album is undeniable, going all the way down to the very instruments. In addition, it's simply one of the most purely powerful proggy albums I've heard in a really long time. Comparisons are tough to make; I want to say King Crimson because of the intensity and, in places, the heavy bass; and most of "The Stain" reeks of Thinking Plague. But those just seem superficial - in the end, comparisons are bound to fall short. Let's be blunt: the first recommendation I got for this album was a simple "This one kicks ass." That's all I needed to hear, and that's about all there is to say. undated