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Global Unified

Global Unified

Review by Gary Hill

Not everything here is progressive rock, but the majority of it is. It’s often similar to Rush or Pink Floyd. Hawkwind and other elements show up, too. The one real problem on this album is the vocals. They are bit hard to take. They are sometimes rather cringe-worthy. The thing is, the music is strong enough to make this work despite that problem. Well, I suppose the other issue here some might have is the whole conspiracy theory theme to the lyrics. I personally don’t have a problem with that because I take it as a cautionary science fiction type tale. It certainly contains plenty of imagery taken straight from paranoid fringe of society, though.  Even considering those two issues, this is a very listenable disc.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
If I Were a Drone

Alternating between acoustic guitar driven and more rocking, this is very much a singer/songwriter turned folk rock song.

When I Was a Young Boy
Psychedelic rock is the best way to describe this thing. It’s got a real indie vibe to it and is quite a cool one. The breakout section later is quite interesting. So is the drop back after to an almost progressive rock jam with some space elements. This cut definitely earns a parental advisory, but it’s a great piece of music.
U Won't Feel a Thing
Acoustic guitar starts this off. As the keyboards come in over the top, comparisons to progressive rock are again valid. The vocals come with this acoustic guitar, keyboard and percussion sound. Then, as they shift it to the chorus it turns harder rocking. Still, there are prog elements at play, more like the metallic end of progressive rock. That section alternates with a more melodic prog sound. There are some moments where the music resembles Rush quite a bit. There is a drop back to weird science fiction sound effects to end the piece.
The Joke Is on Me
Folk rock and melodic progressive rock are the orders of business here. This really does power out into some great prog. Some of the vocals on this track work much better than the vocals on a lot of the rest of the set. Add in some great music and that makes this a highlight of the disc.
Desert Soliloquy
Mellow and dreamy music with a lot of atmosphere serves as the motif here. This moves slowly and dramatically and around the minute and a half mark a noisy guitar solo powers over the top.
Enemies List
There’s a killer hard rock riff driving this thing. There is more mainstream melodic prog built into it as an alternating section. This is a real powerhouse.
Disposition Matrix
A hard rocking number, this one really does make me think of Rush quite a bit. There is some great melodic guitar soloing on this tune.
Hypercyclic
This is a fairly short, atmospheric interlude.
Globalist Death Camp
This rocker combines Rushish sounds with rather punk-like alternative rock. It’s a real stomper. It contains some soaring guitar soloing.
Go Anywhere
Although this doesn’t rock out as much as some of the rest, it’s not really a mellow ballad either. There is a psychedelic element to this, but in a lot of ways it makes me think of Pink Floyd. There are also some parts to this later that feel a little like Hawkwind at times.
Secret Listening Machines
This is a mid-paced cut that has a bit of Rush meets Pink Floyd feeling to it. It’s one of the more accessible numbers here. I really dig the guitar solo section on this thing.
Unlucky Strike
This is just a short spacey sound effects laden interlude.
In My Sleep
Acoustic guitar opens this piece and the vocals come in over that backdrop. Eventually this opens out into some pretty tasty progressive rock from there. This has a killer guitar solo that’s rather jazzy. They drop it down to some acoustic guitar based music after that and then take it back to the song proper.
Stellar Wind
This is just another sound effects based interlude.
Keep the Fires Lit
The hard rocking sound that opens this again makes me think of early Rush. That section gets alternated with a more melodic one, but it still has some of that Rush vibe to it. I really like the guitar solo on this one a lot. They drop it down to an acoustic based section after that guitar solo and bring it back to the song proper after that. That seems a trick they use pretty frequently, but it works.
Drones at the Gates of Dawn
Keyboards start this instrumental off and it grows out from there. It definitely has a Hawkwind vibe to it. That section holds the piece for the first minute and a half and then it goes to a percussion based section. It works back out to the earlier sections to run through for a time and then drops back down to percussion to end.
Achilles
Another song that seems to combine Rush and Pink Floyd this is a pretty interesting one.
Shockwave
Melodic folk rock styled sounds give way to a more pure progressive rock jam. It’s a pretty mainstream and accessible piece of music in terms of progressive rock stylings.
I Could Have Been
This comes in with more of a bluesy folk rock sound and moves out from there. It does have a bit of a noisy, Pink Floyd like sound to it in a lot of ways.
 
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