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Cosmosquad - Acid Test
Marmaduke Records
www.jeffkollman.com
Rating: B
Cosmosquad has been around for years and
is seen as a side project for journeyman bass player Barry
Sparks. Barry, in the past, has teamed up with guitarist Jeff
Kollman and drummer Shane Gaalaas and released instrumental prog
metal music under the bands name.
This time around, however, Gaalaas and Kollman didn't want to
wait for Barry's schedule to free up. Instead of sitting idle,
they started writing music. Kollman took on the extra bass
duties and a new Cosmosquad album was born.
This is a prog nerds wet dream. The songs mix textures of jazz
and progressive rock with heavy metal and contain tempo changes,
intense solos and difficult rhythmic passages. The musicianship
is stellar and the music is interesting. Highlights include the
songs "The Spy Who Ate Her," "Lubitorium" and Goathead." "The
Long Walk Goodbye" takes a break from the progressive metal
jamming and provides a soothing jazz-rock swagger while "Grossalicious"
mixes Zappa like jazz with heavy metal guitar slinging.
It is nice to see excellent musicians getting an outlet for
their music. Cosmosquad is a mixing of many genres that show off
the bands creativity and musical genius. Guitar enthusiast
should check them out as they will not be disappointed.
-- Jeb Wright
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