Spheric Universe Experience Unreal
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Unreal is the third album by the French progressive rock band Spheric Universe Experience.
Initially formed in 1999, Spheric Universe Experience has undergone a number of changes in both name and lineup to bring them to their present state. Founding members John Drai (bass) and Vince Benaim (guitar) have been joined by Fred Colombo (keyboards), Christophe Briand (drums) and Franck Garcia (vocals) to form a solid progressive quintet.
The CD opens with the moody and driving “White Willow.” This mystical track is one of the heaviest on the CD and sets the tone for the entire disc. Benaim lays down some nice riffs and a decent solo, while vocalist Garcia shows off his range singing of life, death and beyond. The paranormal and mystic themes pervade the rest of the album – reincarnation is the topic of “Down Memory Lane,” and is supported by some great keyboard and guitar work, and spooky background vocals. “Lakeside Park” follows with strong rhythms and excellent musicianship from all members of the band, and Garcia’s vocal power (but somewhat limited range) shines.
By the time “3rd Type” lightens the lyric tone, the listener probably will begin to realize that the real musical star of the album is keyboardist Fred Colombo. He manages to provide the drive to almost every song without dominating the music, and he provides a welcome musical contrast to Benaim’s raspy rhythm guitar sound. This point is further emphasized by the haunting keyboard instrumental “Near Death Experience.”
The excellent vocal work and good songwriting continue on with “Lost Ghost,” a track that shows hints of old school progressive metal and builds nicely on the slower foundation set up by the instrumental piece. “Dragged” is an odd song – parts of the opening riff sound like the old “Speed Racer” TV theme song, and, at times, Garcia’s vocals remind one of Scorpions’ Klaus Meine from the early albums and then twist into an almost Ripper Owens bellow. “O.B.E.” is another good instrumental (more modern jazz than rock almost) that leads into the finale, “Tomorrow.” This is a great way to wrap up the album as “Tomorrow” is an eight-minute opus that showcases the band at its best.
The production and engineering is well balanced, and the overall sound shows that Spheric Universe Experience is a veteran band. The only area of their sonic presentation that needs a bit more work is the guitar. Benaim’s riffwork is excellent and his solos solid, but from song to song, the rhythm guitars have exactly the same raspy, grindy sound. Unfortunately, this makes the album seem a little unpolished. Mixing up the effects or changing the guitar would have made for a more interesting album, but since this one is pushed along so much by the keyboards, it is not much of a problem. The bottom end provided by Briand and Drai is technically excellent and suits the music perfectly – both are outstanding at what they do.
Overall, Unreal is a very well done and enjoyable album from a region of Eurpoe that does not have a reputation as a hotbed of metal music. Almost any fan of hard rock will enjoy the “Experience” (pun intended), and for prog-rock fans, this is a must have.
Label: Sensory (worldwide) / Trendkill (France)
Web: http://en.sphericuniversexp.com/
Track Listing:
1. White Willow
2. Down Memory Lane
3. Lakeside Park
4. 3rd Type
5. Near Death Experience
6. Lost Ghost
7. Dragged
8. O.B.E
9. Tomorrow
HRH Rating: 8.5/10