You may already have come across King Bathmat, one of the brightest hopes of the British progressive scene, and, if you have, then the chances are you already own ‘Overcoming the monster’ for it has been out for almost a month. If, however, you have somehow missed out on the band (and if you have then shame on you) then your first port of call should be to stop reading this overly wordy review and get yourself a copy. Then, having sunk yourself deep into the wonders of the album’s first track you can return here (if you have a mind so to do) and reassure yourself that the record is every bit as good as your ears are telling you it is.
First track ‘sentinel’ opens on a heavy note that suggests the band have been hitting their Led Zeppelin collection before they take a collective side-step into the layered harmonies of early Porcupine Tree. It’s an unexpected dynamic shift, but one that works well, the band weaving a glistening web of gossamer-thin melodies around the listener, slowly building the sound back up through the addition of carefully scripted layers that see the song evolving across its eight minute run time into a thing of near ethereal beauty. Hints of early Genesis, touches of King Crimson, they’re all here, but as with ‘the truth button’, King Bathmat has a sound that is entirely theirs which makes it all the more exciting to accompany them on their imaginative musical trip. The second track, ‘parasomnia’, sees the band venturing into darker pastures, stuttering electronics overlaying a simplistic, almost child-like melody that induces shivers even as the vocals slowly echo across the mix. What an opening – few bands would have the courage to open a track in such an atypical manner, and when , some two minutes in, the jazzy drums and main melody comes in, that child-like melody persists. The track is arguably a very distant cousin of Genesis’ majestic ‘musical box’, the stunning melodies giving way to some monumental musical excursions in the second half of the track. Up next is the title track, a monstrous outing indeed that takes the brutally distorted guitar sound of Robert Fripp and sets it against some of the band’s most haunting and subtle melodies. It’s a sudden, even jarring dynamic shift, and yet the band make it sound easy, the song a cohesive, memorable piece of work that effortlessly holds the listener’s attention over its seven and a half minute run time.
Kicking off with some huge drums and even bigger riffs, ‘superfluous’ is a hulking behemoth of a song, possibly the heaviest thing King Bathmat have yet laid down, recalling the monumental guitar pyrotechnics of Amplifier before slithering into a jazzy mode, all syncopated rhythms and rippling piano, as if the listener has just traded a rock concert for an air-conditioned elevator in a high class hotel. Most disconcerting, but certainly never dull – King Bathmat’s strength is their unfailing ability to make the unexpected sound completely natural within the context of their music – a rare skill indeed. The album’s shortest song is ‘reality mining’, a song that demonstrates the band’s pastoral side with flutes and shimmering guitar work reminiscent of Mike Oldfield. In contrast the epic closer, ‘Kubrick moon’ takes full advantage of its length to drift, wide-eyed in wonder, through ambient passages in a manner that will certainly appeal to those enchanted by the recent Sound of Contact record. It’s a stunning ending to an album that is beautifully idiosyncratic and gleefully unique.
King Bathmat have done it again. Tapping into the truly exploratory nature of those early Genesis albums with plenty of touches of Yes, King Crimson and Mike Oldfield thrown in, the band push at the boundaries, always seeking for that elusive ‘otherness’ that made albums like ‘starless and bible black’ and ‘Tubular bells’ so beloved. There are some awesome passages here – where the guitars dive headlong at the listener with real fury, but this isn’t progressive metal, it’s creative, intelligent, ambitious and life-affirming progressive rock, filled to the brim with intriguing ideas and memorable melodies. King Bathmat have cracked it – two releases, both essential, and the notion that they can only get better. Support this wonderful band, in these days of identikit culture, the ambitiously eccentric are more desperately needed than ever.
Did we get it right? See for yourself:
