SpaceMetal - SpaceMetal

SpaceMetal

SpaceMetal
self-released; 2015

3.8 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

To get straight to the point SpaceMetal comprised of Travis Acosta (vocals), Rob Norton (bass), Chris Kain (drums), Chris Trentecosta (guitar) and John Maracich (guitar) is a badass band. On their self-titled album SpaceMetal they unequivocally have an early ‘70s hard rock/metal vibe. 

Back in the ‘70s when you turned on the radio you could have been greeted with rock gods like Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, T-Rex, etc. The fact is that most modern day metal or hard rock at least on mainstream radio sounds like overproduced bubblegum with a lack of grit. Maybe it's due to the fact rock hit its pinnacle in 1973 or that our musicians were just more badass back then. Anyway you cut it Space Metal is for those of us who prefer Black Sabbath over Nickelback and prefer music recorded to tape (analog tape which provides a warm bed of saturation that glues the music together) rather than a laptop. 

SpaceMetal is a great sounding record from an aesthetic perspective. The record touts a lot of distortion but never is sharp or shrill which is something you hear on a lot of DIY recording and actually a lot of ‘80’s metal. In addition to that nothing is over compressed or limited, meaning you can really crank the recording without it sounding like utter crap. 

Musically, SpaceMetal delivers a number of solid tunes. The band is consistent with their style and quality. Suffice it to say if you like the first track you will probably like the second, third, fourth, etc. Lyrically and thematically I was reminded of Alice Copper and other bands that refer to mythology, cosmology and you know, stuff metal bands used to sing about. Hell this would be great with the 1981 classic cult movie Heavy Metal. The band shoves some metal down your throat with the opener “Wing of The Praetor.” The vocalist sings, “On a twist - we exist - a blessing to the overlord In a line - we define - a word not spoken in an endless time.”

The onslaught continues with “The Millipede” which is actually about a millipede while “Strong Tongue” revolves around a little bit of whiskey and ambiguity. 

Upon first listen the songs bleed together but with multiple spins you will get acquainted with your favorites. Over the course of the eleven songs the band never goes soft and rocks out till the very end. Don’t be afraid - you can handle this. Now take a swig of whiskey and crank Space Metal.  

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