I still remember when Sumerian Records first announced The HAARP Machine last year with the beastly Abdullah Al Mu’min doing a play through of “The Escapist Notion”. I was instantly blown away and became a fan quickly. Ever since, a growing fan base has been waiting for the band’s official debut. And it’s been a long wait due to line up changes among other complications. But this UK Progressive Tech Metal juggernaut has finally found extremely talented new members in vocalist Mike Semesky (ex-Vestascension, Ordinance, Rest Among Ruins) and drummer Alex Rüdinger (ex-Threat Signal, Ordinance) to pick up where they left off. They completed their debut album “Disclosure” and it’s finally out. I’ve been waiting to get my ears on this one for awhile now… But was it worth the wait?
Ohhh yeeaaaah. Several “Holy Shit…” moments on this one. “Disclosure” is an intellectually stimulating, awesome ride. Impressive as hell. You can tell they paid serious attention to detail while constructing these tracks. Incredible complexity runs throughout this whirlwind of a record. This band definitely brings a hard edge in their music, riffing like a crazy Tech Death band at times and slamming you with heavy breaks. But they also have a very melodic side with foreign flair. And with the virtuosic musicians backing the composition, it all comes together damn near perfectly. High level talent and extreme creativity drive this record. Some of these tracks are nothing short of genius.
There’s definitely conspiracy theory inspiration here. The band’s name is The HAARP Machine, so it makes sense. There’s been a lot of albums coming out of late criticizing governmental powers and the general state of the world lately and there’s a lot of truth to it. Well, maybe not the conspiracy bits from The HAARP Machine, but I haven’t exactly read the lyrics.
“Esoteric Agenda” opens up the record with a sitar casting notes before the guitars hit with the backing rhythm to match. You’ll quickly find that The HAARP Machine laces in sitar and piano segments throughout their music. I also believe there are appearances by the Japanese koto and another foreign instrument or two. They pull this off in such an awesome way. Very intelligent writing. The opener is definitely a stand out track, but every song on this album is next level stuff. Besides “Esoteric Agenda”, my favorite tracks on The HAARP Machine’s debut are “Lower The Populace”, “Pleiadian Keys”, “From Vanity to Utility”, “Disclosure”, “The Escapist Notion”, “Extension to One”, and “Machine Over”. Damn.. named them all…. You get the picture. This isn’t just music. This is a musical experience. Go experience it. Now.
I honestly have no real criticisms of this record. But I will criticize you if you’ve read this much of the review and aren’t willing to give this band a serious listen.
To sum this review up, “Disclosure” is damn near flawless. A solid record from beginning to end. This was definitely worth the wait. Check out the band’s single “Pleiadian Keys” and the full album sampler right here, right now! And if you like what you hear, go buy the record and some extra goods right here! I applaud every member of The HARRP Machine for an incredible first release. The possibilities for this group are endless. I cannot wait to see what they achieve in the future. But in the mean time I’ll kick back and blast some “Disclosure” \m/
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