Sense Apparatus, The

Word is Norwegians Frantic Bleep took almost a year to record this, their debut album, but it was obviously well worth the long gestation given the wonderfully diverse and highly imaginative contents within. Call it avant-garde, progressive metal, or what have you -- fact is, this risk-taking quartet's sound, although rooted in Scandinavian metal, compares favorably to equally adventurous compatriots like Arcturus and Ulver, by managing the rare feat of commingling a daunting collection of obvious and disparate influences into a surprisingly unified work. Even more important, it contains excellent and distinctive songs, amongst which at least one, the swinging-riffed "Sins of Omission" seems like a potential smash hit even for non-heavy metal fans. Other standout tracks are more overtly metallic (the grind-tinged "The Expulsion," the desolate "Curtainraiser"), but, partly because of lead vocalist Paul Mozart Bjorke's voice, a few more tracks like "...But a Memory" (featuring backing vocals from his old Madder Mortem bandmate Agnete Kirkevaag) and "Nebulous Termini" bring Swedish progressive death masters Opeth to mind; albeit with a far less linear structure and nowhere near the heaviness. And then there are wider diversions into atmospheric experimentation such as the intensity building introductory snippet "A Survey," the keyboard-laced "Mausolos," or the haunting "Cone," that prove just as effective. In the end, one realizes that the sum of these parts is of such a high caliber that what sporadic and individual performance deficiencies do crop up (mostly the odd awkward arrangement or weak vocal performance), are easily eclipsed by Frantic Bleep's overarching vision for this incredibly realized project. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia|