ALBUM REVIEW: Ultraphonix – Original Human Music

earMUSIC - August 3rd 2018

31 August 2018 Mark Diggins

George Lynch has been in a rare vein of form recently and engaged in a number of diverse musical projects over the last 12 months. We spoke to him recently about the latest Lynch Mob release and when we did we checked in about his other projects including Sweet and Lynch, KXM (his band with Dug Pinnick and Ray Luzier who recently put out a rather fine second album) and Ultraphonix this project that includes not only Living Colour’s Corey Glover (who put out the rather fine ‘Shade’ last year) but also drummer Chris Moore (Project NfidelikAh) and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (War, Philm).

It’s this album that just might be the pick of the bunch though, mixing as it does not only heavy metal, jazz, and progressive music but which is also built on a bedrock of Lynch’s heavy Blues guitar and Glover’s fine Gospel and R&B vocal. ‘Original Human Music’ the resultant album is a scintillating melting pot of heavy guitar, rock, funk, jazz, prog and psychedelia; and it’s that broad approach that gives this release its diverse aspect and real appeal.

This is a rich album, diverse not only in influences but also in it’s genre-straddling approach, as well as being complex in its sonic layering. Indeed you get everything here from the brooding dark blues of opener ‘Baptism’ to the languid free-funk of looser tracks like ‘Soul Control.’

Elsewhere cuts like the previously released single ‘Walk Run Crawl’ with its heavy-hitting guitar and Living Colour feel and ‘Another Day’ which trips on melody that really makes you sit up and take notice, really grab you. Then as you dig deeper you really start to connect with the likes of the frustration that seeps from ‘Counter Culture’ and the jazzy R&B ‘Take a Stand’. Or maybe the message of love that comes with ‘Ain’t Too Late’ or the pain and loss you connect with on ‘Heart Full of Rain’ will resonate even more?

Album closer, ‘Power Trip’ though for me though might just be the most powerful song here with Glover giving it his all and Lynch driving it forward.

More please…