05.

Amplifier
Insider

The second album from Amplifier was inevitably a disappointment after their flawless debut. It is still a truly exceptional album, though, and should really be judged on its own merits. Instrumental opener ‘Gustav’s Arrival’ is a superb statement of intent, striking the perfect amplifierian balance between power and intricacy. Damn, they rule. The second track, ‘O Fortuna’ is perhaps my favourite, and would sit easily amongst the greats from the debut. Yet, it also is the first sign of a shift by the band. There is a change in approach here, with a slightly heavier sound being employed, and the overlay of a number of guitars on the verses being used to ‘bump up’ the sound. Such little changes (the vocal approach of the chorus to ‘Insider’ for example) show an ability to develop which is really reassuring (especially following last year’s somewhat dodgy ep). ‘Hymn of Atem’ is a slow-build progressive masterclass, whilst the grungy stomp of ‘Procedures’ charts new punky ground for the band.

Insider is (as would be expected) brilliantly inventive, highly accomplished and rocks bloody hard. Amplifier can make eight or nine minutes fly by without you even noticing how long their tracks are, and not once in all of the long progressive songs that make up Insider do they repeat themselves or sound stale. Having said all of this, like living in the shadow of a highly successful older sibling, it is an album that will never be good enough. It is still a classic album in its own right, though. They continue to be very special indeed.