The Mother Of All Bands - "Insect Brain"
(unreleased-as yet!)
The Mother Of All Bands - "Insect Brain"
(unreleased-as yet!)
From Aural Innovations #30 (February 2005)
The Mother Of All Bands features Ron Tree (ex Hawkwind 1995-2002) and Judge Trev Thoms (Inner City Unit), and their musical pasts are in the melting pot of this bands style too, but with a lot of fresh new ingredients thrown in too! The album starts with the title track ("Insect Brain") with some pretty unsettling effected laughter (and a tune that reminds me of the Iron Butterfly classic "In-A Gadda Da Vida", but with a whole otherworldy thing going on!). Ron shines from the word go with some true to form eccentric worlplay and subtle alien high pitched backing ("f-f-f focus through my eyes"). It's wonderfully eccentric and something that rocks out too. "Meat Eater Man" is a mid tempo, darker affair with some excellent soloing from Trev Thoms as a kind of co-lead vocal guitar, some distorted random words from Ron at the end of the track giving it an almost chaotic feel. "War Machine" thumps in after a news sample discussing the war on terror situation and it's good to hear it in the lyrics ("like the gremlin, mutilation is your toy!"/"world leaders...of death! misery! & pain!"), blistering solo from Trev Thoms on this. "Dolphins Uber Alles" sees Trev Thoms on lead vocals, which is a nice contrast with a rocking heavy vibe and some rootsy on fire soloing, cymbals washing into "Precious", which is a trance like pace. I have to mention again Trev Thoms playing as it keeps sliding in and out snake like, very raw but driving it on with Ron Tree at full throttle vocally. "Behind the Mirror" rocks out with some space rock 'n roll, with Ron and Angie (from Spaceritual) singing. I get the feeling this one is about the dissconnection of everyday interaction (i.e., the net). An instrumental follows on from a rocker of a track again with Trev Thoms singing with deep booming gong hits, a dark brooding instrumental which brings to mind vast dunes of sand at dusk. "Spirit Of The Age 21st Century" is the 'MOAB''s nod and tribute to one Robert Calvert, but rewriting it actually with some manic robotic effected vocals from Ron and the punkiest I've heard it so far! Excellent! This album is brilliant and I was lucky enough to receive a copy from the band to keep to myself. The band are looking for a deal and I honestly think fans of Ron and Trev will simply love this and so too will anyone else looking for something fresh, edgy and wild. If we all make enough noise to the companies who knows? This is a band to definately keep an eye out for. I think they'll get their music out there as it already sounds like a classic album you'd buy.
For more information you can visit the Real Festival Music web site at: http://www.realfestivalmusic.co.uk.
Email at: judge48@hotmail.com.
Reviewed by Keith Hill