Something To Needle Over

Ontologics

Independent release, 2013

http://www.ontologicsmusic.com

REVIEW BY: Vish Iyer

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/13/2014

Tool, 311, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, Pink Floyd… Al Di Meola? Well, traces of Al Di Meola in Ontologics’ music might not be that apparent; however, if one were to pick a song from each of the rest of the aforementioned bands and stitch them together, the resulting collage will make up a typical Ontologics number. If that’s not overwhelming enough, none of the above bands can boast of incorporating such a wide range of influences – from alt rock, progressive rock, electronica, jazz, and rap to world music – in one single song, but Ontologics can. This might be a pretty lofty statement for this little known band from Providence, RI, but these guys are eclectic. After all, this rock band opened for Afroman. It just goes to show that genres don’t mean much to them.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

And the music speaks for itself:  “Hologram For The Hollow Man” is a mix of nu metal and progressive rock, with its asymmetric rhythm and a frantic pace. “The Clever Cat Kills Another Friend” starts off minimally, almost Plilip Glass-esque, and turns into a jazzy progressive rock number. “DMT Overdose” starts off like some sort of a Senegalese pop song and transitions into a spacey rock number. “Time Is An Illusion” adds a jazzy twist to a funk metal song. On the other hand, “SWFU” is pure progressive metal from start to finish. Finally, the seven and half minute long “Dug Until The Rest Could Drink” brings the diverse range of all the influences on this album together, summing them all up.

What’s really amazing about this debut record is that despite the cramming in of these myriads of styles, it never leaves you disoriented. Instead of a tedious maze that leaves one confused, Something To Needle Over is more like an exhilarating rollercoaster ride with lots of twists, turns, and jumps. Also, the mixing of various genres has a nice flow, and the album feels as if a lot of improvised jamming went into its songs. But the crazy part is that Ontologics is only a two-man band, and all the instrumentation is kept within the band, and shared between bandmates Ian Campopiano and Matthew Walshe. Something To Needle Over doesn’t feel like it was recorded over multiple sessions. In fact, it seems hard to believe that this album was not a product of a full five-piece band jamming together. The production and mixing quality on this record is simply outstanding. This duo is a dynamite, and they explode thunderously on this debut.

Rating: A

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