“Of all the possible consequences, the consequence of the beginning is infinitely large…the consequence of all things that are possible is fulfilled at the end.”
Amplifier
Size isn’t everything. But Amplifier’s The Octopus is big in every respect and dimension. Three years in the making, universal in its concept, and spread across two CDs (three discs in vinyl format) it can now be discovered like some Rosetta Stone that will reveal ever more of itself over the weeks, months and years that you live with it.
‘The Octopus’ is a major work that has stylistic echoes of Led Zeppelin and Rush and a vision that invites comparisons to Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Queensrÿche’s ’Operation: Mindcrime’
Speaking for themselves, drummer Matt Brobin, bassist Neil Mahony and the band’s vocalist and guitarist Sel Balamir says: “The one element of our music that most people perceive is its panoramic quality.”
That panorama stretches from the acoustic guitar-led ‘Oscar Night’, the complex hard rock stylings of the epic ‘Interstellar’ or ‘Planet of Insects’ to the sinister yet comforting power of the title-track. These are sixteen songs of breathtaking imagination executed by a band of rare talent.
The strengths and the scale of ‘The Octopus’ is even more remarkable given that it was made without any record company support. It is the product of a truly independent rock band working without boundaries, three musicians fuelled by ambition and self-belief, inspired by a loyal fan-base following online progress reports.
Sel: “It’s taken three years to do and honestly, I don’t think we could ever repeat the effort. I also think this is very probably the best thing we will ever do.”
The concept of ‘The Octopus’ may be complex – “It’s the idea of something controlling you. Something closer to you than your skin but you’re not even aware of it…” – but the dream is simple – “We want this record to develop a mythology way beyond ‘the third album by Amplifier’. We want it to grow over the years to the point where it is just The Octopus. And we are like the ghosts in the machine."