Describing Amplifier is no easy task. Their songs are long (only four of the ten on this album are under six minutes) with big riffs and sections of what might be called noodling, though no guitars solos to speak of exactly. The easiest thing now would be to say that this band are the new Tool but that’s still wide of the mark. It’s only possible to understand Amplifier fully once you understand their perspective.

After a youth spent in drum n bass and techno clubs in Manchester, the three members of the band set about recreating the euphoria of that music within the more traditional rock band set up. Rather than taking the sound direct from dance music and splicing it into their music like Pitchshifter, they’ve simply taken the feeling and applied it to rock. This is what makes it so difficult to classify this music without that knowledge; there is no trace of dance music as such, just a feeling and a certain approach to dynamics.

Whatever perspective you view this album from, however, the most basic and important point to get across is that this is a brilliant album.

Label: Music For Nations
Websites: www.amplifiertheband.com | www.music-for-nations.co.uk
Release date: 3rd May 2004

Tracklist:

1. Motorhead
2. Airborne
3. Panzer
4. Old Movies
5. Post Acid Youth
6. Neon
7. On/Off
8. The Consultancy
9. One Great Summer
10. UFOs