Disclosure

Lyricist: Al Mu'min.
Personnel: Michael Semesky (vocals); Al Mu'min (guitar, koto, sitar); Alex Rudinger (drums, percussion); Craig Reynolds (drums).
Audio Mixer: Eduardo Apolonia.
Recording information: Blackbear Studios, London, UK; Wizard Sound, Reading, UK.
Arranger: Al Mu'min.
While many of the bands in the progressive extreme metal movement are happy to push the boundaries of musicianship and production (which in and of itself is a respectable goal), the HAARP Machine earn their "progressive" label the old-fashioned way, weaving together a host of influences to create their dazzling debut, Disclosure. Straying away from simply layering on different brands of detuned melodic/technical/progressive death metal, the band brings in a host of international influences thanks to guitarist and resident mastermind Abdullah Al Mu'min. By bringing instruments like the koto and the sitar into the mix, we get the kind of merging of musical and cultural ideas that helped launch prog rock so many years ago. It's all well and good to be technically brilliant (and make no mistake, these guys have some amazing chops) but if you're not bringing anything new to the table...well.you're not bringing anything new to the table. Fortunately, Disclosure is a debut album from a band that isn't afraid to take a risk and experiment, making it an album that's a must-hear for fans of progressive extreme metal, or really any metal fan looking for something a little different. ~ Gregory Heaney