From Downtown Music Gallery, NYC

   The Great Atomic Power - CD Review
   by --?? (posted without permission)


   http://www.dtmgallery.com/


   (downtown music gallery is a record store---avant jazz/rock/fusion/whatever store i guess you'd say on 5th St...in the East Village.)

   THE GREAT ATOMIC POWER-The Mushroom of Destruction (Transcendental 003)

   [Intro] I am unsure whether it is getting older or just the pathetic drivel that record companies shovel onto the market, but I find so little rock music interesting these days. I'm searching for that obscure psych (edelic) and prog (ressive) gem from any period and I did go through a punk/hard core phase in the 80's & early 90's - both before & during the tenure of Naked City - who combined the best of many genres. Granted, I have little interest in metal, hip-hop, techno and most alternative rock, but I do remain open to anything exciting and maybe even original. For many of us, Naked City were the most exhilarating rock/jazz/punk/noise band of the nineties, so when a new band comes down the pike in a similar vein - we had better rejoice!!

   The Great Atomic Power (GAP) are one such new force to be reckoned with. They are a local quartet with special guests whose 30 minute cd has been shocking customers/friends who visit DMG. Guitar shredder - Seahag Mangano is also a member of Project Object (great local Zappa tribute band), drummer Geoff Haba is also in Mother Tongue from LA with a cd out, my new pal George Mack is on bass & Armond Tanzarian on sax & keys. Their guests include saxists Daniel Carter (Other Dimensions & Test) and Avram Fefer (who seems to be playing in a number of local jazz units) and Giovanni Fusco on vibes.

   Like Naked City, GAP are super tight, wizzing through genres a mile a minute. "Motion" is thrash/jazz at its finest, blasting down the doors from the first note, quick tortured wah-wah/distorto guitar wailing away at the opening and at the end of this crazy piece. "Black & Blue" constantly shifts back & forth between acoustic guitar passages and hardcore el. guitar shredding/screaming sections, with short blues bits and even a tiny country fragment thrown in. Avram's bass clarinet & Giovanni's vibes are featured on "Sampsons Wig" between mutant moments of punk/metal exclamation, swinging jazz & even circus music. "Vesuvius" is ultra heavy in a rather progressive way, but also constantly shifts genres throughout its 1:07 minute duration.

   The final piece is "Equinox" and it is the only long piece here, commencing with ambient synth/wind sounds before the tribal drums come in and then there's the super heavy (metal) throbbing segment complete with a blood-curdling scream, an eastern drone guitar part, more punk/metal heavy shredding guitar and more spooky, sort-of ambient bits.

   Perhaps we will get The Great Atomic Power to play at our Ninth Anniversary DMG Celebration in May, with Prelapse maybe!?!

   My only complaint is that I just wish that this amazing cd was twice as long, then again it is only $10.

The Great Atomic Power
E-mail Seahag: treb_c_moon@yahoo.com
To hear the GAP - and order a CD -- click their URL: http://www.mp3.com/greatatomicpower