Band:	Frantic Bleep
Album:	The Sense Apparatus
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	February 07, 2005
A review by:	Dream Taster

01. A Survey
02. The Expulsion
03. Sins Of Omission
04. But A Memory
05. Mausolos
06. Curtainraiser
07. Mandaughter
08. Nebolous Termini
09. Cone

The Progressive Norwegian Metal scene surprised me in 2004 with such gems as Winds' latest and Age Of Silence's "Acceleration". Well, 2005 already sounds very promising with a relatively new talent from the town of Kongsvinger, Frantic Bleep, and their avant-gardist style, ranging from Gothic to Death with a constant dark atmosphere that seems to embodies the style of the band. This young combo is composed of Patrick Scantlebury [guitars, synth], Eywin Sundstrøm [guitars], Sten Svendheim [drums] and Paul Mozart Bjørke [vocals, bass].

"The Sense Apparatus" is their first full-length album, following the release of their only demo CD "Fluctuadmission" [November 2002] and a signing with The End Records in the summer of 2003.

If some albums are bound to change your life, "The Sense Apparatus" is one of them. Dark atmosphere, progressive rhythm, powerful melodies, haunting vocals, beautiful background vocals? This album is like the call of a siren, mixing beauty and dread, anguish but utmost interest, irresistibly striking. It takes more than a couple of listens to get totally into it but it grabs the attention in less than one minute. It's the mark of an astounding record. To top it all, Frantic Bleep hosts a great vocalist with an interesting style, Paul Mozart Bjørke, often backed by another top-notch singer Agnete M. Kirkevaag.

The guys spent almost a year in studio for this album, and they surely put a lot of ideas in it. At times even close to the sound of bands such as Type O Negative, Death and Arcturus, "The Sense Apparatus" widens the boundaries to new horizons with grace. From the Doom opening of the intro to the atmospheric ambience of the closing number, from the utmost surprising Death/Gothic/Doom/Prog fusion piece called 'The Expulsion' to Gothic Atmospheric sound of 'Mausolos', this record has a lot to offer. Incredible first albums can be counted on one hand and "The Sense Apparatus" is one of them. It's already on my shortlist for best albums of 2005!

Breaking stereotypes and ignoring standards, Frantic Bleep begot one of the finest albums around and hopefully will launch this young combo from Norway in the pool of worldwide acclaimed Metal artists. Without a doubt, "The Sense Apparatus" could be an eye-opener to lots of metalheads, with diversity and flair written all over it. A most surprising first album for a band with a huge future. Keep an eye on these guys, as they might be the next big thing in Metal.

Favorite tracks: 'The Expulsion', 'Curtainraiser' and 'Mandaughter'