Label: Insideout Music
Release date: May 22, 2012
Production: Headspace & Jens Bogren
Album length: 73.37 min
Genre: Progressive Metal / Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
The prog metal/prog rock outfit Headspace started out in 2006 as a joint project between ex-Threshold and current Arena singer Damian Wilson and keyboardist Adam Wakeman. Adam was a member of infamous Ozzy Osbourne’s backing band in 2006 and later played on Damian’s solo albums too. The two guys had actually met back in the early 2000s, when Damian was in the backing band of Adam’s famous father Rick Wakeman (ex-Yes, Strawbs), so their collaboration has a long history. For the Headspace lineup, Damian and Adam managed to bring in the highly respected bassist Lee Pomeroy (It Bites), guitarist Peter Rinaldi and drummer Richard Brook.
In 2007 they put out their first EP, titled “I Am…”, and then there was almost five years of radio silence. In 2012, right around the time Damian went back to prog metal champions Threshold, Headspace got back together and released the concept debut “I Am Anonymous”. Stylistically it leans heavily on Threshold in a lot of places, though between the prog metal barrages you’ll also catch a few moments that are straight-up prog rock.
Opener “Stalled Armageddon” has a long, instrumental stretch before it ‘kicks in’ and grows into a solid prog metal/prog rock hybrid, ruled by Damian’s mighty vocal performance and Adam’s keyboard versatility. It’s no secret that with Headspace, the line between a ‘real’ band and a side project of two cult musicians is razor thin. The socially critical epic “Fall Of America”, with its mix of uncompromising guitar passages, complex time changes, multi-part guitar-and-keys harmonies and epic vocal approach, reminds you of Wilson-era Threshold even more than the previous track does. “Soldier” is a melancholic ballad loaded with emotion, and its message makes it a sort of continuation of the previous piece.
The ‘calm before the storm’ is over quickly, because next comes the brutally moody “Die With a Bullet”, with a combative ambient stamp, razor-sharp guitar lines and a fierce vocal performance from Damian. Throughout the album a mostly dark ambience prevails, which fits nicely with the post-apocalyptic cover and most of the lyrics. “In Hell’s Name” builds from a relatively calm intro into a dramatic, aggressive section with a noticeable oriental flavor. Here you can really hear Wakeman’s and Rinaldi’s keyboard-and-guitar versatility in crafting dramatic harmonies, while Damian once again wows with his virtuoso singing.
Next up is the 15-minute epic “Daddy Fucking Loves You”, one of the album’s highlights, where Headspace once again prove they’re not just some stand-in for Threshold. This complex composition opens as a gentle, acoustic-leaning ballad. That doesn’t last long, though, as it soon shifts into a neo-prog rock section with melancholic, ‘Floyd-ish’ guitar passages. This part is short-lived too and soon gives way to a pretty complex prog metal section with razor-sharp guitar lines and rattling drum barrages. Suddenly a proper instrumental jam breaks out, with dissonant moments and even a few audible influences from the legendary King Crimson.
The somewhat more ‘straightforward’ “Invasion”, apart from the occasional electronic samples on the keys, on the other hand leans quite a bit toward certain Wilson-era Threshold tracks. The slightly sullen mood is successfully broken up and brightened by mighty multi-part harmonies. The closing epic “The Big Day” is nicely balanced between prog metal and prog rock segments, and between complex instrumental sections and yet another epic vocal performance courtesy of the always excellent Damian.
“I Am Anonymous” was a very fitting start to the Headspace story, which over the years has suffered quite a few stalls because Damian and Adam are (over)booked with other bands and side projects. Headspace’s music undoubtedly suits fans of Wilson-era Threshold best, since the similarity between the two bands on certain tracks is more than obvious. That’s exactly why it’s no surprise the next Headspace album, “All That You Fear Is Gone”, came out ‘only’ in 2016, when Damian left Threshold (for the third time). Anyone who’s desperate to know how Arena will sound in the future, now that they have Damian on lead vocals, can at least get a partial answer by listening to both Headspace albums so far, given that Adam Wakeman and Clive Nolan come from a similar keyboard ‘school’.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Stalled Armageddon (8:07)
2. Fall Of America (10:28)
3. Soldier (3:44)
4. Die With A Bullet (8:25)
5. In Hell’s Name (9:31)
6. Daddy Fucking Loves You (15:00)
7. Invasion (8:28)
8. The Big Day (9:54)
Lineup:
Damian Wilson – vocals
Pete Rinaldi – guitar
Adam Wakeman – keyboards
Lee Pomeroy – bass guitar
Richard Brook – drums
