I am old enough to remember that “Back Home”, the title of this album, was the title of the 1970 England football team’s song. There ends the connection. Slightly more recently, it was in 2009 that I heard French progressive metal band’s album “Unreal”. Fizzing with energy from beginning to end, it is a staple of my collection. “Back Home” is their fifth album. “Back Home” signals a return to Earth in this space-themed album but also a coming back to a heavy prog-melodic style after the more aggressive “The New Eve” album.
“On Board SUE5 – 2469” sets the scene with flight number and boarding pass, but it all gets going with the technical energy and drama of “Final Fate”. With symphonic and familiar keyboard touches, it is a classic piece of prog-power of the Symphony X variety. Hard-hitting, melodic, proggy and adrenaline-pumping is what this is. Cascading piano signal another pulsating power play in “Where We Belong”. The keyboards flutter as singer Franck Garcia reaches to the sky with emotion. But mobility is the key as Spheric Universe Experience move into a bit of Beatles-like hoompah. It’s nicely eccentric but very much in keeping with the power metal which this album conveys. “Transcending Real Life” oozes prog drama. The guitar riff is urgent. Franck’s voice is made for this: higher in the range, he reaches out and expands our horizons in this multi-coloured adventure. Instrumentally, it’s rich and inventive. We head into a mystical dreamworld. It’s exotic but we don’t have to linger as typically we’re swept along on a wave of prog colour and sophistication. It’s a non-stop express but Spheric Universe Experience don’t forget about the song structure which is as powerful as it is smooth. The wondrous musical feast continues with “Senses Restored”. It’s haunting, inventive and playful. Yet it’s seriously prog with its emotion. The timing is so good. Spheric Universe Experience indulge us and allow us to savour each passage, and enjoy the excursions into instrumental experimentation. Not a second is wasted, yet no opportunity is missed to fill our listening heads with a wealth of pleasurable experiences. This band has a mastery of melodies.
The musical extravaganza continues with “Legacy”, another urgent and compelling melody in a prog style. It could be accused of being commercial but the prog sophistication overcomes the tones of Helloween which run through it. I hesitate to compare it with Dream Theater, as I find this more dynamic. Stylistically it’s been prog and power metal, but above all it’s fun. “Defenders of Light” sets off at pace and exudes energy. The guitar solos are sublime but integral to the power-packed adventure. And adventure is what it is, as a whole world surrounds us. Synchronicity” takes us momentarily through a wondrous and mysterious land before the electronic pulses and dark drum beats combine to intensify the drama. An operatic choir intervenes as the clouds darken. This is “The Absolution part 1”. It sets up for part 2, a vibrant prog romp. The presentation is theatrical. The sound is expansive. The drama is absolute. It ends operatically. “Rebirth” starts with a spoken narrative from the spaceship SUE5 before a heavy keyboard-infused progressive riff adds intense depth, colour and darkness. Words are not needed in this pungent space. Choral injections add to the lofty, mystic atmosphere and lead to the heavy “Of the Last Plague”. Melody and progressive power now meet darkness. The customary punchy rhythm combines with dramatic vocals, guitar virtuosity and keyboard excursions. I don’t know it’s possible to be epic for an hour but Spheric Universe Experience manage it. Moods change, and from the drama of “Of the Last Plague”, “Dreams Will Survive” starts with sombre cosmic weight, developing into a heavy and powerful piece. Cascading piano with an emotive synthesised sound leads to the next stage of the drama, fronted by the clear and expressive vocals. “Dreams Will Survive” is like a prog mini-opera.as ever, the structure is immaculate, as one passage blends into another. It’s intelligent, it’s anthemic and it leads to a fitting end to this epic album.
Welcome back, Spheric Universe Experience. This is just one great band. “Back Home” has fluidity, energy, life, sophistication and fun. It’s a progressive metal masterpiece of gargantuan proportions. This album has everything.
(9.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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