Estradasphere

In recent years, The End has become well-known for releasing metal albums with offbeat/strange influences. With Palace Of Mirrors, the fifth album by the Santa Cruz mob known as Estradasphere (apparently the name is an homage to actor Erik Estrada!), the balance shifts -- this is more of an offbeat/strange album with metal influences. Palace is quite a trip, incorporating a wide variety of musical styles in a way that defies description. A lot of the album has a soundtrack feel to it (it's all instrumental, though the band's previous works did have vocals), as there's a liberal use of 60's-styled guitars and the occasional orchestral instrument (a horn here, some xylophones there, etc). Just picking one song at random, someone wrote that "Colossal Risk" has the feel of a James Bond spoof, and that's exactly right, though it doesn't hit the listener right away. Elsewhere, there's a bit of accordion, a touch of jazz, middle eastern sounds, some bouncy string work ("Smuggled Mutation"), and yes, some real metal ("The Return", for one). It's wacky, to be sure, but it doesn't so much genre hop as meld several wild influences to form an impressively unique and cohesive sound. Really, it's impossible to accurately describe the sound without giving it a listen. An exceedingly intriguing and fun album to listen to, even with the lack of real metal to grab onto.

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Discography

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