Mechanical Fiction

Description

In heavy progressive rock music, there’s a fine line between instrumental mastery and self-indulgence. The art of remaining understated while performing insane acrobatics on your instruments is a difficult one to master, but on their third album “Mechanical Fiction,” St. Louis-based progressive rock/metal band The Gorge rise to the challenge with ease. Born from a mutual love of heavy and complex music and 20 years of experience playing together, The Gorge consists of four American jazz and fusion musicians who use the band as a creative and aggressive outlet in addition to their day jobs as session musicians and music educators. Triangulating the chaotic yet groovy energy and guitar mastery of Botch, with the riffage of Mastodon and the instrumental complexity of Animals As Leaders or Intronaut, “Mechanical Fiction” is a collection of tasty riffs and intricate compositions that nonetheless flow like a river carving its winding path through a rugged landscape.