According to the Oxford Dictionary, a maelstrom is 'a situation of confused movement or violent turmoil'. It’s a term that describes this existential explosion of bludgeoning metal, woozy melodic pop, unhinged prog and cinematic grandeur to a T.
Since 2008’s 'Cheat The Gallows', there's been plenty of trauma for Bigelf. Although their most successful album to date, their momentum came to an abrupt halt with news of their hiatus soon after. After a couple of members bailed, the band was left in musical limbo.
Then, in 2012, founder, singer, keyboard player and guitarist Damon Fox – inspired by former Dream Theater man Mike Portnoy, who plays drums on this record - decided to reawaken the hibernating beast, maintaining bassist Duffy Snowhill and adding guitarist Luis Maldonado to his new posse of eccentric circus freaks.
'Into The Maelstrom' is very different to its predecessor. It’s less of a bombastic, sprawling, fantastical party and more of an introspective, tormented monster, birthed from the turbulent times that preceded it. Witness the punishing, sub-three minute blast of Control Freak for proof of its heavier attack.
Although easily identifiable as Bigelf, with Fox in sole control of writing and arranging there's a more focused musical and lyrical approach. It's still stylistically schizophrenic, with plenty of evil fairground mellotron and doom-drenched guitars, just less gleefully indulgent and haywire than '...Gallows'.
That said, it's initially like listening to five different records at the same time, such is the onslaught of sounds. Think Black Sabbath's malevolent riffs, Deep Purple's swirling hammond organ, Pink Floyd's ambience, the Beatles’ pop hooks and King Crimson's otherworldliness being mashed together during a debauched carnival in Satan's basement.
From the eight minute progressive voyage of ITM - with eerie mellotron, crushing blasts of distortion, industrial booming and classic rock coda - to the grandiose sci-fi of Edge Of Oblivion, there's dizzying direction changes within each track.
Prolonged musical journeys abound, with the sinister sitar, squelching riffs and melodramatic wail of The Professor and The Madman and the beautiful melancholy of Harry McQuhae being two examples of Bigelf's bountiful sonic palette.
This should be an unholy mess, but Fox's compositional craftsmanship and confident vision binds it together, the frontman burning his idiosyncratic lunacy into every note while singing like Ozzy Osbourne might if he'd swallowed a bag of nails.
The addition of Portnoy is also telling, with his meaty grooves and ability supercharging the songs’ heavyweight feel. Spooky sci-fi number Incredible Time Machine and Alien Frequency epitomise that, with the former’s funky time shifts and the latter’s cascade of dramatic beats.
Although not a concept album, a thematic thread courses throughout as ringmaster Fox explores religion, death, dreams and the human race’s obliteration. It may sound dark, but it's done with so much crazy style that there's a catharsis and joy in the listening experience.
Besides, Already Gone and Theater Of Dreams add a feathery lightness, channelling uplifting hooks into something that's almost commercial, but for some characteristic rock ‘n' roll soloing and a vibe that's akin to a giddy LSD trip on a ferris wheel. Overall, 'Into The Maelstrom' is a powerful and ambitious post-apocalyptic soundscape that's melodically accessible, delightfully weird and hugely entertaining.
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