Linear Sphere
Reality Dysfunction

A bit like in black metal, where names with references to Satan or forests can be found, in progressive metal it's becoming increasingly common to use names that somehow have to do either with the realm of mathematical geometric ideas or with astronomy. Thus, after the not-so-exciting Spheric Universe Experience (a band that encapsulates both realms typical in prog metal names), I found myself with these Linear Sphere in hand, a band born in London 10 years ago featuring the following musicians:

Jos Geron - Vocals
Martin Goulding - Guitars
Charlie Griffiths - Guitars
Nick Lowczowski - Drums
Dave Marks - Bass

Approaching the band's proposal with quite a few reservations—after all, we are talking about progressive technical metal (not a few bands in this genre fall into mere and cold technical demonstration for its own sake)—I must say that even from the first listen, I immediately had to reconsider. In this "Reality Dysfunction," dated 2005, despite the technical component being present and absolutely audible, what strikes the listener is the ability with which these five Londoners manage to be melodic in some passages and strangely aggressive (having this quality is not exactly a priority in progressive), aggressiveness due not only to the rhythms and always tight guitar riffs but also to the singer's acidic voice, which manages to alternate classical-style lines, where he shows he has a beautiful and warm voice, to others decidedly closer to a kind of scream, not overly exacerbated.

Regarding the purely musical aspect, the proposal of these Linear Sphere can also be encapsulated in the concept of technical metal, which, however, converges several musical genres, of which progressive metal is just one of the components: there is indeed a massive presence of post-thrash à la Meshuggah, as well as parts akin to death and a large amount of jazz fusion, especially concerning the solos by the Goulding/Griffiths duo.
Of the seven tracks that follow, none particularly stands out, all maintaining a good quality level, at times even excellent, but demonstrating a certain staticity in song-writing, which leads to a general similarity of all the pieces (to be clear, it's a bit like what happened in "A Sceptic's Universe" by Spiral Architect).
Counterbalancing this, however, our musicians display an ability to keep attention high even when venturing into tortuous territories like those of the "suites." A demonstration of this fact is the very successful song that closes the album "From Space To Time", in which our musicians demonstrate a certain ability to construct absolutely pleasant atmospheres, making the actual 25 minutes seem much shorter, thanks to a continuous alternation of parts where melody reigns supreme and others where the pedal is driven to the metal and the group's more metal soul emerges.

The production quality, curated by the band itself, is much more than respectable, demonstrating a certain care in sound reproduction, which is clean and well-calibrated as far as the volume is concerned, perfectly adjusted.
In conclusion, it can thus be affirmed that we have in hand a product definitely above average, which, despite showing weakness in some instances, can be listened to more than willingly and manages not to be cold and sterile.