The Hooveriii spaceship has landed: After four albums exploring the realms of prog and space rock, Manhunter (The Reverberation Appreciation Society) brings the Los Angeles band back down to Earth. But all those cosmic excursions seem to have hurled them back in time—right into the heart of the 1970s.
It’s the era of arena rock: flamboyant solos, swagger, and big sounds. “Melody” kicks things off with a strutting, wide-legged rock stance. The intergalactic detours are mostly limited to interludes—at least at first.
Then “Tarantula Eye” veers into experimental territory, leaving the ’70s behind in search of heaviness. “Me King” embraces full-blown prog, “Awful Planet” turns dreamy, and “Stage” is a straight-up slow dance number.
And that’s when the album becomes truly compelling. Just when you’ve settled into garage-tinged arena rock, the final third opens up into unexpected directions. The Hooveriii spaceship clearly isn’t done exploring.
Hooveriii – Manhunter: Planet '70s Rock: successfully charted. – RIFL