Originally going by the moniker of Headspace this Quebec based quartet got their big break when their demo landed in the hands of Taproot guitarist Mike DeWolf, subsequently landing a deal with the same label and management as the aforementioned band. Thus this explains why Taproot frontman Stephen Richards would make a guest appearance on this debut full-length from a relatively unknown act. With a prog rock based sound that traverses through the lands of alternative rock, drum 'n bass, technical metal, new metal and more, the band toil with a colorful sonic palette that can bring to mind the likes of Tool crossed with Bush, Taproot and oddly enough, Dream Theater.

With a personable delivery that sounds heartfelt and somewhat torn between the two extremes of the emotional spectrum, band frontman Zo Fizza soars through catchy hooks and pointed verses, lacing the music with his almost weary aggression and emphatic harmonies. Guitar wise however the album is at most times foreign sounding, drawing upon a wide variety of intriguingly vivid alien sounds that are complexly layered together and aided by some clever effects settings. A solid helping of distorted driving riffs also thrust the songs forth at key intervals and up the dynamic spectrum of the band as well, but overall the focus seems to be more on spacey atmospheric flourishes that are highly experimental and yet lucid enough to keep the bands progressive bombardment right on time. This is established in part by the weighty bass lines laid out by bassist Jeff Feldman whose low end growls can take on both entrancing progressions and chugging Tool reminiscent grooves to fuel the momentum of the tracks. In light of this the drumming performance is a bit more crisp in tone and brisk in playing style, enlisting off timed beats and stunning rolls to contrast with the heady bass lines and create enough friction to keep the music from veering off into self-indulgent monotony.

The inclusion of some drum 'n bass elements are definitely surprising and the faint bit of programming also works in the bands favor, taking their songs to the next plateau. The decision to include instrumental pieces such as the sweeping light funk of "Interlude" or the desolate piano included on "Prelude" will surely also catch listeners off guard while going on to show that this band are not just another talentless "nu-metal" band entering the fray. Instead with the wide range of musicianship on hand and expansive structuring and texturing "Headspace" is actually quite the aural treat that is about as far distanced from the limited arsenal of nu-metal as one could get. But despite the veritable rainbow of tones and styles on hand here the band keep their feet firmly on the ground and seem to strive to unite the best of various genres into one cognitive sound, rather than become lost in an indulgent mish-mash. With a predominant base of moody hard rock and modern metal combined with a heavy helping of prog and various other odds and ends they may have done just that as the album does flow together rather well from start to finish, though it can tend to taper off near the end. Perhaps it is the ambitious writing nature, the overload of sounds, or even the band drawing from the same radical set of ideas a bit too often which causes this as "Headspace" is definitely not an album without faults. It starts off vigorously enough but around midway through the similar off-timed tempos and dynamically challenging song structures being exercised begin to blur, causing this record to be one that requires some serious attention and dedication to get through from beginning to end. Such things will definitely need to be worked on in future offerings as the band unquestionably have the talent and musical prowess to preserve over such shortcomings and take their songs into full fledged different directions rather than lose their focus by trying to keep their fingers stuck in too many pies. That said, this collection of skillfully written songs still do comprise an impressive debut offering from a band that look to have nowhere to go but up, perhaps even possessing the ability to begin to bridge the gap between prog rock and mainstream audiences. Maybe the Canadian music scene isn't a lost cause yet after all.