Having misspent much of my youth watching gigs by the great, good, and the not so  good, what’s left of my memory can, like the music of the time, become distorted.

However, when I played the Space Probe Taurus debut album, at decibels loud enough to bend spoons, some of it finally returned. Within the first few seconds of this album I was transported back to those days with more clarity than I would have had at the time.  

It took me back to an age when seeing a band meant a light show that consisted of an oil lamp with a torch shining through it in venues that were often impossibly crowded. There was sweat dripping from low ceilings, no security, and stacks of buzzing primitive amps. If we were lucky there was the occasional girl who got into the music and out of everything else. Altogether different times, or so I thought.

Space Probe Taurus was formed in Sweden back in 1992. Originally called Snake Machine, they changed their name in 1997. This coincided with the band dropping their trademark epic space-rock jams and moving towards something more direct.

A brief history sees that there have been the usual line-up changes along the way. However, the backbone of the band has always been drummer Sundler and lead singer, and guitarist, Sjoberg. This current line-up has been together since 2003 and includes the additional guitar of Eronen, and bass player Enberg.

The question is why did it take over three years for someone to release it? The label who finally has is Belgium’s, Buzzville Records. Depending on which bit of Belgium they come from, merci, dank u, and bedankt. It’s a job very well done.

So here we are at the end of 2008 listening to an album recorded between 2004 and 2005. As you have probably gathered from the opening paragraphs to this review it doesn’t matter in the slightest. Who cares? Rock with this energy will never go past its sell by date, not for me, and not for countless others.

Opening with “Dig The Lizard”, a track so infectious that I just kept hitting the replay button, the album is pure ear melting energy. The aptly named “Buzz Amp” works on every distorted level. “Molten Lava”, kicks off following a surprisingly easy start.

“Barefoot”, like many tracks here, is exquisitely drenched in fuzz. Now that might sound like a contradiction in terms, but believe me it is nothing of the sort. This is a fast ride to planet fuzz itself. A full on biker hog meltdown, all drenched in dollops of acid space rock.
Any lingering doubts are totally obliterated by “Psi-Burn” and “Electric Explosion”. The latter is aptly named. This will have you gleefully smashing your own windows if you are not careful.

“Snakebirth”, “Supersonic Woman”, and “Levitation”, not the Hawkwind version, are a highly effective fusion of everything that has been before. “Gravity Rush” ends the album with some juicily spaced out riffs. The bonus track “She Wolf Baby” is there just in case you actually have any energy left.

This isn’t anything new. It isn’t anything necessarily old either. What it is, is a dynamic, fuzz pedal through the floor, rock album done extremely well.

The cover should advise you not to operate machinery or drive after taking a ride with Space Probe Taurus. You have been warned. Me? I’m off to grab a sedative or six.

Have a look, and have a listen on their MySpace Page or by dropping in on their official website.