From the album art alone, progressive rock band Ollocs present an image that is simultaneously inviting and isolating, that throbs and pulses into the human subconscious. It is this subtlety that defines both their sound and their use of the album as a concept. “A Single Step” opens with a single acoustic guitar, but the threat of the background bass quickly shapes the sound into something with teeth and fists and big, electric guitars. Never content to be dwell either in the intimate or the loud and aggressive space for long, Ollocs use their deep, throbbing bass as a means to transition into complex polyphony that dominates the album. What they accomplish with this technique, both musically and philosophically, is no small feat—the interplay of strings and percussion in “Horizon”, as well as the use of military-style drums jars and comforts the listener, keeping an edge even as one grows at home in the sonic atmosphere. Comfort and fear and most successfully juxtaposed in “Countdown”, where the use of minor keys allows the musical narrative to become so vivid it seems tangible at times. This album is indeed, layered and complex, the kind of work that requires several careful, discerning listens to appreciate all of its nuances. Life Thread not only demands that time. It deserves it.

4.48/5