Dr. Mint: Voices in the Void

Dr. Mint includes prominent affiliates of the West Coast progressive jazz and improvisational scenes, Daniel Rosenboom (trumpet), Gavin Templeton (saxophones) and Alexander Noice (electric guitar) with like-minded East Coast members, Sam Minaie (bass) and Caleb Dolister (drums). Here, the quartet presents a wow factor on its fifth release. No doubt, they're armed and dangerous via these hyper-mode jazz rock works, spiced with Noice's killer fuzoid riffs and the hornists' no holds-barred soloing ventures.

"Kingdom In The Middle" launches the festivities amid Minaie's thumping lines within a loosely enacted funk groove riding atop a straight-four pulse, amped by Noise's steely and serrated riffs. They also infuse some polyrhythmic diversions and in-your-face like choruses into the grand schema to round things out. But they merge "The (Two)(Three) Sun Erupts" with death metal noise shaping motifs into the jazz vernacular for a theme that could provide a fitting sound track for the Sun's plasma dissipating into the solar system.

The band generates high-heat and integrates memorable melodies into several pieces, so it's not all about wielding a path of destruction. On "n-Drift," Dolister lashes into a scrappy solo, backed by EFX-induced bass notes and Noice's off the wall sound-sculpting exercises as the entire band rips and shreds matter into atomic particles with a steadfast course of action, designed with an energized constitution. However, the musicians ease into a descent with soothing horns parts on the final track "Anathema," which warmly contrasts their apocalyptic forays into the outer-reaches of jazz that generates thrills a minute as some might say. Play it Loud!

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