Losing your friend and lead guitarist to cancer certainly can't be easy, but it looks like Michel "Away" Langevin is making the best of things. In the midst of VOIVOD's uncertain future, the legendary skin-pounder is keeping busy with a new project in the form of KOSMOS - a Montreal-based prog-rocking quartet with one simple ethos: expect the unexpected.

One would expect such a heavily 70s-influenced instrumental prog album to be relatively calm and laid back. In actuality, album opener "Psycho" knocks listeners off their feet with the punch and flair of Jon Lord-worthy keyboards and the drive of RUSH-like rhythms. The energy on the album stays high with tracks like "Grand Grizou", "Messe Noir" and the aptly titled "Krautrock", where the dueling old-school organ and new-school synth match perfectly with that signature VOIVOD backbone. For the sake of the listener, however, there are a few more passive detours. The 8-bit "Dream" sounds straight from a "Final Fantasy" dungeon, while the Hindi drone of "Indu Kush" and spacey sounds of "Septial" are tailor-made for SATURNIA and ZOMBI fans respectively. There's even a touch of vocal thrown in for good measure: "Much Too Old" is a bit of a VOIVOD/Brit rock hybrid (an interesting combination to say the least!) and the post-punk sounding "Amerique Innavouable" with its French monologue further adds to the "mod" vibe of the album.

Of course, with an album that has as much going on as this one, full attention is required of the listener. I made the mistake of giving this disc a first-listen while at work, and initially I didn't get it. And even shut away from the rest of the world under a pair of headphones, it may take some folks multiple spins for the awesomeness of this disc to truly sink in. Trust us, though: a little patience will be handsomely rewarded. KOSMOS have what it takes to win over fans of anything psyche or prog, so hopefully their self-titled debut isn't the last we hear from this project.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/kosmostheband

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