Reviews
ALL ABOUT JAZZ (USA): "This electrifying unit translucently morphs the days of prog-rock yore with an ultramodern scope. No doubt, the artists tread lots of fertile ground and abide by a polyrhythmic manifesto, shadowed by wide-ranging guitar articulations and keys driven textures. The musicians also render wraith-like atmospherics and bone-crunching riffs, disseminated with brief micro-melodies and a soundscape of opposing cadences and shifting paradigms."
DEAD EARNEST (UK): "The influences...well...look no further than the opening track "Praxis" and you'll find 40 years of UK Prog and French exploration (in particular Crimso and Heldon) assembled into a melting pot that makes you gasp at its breadth and stature, quality and cohesion."
PROGRESSIVE ROCK CENTRAL (USA): "Although it's still early in the year, Herd of instinct's new album titled Conjure is certainly destined to be one of the best progressive rock releases of the year."
ROCKTOLOGIST (ITALY): "I have to say that at times I was reminded by King Crimson, not so much for the sound but for the relentless passion of discovering new musical territory, the combination of atmospheric moments and heavy hard rock assaults, and for the off-kilter soloing they often employ. 9 out of 10."
GUITAR PLAYER (USA): "Warr Guitarist Mark Cook, guitarist and guitar synthesist Mike Davison and drummer Jason Spradlin - joined by a bevy of talented guests including drummers Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel), Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree), and Touch-guitarist Markus Reuter - serve up a heady melange of avant-prog spiced with dashes of ambient, symphonic, metallic, and world musics, and topped with a dollop of pop."
Exposé (USA): "There are so many standout tracks that it's difficult to enumerate them all, but suffice to say across these twelve there's never a dull moment."
SEA OF TRANQUILITY (UK): "Intriguing and interesting are words that quickly spring to mind when listening to "Herd of Instinct's" eponymous album that has been four years in the making. The album features diversity in its compositional approach which is always a good sign, making it an album that you would re listen to on a regular basis. The album takes a King Crimson / Gordian Knot approach, being laced and layered with stunning guitar passages, copious amounts of warr guitar, a very provocative album. The whole soundstage is stunning as are the striking visual graphics. A real winner all round really."
SOUND ON SOUND (UK): "This Texan group defy classification very well, blending more melodic moments of industrial metal with forbidding electro-acoustic compositions. It's definitely progressive music, with plenty of layered guitar arpeggios in places, but there are also flutes and all manner of other instruments in the mix."
FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN (USA): Herd of Instinct is one of those rare debut albums that are practically perfect in every respect, and need no suggestions for further improvement. An absolute must for fans of King Crimson, it will delight devotees of complex, hard-edged yet atmospheric prog, and those who are somewhat weary of technically competent bands that are sorely lacking in the originality department.
