I remember a time, although I must admit that I am older than most, when the rock fraternity and the dance camp were sworn, enemies. Or at least the music press and a few shallow-minded buffoons would have us believe this to be the case. But rock and dance, it turns out, make for the perfect sonic alliance, the hard edge of the former being subdued into heavy grooves by the latter and in return the hypnotic beats being sculpted into dynamic crescendoes and epic sonic creations. You don’t believe me? Well, get back to me when you have given the latest album by SIR-VERE a spin.

The opening song Hunger, with its squalling guitars and epic vocals, infectious beats and ornate industrial-dance blends, is enough to prove my point beyond any argument but beyond that, a further 9 songs hit the point home.

Masquerade is futuristic and glitchy, running on staccato grooves and hypnotic rhythms, Lips, Pt 1 seems to reinvent disco for a dystopian sonic timeline…part 2 presumably lost in a space-time wormhole along the way… and Extra Beat in My Heart turns the idea of arrhythmia into a busy musical dancescape. Rounding things off are the yelping sonics and jungle drum rhythms of You, Me and The Continuum (Drummatics)…I’m not sure what drummatics are but I have made a note to enrol in a course as soon as the government says that it is safe to do so.

Dance heads are going to love this album, it takes their favourite music to new heights in both sonic weight and musical creativity. But the more discerning end of the rock and roll community should find a lot to like too. Okay, so it is about as far away from the usual classic rock cover band which seems to almost be a mandatory requirement of venues these days, but isn’t it time we stopped dwelling on the past and looked to the future? And if you aren’t sure what that might sound like, may I refer you to my opening paragraph.

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