Progressive rockers Amplifier: ‘The same – but different’ on new album, ‘Gargantuan’

English progressive rock band Amplifier are back with their eighth studio LP, Gargantuan, which has been described as “a breaking-out album”.

Gargantuan marks a new chapter for Amplifier as, after having featured various musicians in the line-up over the years, they are now working as a duo featuring Sel Balamir and Matt Brobin.

Born from late-night jam sessions in a secluded Sussex smithy, the new album sees the band, who first got together in 1999, return to their roots, embracing a raw, electric energy.

Sel, speaking to the Cambridge Independent from his home in Worthing, says that his and Matt’s main focus of late has been preparing to go out on tour – their first as a duo.

The pair have a Cambridge date lined up in May. “We’re really looking forward to going on tour and playing around the UK, especially like in Cambridge – we haven’t been to Cambridge for probably about 15 years,” notes Sel.

“We haven’t actually been on tour or done any shows since just before Covid.”

Gargantuan, the follow-up to 2023’s Hologram, was released on 4 April.

“We’d written a lot of material over the past five years, and it was kind of clocking in at about three hours, so that’s essentially how we were referring to it,” explains Sel, who is originally from Manchester.

“We whittled it down quite a bit by the time it came out – so it’s a descriptive title; I mean we are called Amplifier so it makes sense.”

On how it differs from the band’s previous albums, the first of which was 2004’s self-titled effort, Sel says: “I think it’s got a lot of similarities with our previous albums, in that it follows our tradition of every song’s different, every song’s got a different flavour, it’s not really predictable…

“I think that’s one of the things about Amplifier, is no two records sound the same – we’re not really a band that has a generic kind of sound style.

“So it’s the same as our other albums but completely different, in that sense! It does fit into the lineage of the band’s evolution. It’s like a diary – no two entries are the same.”

Gargantuan was recorded at ‘The Old Forge’ – an old village smithy in a tiny village in the Sussex countryside.

“That’s right, it was completely made there and mixed there,” observes Sel, “and shipped from there as well.”

What was it like recording at this rather unique venue? “Quiet!” laughs Sel, who has also put out albums as a solo artist.

“It’s a nice space, it’s quite a privilege to work in a space like that, where you can imagine other artisans have worked for the last 500 years.

“The guys that were in there before I had it were sign makers, so there’s a tradition in that space of people being creative and making things.”

Going back to the album itself, Sel adds: “All the songs are so individual that it’s difficult to have a favourite, because they’re all kind of different moods…

“Maybe some days I might be feeling more inclined to this song or another song, but the next day when I’m a different colour, it’s something else.

“And I think that’s one of the reasons why people enjoy listening to Amplifier, is that it’s not homogenous, it’s a palette.”

Amplifier will be appearing at The Portland Arms on Saturday, 3 May. Tickets, priced £10 in advance and £15 on the door, are available from theportlandarms.co.uk/wp/. For more on the band, go to amplifierband.com.