Cats in Space's 'Time Machine' - Album Review

Over the past five years, there are few bands I have listened to and seen live more than Cats in Space. Despite having heard of the band before 2019, and had even seen them opening for Deep Purple in 2017, it was not until then that I started to get into them properly - and I have not looked back. It was actually when local musician Mark Pascall joined the band that I started to take notice - but his stint in the band was a short one, and by the time he was replaced by current frontman Damien Edwards I was already hooked. As someone who listened to bands like Status Quo, Queen, and T. Rex as part of my early musical education - Cats in Space's 1970s-inspired bombast spoke to me when I started to take notice properly. I remember enjoying the band's set in 2017, but it was 2019's Daytrip to Narnia (which I discussed briefly here) which made me a fan - by which time they had upped the bombast further and were channelling plenty of other influences such as Boston and Styx alongside the UK glam rock scene of the 1970s. For me, too, the band has only improved since bringing Edwards on board. 2020's Atlantis (which I reviewed here) was likely written with Pascall in mind, but Edwards knocked it out of the park - and 2022's Kickstart the Sun (which I reviewed here) saw the band incorporating more influences than ever before and pushing their sound to new epic heights. Whilst Kickstart the Sun is not my favourite Cats in Space album - it is objectively their best. It was the logical endpoint of all of their experimentations with bombast over the years - and there were even occasional moments of progressive grandeur throughout the lengthy album. Wisely, too, the band dined out on its success. Two lengthy UK tours saw the band take the album on the road - with the latter of which being a theatre tour which featured an impressive stage set for a band of Cats in Space's stature and much of Kickstart the Sun in the setlist. This tour was immortalised on the live album Fire in the Night which dropped earlier this year - which also acted as something of an end of an era, as it was the band's last independent release. Cats in Space recently signed to Cherry Red Records and released their sixth studio album Time Machine back in October - launching them into a new era as a signed band. It is the band's third album with Edwards, meaning that they have now released as many albums with him as they did with original frontman Paul Manzi, and, unfortunately, it is the first album from them which has come as something of a disappointment. Time Machine is certainly not a bad album, and there are some really strong songs here, but it is lacking the band's usual spark. It was always going to be hard to top the extreme bombast of Kickstart the Sun, so a reining in of such was perhaps to expected, but the band's usual dynamism feels tempered here. For starters, there are an overabundance of slower songs for my liking, meaning that the band's usual energy is less overt this time, and the album also seems to lack a lot of the usual bells and whistles. There are parts of this album which feel quite generic, too, which is not something I could have ever said about any of the band's previous releases.

Sadly, at times, there is an air of some of Frontiers Records' less inspiring output here - but thankfully there remains some strong moments. The album is not a disaster by any means, though, and it opens in fine fashion with the bombastic title track. Despite the main riff essentially being The Who's Baba O'Riley, the hard-hitting rocker is exactly what Cats in Space fans have come to expect. Spacey synths set an appropriate early tone, but a big Steevi Bacon drum roll soon kicks in - and the aforementioned riff sets the mid-paced rocker in action. It may not be one of the band's hardest hitting rockers, but it has a pleasing and anthemic sound - with Andy Stewart's driving piano chords keeping the punchy verses moving, whilst Jeff Brown's pulsing bass playing adds depth. The guitars are a bit less present during the verses, but they kick in for the big chorus - which is simple and lodges in the brain from the off. Later verses feature bigger vocal arrangements, with layers of harmony vocals backing the excellence of Edwards - whilst later chorus renditions also some plenty of additional vocal layers as the band once again showcase their love of Queen. There is not really a guitar solo spot here, but instead principal songwriter and guitarist Greg Hart deploys lots of his guitar orchestrations - and there are a number of memorable lead-based sections later on, again showcasing a Queen-esque sound. It was the first song to be released from the album and it certainly got me excited for what was to follow - and the anthemic title track remains a favourite and will certainly become a live staple going forward. The second advance single was My Father's Eyes, a track which did not particularly impress at first but it has grown on me quite a bit. It is one which starts off fairly slowly, but it does grow in stature as it moves along - so it does not really feel like a genuine slower song. It retains some bombast early on, too, with some big guitar stabs in between acoustic guitar-led vocal passages - whilst the band gradually builds up around this acoustic guitar base as the chorus is approached. By the time the chorus rolls around, then, the song is pretty much a typical Cats in Space rocker - and there are plenty of big vocal arrangements during the memorable chorus. There are better choruses here, but it still sticks in the brain after a few listens - and there is a fluid guitar solo later on from Hart, as well as some fun effects-heavy drum hits during a later instrumental section. Crashing Down is the first genuinely slower song on the album, and for me it highlights some of the issues I have with the album as a whole. Cats in Space have always done ballads, but they have generally been my least favourite cuts on each album - so to have so many of them here gives the album a strange overall balance. Edwards sings ballads really well, but, for me, they do little to highlight the band's core sound. It is not a terrible song, and the chorus is pretty memorable after a few passes through the album - but the song lacks spark. It feels somewhat pedestrian overall, with a much more straight-faced sound than is typical for the band, whilst the lyrics are pretty generic and lacking in the band's usual knowing humour.

Occam's Razor (Not the End of the World) is much better, though, with the rocker feeling like the Cats in Space of old. There is plenty of bombast here and the song feels like it could have sat on the previous album. Stewarts' keyboard playing is busy throughout, mixing barroom piano and rumbling rock organ with ease, whilst there is brass added by Jack Birchwood - which harks back to the some of the biggest moments of the last album. The song's intro is filled with big guitars, keyboards, and brass, then, whilst the verses are up-tempo thanks to Stewarts' busy piano playing and the drive of the rhythm section. Plenty of vocal additions come and go, creating depth, whilst brash guitar chords keep the song feeling tough as it moves along. It really builds towards its chorus, with lots of choral vocals and a huge overall arrangement, whilst Edwards lets rip through the boogie of the chorus - with brass parps harmonising well with him. A bridge section later builds towards a ripping guitar solo from Dean Howard, too, and the track never really lets up from the off - and it showcases the band at their high-octane and bombastic best. Forever & Ever slows things right down again, though, and the piano-led is not hugely different to Crashing Down. Cats in Space's slower songs all tend to feel quite similar, which is part of this album's issue, and the excellence of the previous song highlights the lack of an interesting arrangement this time. The opening synth melody, which resurfaces throughout, is nice, and there is a subtle use of strings which adds depth, but it can only boost the piano ballad so far. Howard does add a brief slide solo later on, though, which sees the song feeling a little proggy, but the core piano-led sound is returned to almost as quickly as the solo started - despite the drums being retained to add a little punch. The brief piano-based instrumental Ivory Anthem then acts as an extended intro to Run for Your Life - which sees a more rocking sound returned to. It was not a rocker which stood out to me at first, but it has grown on me - and there it a lot of strong keyboard playing from Stewart throughout. His driving piano and swirling synths early on give the track character, whilst the simple, brash verse riff is memorable. For me, though, what makes this song is its chorus - which is full of Sweet-like grandeur. If the chorus was not as strong as it is then I do not think that the song would hit that hard - but it is saved by the excellence of Edwards' chorus delivery and the interesting vocal arrangement. Other moments of the song feel a little generic AOR but on balance it is a strong effort - especially given the excellent synth and guitar solo later on. This Velvet Rush is another slow song, but it bucks the trend and does something different. This is no piano ballad, with the track instead being a lush soft rocker that sounds like nothing else the band have done before. It is one of the album's most interesting songs as a result - and it shows that not every ballad needs to sound the same. There is plenty of piano throughout the verses, but there is a synth-heavy vibe throughout which elevates things - whilst Edwards sings the song differently, employing some of his musical theatre traits at times. Subtle slide guitar moments later add to the overall smoothness of the track - and the track is an unexpected highlight thanks to its different vibe and Edwards' excellent performance.

Yesterday's Sensation feels like a throwback to the band's first couple of albums - in the sense that it is a short, bouncy track which deals with the tale of an old musician who is past his best. It is a fun song, but it is another which feels a little generic when compared to how Cats in Space's sound has grown over the years. It would have probably sat nicely on 2015's Too Many Gods, but given the bombast I expect from the band now it feels a little quaint. That being said, though, the chorus is pretty infectious. Edwards delivers the vocals with a surprising amount of venom, whilst there are some more big harmonies to make the sound bigger, whilst the yacht-rock-on-steroids keyboards which pulse away throughout the song keep the bouncy feeling in place. There is no real drop in energy here, which is welcome given the plethora of slower songs here, and the dual guitar solo between Hart and Howard is great. As such, then, the song is a decent inclusion. The last real highlight for me, though, is Immortal - which, along with Occam's Razor (Not the End of the World), represents the album at its best. Immortal is similar to that aforementioned track in the sense that it is another high-octane rocker which rarely lets up energy-wise - creating a truly bombastic sound which features everyone at their best. Busy piano once again keeps the track moving, but the brashness of the guitars gives the song a great hard rocking edge, with the chorus in particular packing a punch, whilst the hard-hitting grooves of the rhythm section ensures that the track is a real headbanger. Howard unleashes another busy and searing guitar solo during the song, too, and it is always the mark of a good Cats in Space song when he is allowed to cut loose and show all of his hard rock power. The chorus is one of the album's best, too, and it sticks in the brain from the off - with the track sure to become a live favourite going forward thanks to its energy and sing-a-long vibe. The album then comes to a close with When Love Collides - another slow song. As such, it is the third almost identical piano-led ballad on the album - and when My Father's Eyes and This Velvet Rush are taken into account that means that half of the album consists of slower songs. The balance between light and shade is off as a result for me - and previous Cats in Space albums have contained ballads without having them dominate. There is nothing majorly wrong with the songs in and of themselves, they just all sound so similar. Cats in Space have generally not found a way to make their ballads as interesting as their rock songs, This Velvet Rush aside in the context of this album, and having so many of them here highlights that. That being said, When Love Collides does grow in stature somewhat later on, with some big choral vocals and another strong Howard solo, but overall the vibe is very similar - so, for me, the album ends on a bit of a downer. Overall, then, I just cannot help but be somewhat disappointed. Expectations were high following Kickstart the Sun and Time Machine feels like a step back despite some strong songs. There are too many ballads here and some of the rockers feel a little generic. The best songs here really shine, though, and I hope that the band can continue to build on their best assets going forward despite this blip.

The album was released on 25th October 2024 via Esoteric Antenna/Cherry Red Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Time Machine.