Combat Astronomy


Beginning as a solo project by James Huggett, Combat Astronomy came to be in 1998 after several years of playing and recording music which incorporated noise, industrial-style music and electronics, later to be changed into the current sound of the band.
Martin Archer was called by James to join the group and with the help of Mick Beck and Charlie Collins they released The dematerialised passenger in 2005. With an expanded lineup that consists of Elaine di Falco, Mick Beck and Mike Ward they released in 2008 Dreams no longer hesitate.
As the band's biography states, James' influences "range from space/krautrock (Hawkwind, Can and Amon Duul), classic rock ( Joe Walsh, Queen, ELP) through to French zheul (Magma, Dun, Zao/Seffer), avant metal/doom rock (Sonic Youth, Gorguts, Meshuggah), space jazz (Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra) and a host of others... Fela Kuti, Kate Bush and Electric Wizard being recent favourites.".
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After the acclaimed release of Lunik on cult german noise/industrial label Adnoiseam in 2001, reclusive composer James Huggett, gathered his forces and returning to the isolation of the studio again to begin a much more ambitious piece of work: a modern day doom laden progressive epic that would represent everything he had strived and sacrificed for. Ending a five-year hiatus of playing guitar, his new songs began to form around a core of thick, gritty bass guitar and martial programmed acoustic drums.
A conversation with fellow British improvisational musician and composer Martin Archer sparked sparked a highly productive collaboration that led to the landmark Combat Astronomy album "The Dematerialised Passenger", released in 2005. This album has received wide ranging critical acclaim from influential titles including avant-garde periodical The Wire for its single minded and multi-dimensional modern progressive fusion of metal, free-jazz and ambient noise into a compelling and unique whole.
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Highly recommended for those looking for dark and eerie avant-rock, with zeuhl-ish influences (Magma, The Red Masque (Fossil Eyes)) as well as doom-metal.

A grinding, rumbling distorto sub-bass death march with jackhammering machine beats… sounds kinda Godfleshy at first… but then, what's this? Heavy-duty blasts of saxophone, flute and bassoon?? Yes indeed, Combat Astronomy combine industrial metal with freaked out free jazz and prog. Yet there's also interludes of calm – doomy passages of ambient moodiess with droning, multitracked reeds. And then it's back to the grind. The rhythms are punishingly mechanical, but also interestingly off-kilter. The weird timing adds to the sense of unease that's also built up by the squonky, skronky sax bleating and ominious electronics… Who's responsible for this brutal, beautiful madness? Built upon the foundation of the distorted bass, guitar and programmed beats of one James Hugget from Minnesota USA, in collusion/collision with the saxes, clarinet, violin and effects of Sheffield UK's Martin Archer. Two of Archer's pals join in on flute and bassoon as well. The results are likely to alienate all but the most adventurous jazz, metal, and prog fans. Could certainly be a good one for fans of Godflesh, God, 16-17, Aufgehoben, Last Exit, Zdrastvootie, and other far out outfits on the extremes of industrial, prog and/or improv.



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