Canada"s Spaced Out have once again raised the bar here on their fourth studio release of white hot metallic jazz-fusion, Unstable Matter. While their last album, 2003"s Slow Gin saw the band take a jazzier approach, here it"s pedal to the metal all the way, as the band combines Chick Corea Electrik Band sophistication with the muscular might of Dream Theater or Planet X. Comprised of Antoine Fafard on bass/keyboards/guitar, guitarist Marc Tremblay, and drummer Martin Maheux, Spaced Out play music that borders on organized chaos, always reaching out into many different directions but tight and focused at the same time, much like Liquid Tension Experiment.Litterally, there"s a lot to take in here, but once you do the experience is quite rewarding. Bassist Fafard should be no stranger to fusion fans at this point, and his gymnastic bass lines are all over this CD, especially on the bass guitar workout "Art Attack Pt. 1", which then segues into the "metal guitar meets piano" of "Art Attack Pt. 2". Fusion burners like "New Breed" and the title track see plenty of keyboard & guitar interplay, and "Big Crunch" is just that, a crunchy instrumental metal monster, complete with massive riffs, loads of synthesizer and electric piano, and tight rhythms. The tandem of Farfard and drummer Maheux get the funk out on the killer "Antimatter", a real eye opener with plenty of incredible bass and drum passages. "Blood Fall" combines fusion, prog-metal, and, gulp, doom riffs, for a unique sound, and the song features plenty of solos from the band.When the CD is done expect to let out a extended "whew" after all the musical pyrotechnics come to an end. This is one hot set of instrumental progressive fusion with a strong metal edge. If you haven"t yet experienced the amazing sounds of Spaced Out, this is a good place to start. I"m sure this will definitely be near the top of many favorite releases of 2006 when all is said and done. Reviewer: Pete Pardo