Spiral Mercury

[1][2][3] In a review for AllMusic, Fred Thomas called the album an "exceptional live document," and wrote: "The disc tends toward the more experimental and tumultuous side of things, with processed synth sounds clashing with the explosive organic instrumentation in a way that brings to mind Sun Ra's rudimentary synth experimentation on his early-'70s Saturn Records output... the group explores moody bass grooves, glitchy electronic tinkering that occasionally borders on noise, and a kind of high-energy free expression close in spirit to the kind Sanders pioneered in the mid-'60s.

"[4] AAJ's Glenn Astarita commented: "the band merges contrasting layers, disparate textures, ungodly shadings and more than enough excitement to sustain interest from beginning to end.

The album is counterbalanced by an amalgamation of subtle oddities that outline the ensemble's unmistakably detectable watermark that vaults the jazz genre into parts unknown.

"[5] Writing for The Free Jazz Collective, Matthew Grigg stated: "Whether devotional rhythmic grooves, searching abstraction or full-throttle velocity, the interaction between the musicians is never less than adroitly judged, simultaneously casting a glancing eye backward whilst straining for the farthest reaches of the cosmos.

"[9] David Whiteis of JazzTimes stated: "The overall feel here is of remarkable coherence... Sanders is in peak form, caustic yet radiant, occasionally softening into prayer-like tranquility before exploding into his trademark overtone shrieks.