SATORI

Legendary Japanese album that pairs the uncanny heaviness of early Sabbath to a loose psych vibe, resulting into a sort of heavy horror Kraut. I must say it sounds better on paper then the actual result but it's still a solid album, mandatory for heavy rock, psych and kraut fans.

Part I is excellent. An upbeat heavy rocker, reminding of Sabbath obviously but with sharper, fuzzier guitars, playing the heavy riffs at least an octave higher then Tony Iommi would do. The vocals are similar to Ozzy but a bit crazier and more expressive.

Part II is a bit looser then the first track. A sharp lead riff goes into a rousing dialogue with the excellent vocals. After a good 3 minutes it all gives way to a jam with tribal percussion and an extended guitar solo. I can enjoy it but it's here that the band actually disappoints for me. They never reach the inspiration or intensity of a Jimi Hendrix for instance, nor do they make the jump into the more experimental psych-rock as released in Germany around that time.

Part III repeats the main riff of Part II and continues with another extended jam that is rather average again. By the time Part IV begins, I'm completely weary by the continued sharp and whiny tone of the guitar. The song is rather poor as well, with cliché riffs and dull vocal lines. Part V is more interesting but can't save the album.

This album makes the kind of thing that should be right up my alley but it fails on many points. There are a couple of inspired jams and good tunes, but too few. As a fan of the genre I feel rather disappointed, an album that fails to live up to its hype.