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BURNING OFF IMPURITIES

Grails

Psychedelic/Space Rock


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Grails Burning Off Impurities album cover
4.14 | 75 ratings | 4 reviews | 33% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2007

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Soft Temple (6:40)
2. More Extinction (2:15)
3. Silk Rd (8:14)
4. Drawn Curtains (4:56)
5. Outer Banks (7:47)
6. Dead Vine Blues (4:41)
7. Origin-ing (7:51)
8. Burning Off Impurities (7:49)

Total Time 50:13

Line-up / Musicians

- Alex John Hall / guitar, sampler
- Zak Riles / electric, lap steel & acoustic 6- & 12-string guitars, banjo, oud
- William Slater / bass, guitar, piano, Rhodes, organ, harpsichord
- Emil Amos / drums, guitar, keyboards, melodica, tapes

With:
- Dylan Rice-Leary / harmonica
- Cory Gray / trumpet, baritone horn
- Kate O'Brien / violin

Releases information

Artwork: Alex Hall

CD Temporary Residence Limited ‎- TRR 118 (2007, US)

2LP Temporary Residence Limited ‎- TRR 118 (2007, US)
2LP Temporary Residence Limited ‎- TRR 118 (2017, US) Remastered (?)

Thanks to chamberry for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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GRAILS Burning Off Impurities ratings distribution


4.14
(75 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(33%)
33%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(37%)
37%
Good, but non-essential (27%)
27%
Collectors/fans only (1%)
1%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

GRAILS Burning Off Impurities reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
4 stars Third (or fourth, not sure) album from the Oregon-based now-quartet (their violinist Tim Horner is now gone), and probably their most varied (at least until the turn of the decade), Burning Of Impurities is certainly a title that could shock with a fundamentalist's interpretation of the title and by looking at the (superb) images of destruction of the booklet, one wonders what Grails's message is this time around, and as usual, the track title are of no help.

BOI is definitely between the usual post rock, but this time delving in semi-cosmic/space rock on one hand and Krautrock (ala ADII meets Popol Vuh) and some Indian classic sonic tapestry of some tracks. There also bits of electronic music that relate again to the left bank of the Rhime River. One of the big differences in this album is the jamming/improvisation level, which never seemed so high on a post rock album, but it's quite refreshing, often veering psychedelic, but never overpowering either.

Definitely the less post-rock album of their discography, BBOI does remain a typical Grails album, with plenty of good and some average and its load of tiny surprises that makes it one of the most enjoyable album of the genre. ? Rounded up to the upper star rating.

Review by Bonnek
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars I've been meaning to review Grail's discography for months on end, but I hadn't got any further then the 2006 release "Black Tar Prophecies". With their 2011 release pending, it's about time I got to it. Just like "Black Tar Prophecies", this album shows the band moving away from their post-rock roots to a dark and disturbing place somewhere in space-rock.

There are still many traits from post-rock in the sound, meaning that slow and quietly shouldering sections are posed next to very loud and almost ecstatic outbursts. Luckily, the band knows that there are more volume ranges then just the extremes of loud and quite. They may sound a bit like GYBE, but the songs are more concise, with more effective melodies, and with a more skillful and more dynamic build of the atmosphere.

The music is instrumental but very expressive, not that we can be conclusive about what the music is meant to express but it surely conjures up a powerful, fear-filled and almost religious sensation. Maybe I get this through association, as the band's music has a big affinity to Popol Vuh's music from the 72-76 period. It is more modern, ambient and darker, but it evokes similar spiritual and devout feelings. On top, Grails are also connected to Red Sparowes, known for their 'fear for the Lord' song content.

"Burning Off Impurities" is a perfect start if you want to discover the dark and eerie world of Grails. I prefer the preceding "Black Tar Prophecies", but this one is not far below it.

Latest members reviews

5 stars Grails - Burning Off Impurities (2007 It's not always that you hear something, and when you are done with it, an hour later, all you can think of is ... the history of so many things in your mind that it might remind you off, and in the end, it makes for a small comparison that seems to exten ... (read more)

Report this review (#2270597) | Posted by moshkito | Friday, October 18, 2019 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Though not quite as good as their previous release, "The Black Tar Prophecies" this still deserves a 5 star rating. It's kind of like saying Pink Floyd's Animals is not as good as Wish You Were Here. I get the impression that this new material simply didn't gestate as long as the earlier collect ... (read more)

Report this review (#182696) | Posted by epignosis11 | Wednesday, September 17, 2008 | Review Permanlink

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