SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT

3.5 stars. There are certain styles of music that I just haven't taken-to and Stoner Rock is one of them. Now there are always exceptions to the rule for me but I am surprised I'm not more into the sludge that BLACK SABBATH dumped upon us back in the day. When you see lists of the bands and albums for this style of music you often see this German band mentioned and this live record pointed to. Released in 2013 we get 80 minutes of live music from Rockpalast with a surprising emphasis on the vocals and I'm just not a big fan of them.

A four piece with two guitarists, bass and drums with the singer adding one of those guitars, keyboards and sitar. I applaud them for bringing in some different flavours at least as often these Stoner Rock bands are trios of heavy, down-tuned music where that adventerous spirit is checked at the door. And of course there are many exceptions to this. I just remember buying a KYUSS album back before I got into prog and it just wasn't my thing.

This particular album is legendary so keep this in mind when seeing my rating.

Hey, when listening to that album you're inclined to say a quintet is playing here, though currently they are a trio in fact. And this applies to their live performances in the same way, unfortunately, I must say. Richard Behrens left the band after they had recorded the predecessor 'Waiting For The Flood', which totally slipped below my radar level. Second guitarist Hans Eiselt then eventually turned to the bass. So it took 4 years finally to arrive with a new effort. When talking about a possible quintet, band leader Christian Peters substitutes a second electric guitar due to a few overdubs and cares for proper keyboard stuff too.

They remain true to their fundamental music style on 'One With The Universe', which is a quite unique melange of blues, stoner and psych/space rock, hence could be summed up under the label 'heavy psych prog' at best, this occasionally garnered with some indo/raga feel. The matured compositions, five songs are given, two of them beyond the ten minute mark, are strong, absolutely convincing. As usual this is provided with an appropriate portion of heavy load, though basically relaxed and very melodic, rarely changing into a somewhat furious or aggressive approach.

There's a rather mellow start to state with Vipassana, though they're also turning into some heavy riffing parts featuring agile bass lines contributed by Eiselt. The synths and the soaring lead guitar later on are really appealing. Sad Guru Returns seems pointing to yogi Sadghuru Jaggi Vasudey, this probably presenting a link to the related solo project Surya Kris Peters. The prominent title track is provided with different stages, nice e-piano, plus a reference to Band Of Gypsys' Machine Gun, furthermore reminding me of Grand Funk Railroad when it comes to the uptempo parts and predominantly due to the bass. Highly recommended, they are still one with the universe as this is their best outcome so far.

It took me quite a few spins to get into this album, unlike their debut. It seems the progressiveness toned down a bit on this one. I used to lose focus by the third track but one time I paid more attention to side B and noticed how better it is.

The album starts with "Flipside Apocalypse", a nice tune that gets constantly heavier with some parts that remind of Black Sabbath. I quite like the stereophonic guitar on it.

"Hangin' on the Wire" is more straightforward and mostly sung with an eruptive guitar solo near the end.

"Into the Black" is probably the one I like less, because it's difficult to listen: it's unecessarily long and constantly heavy with lots of guitar tracks that seem to dominate everything most of the time. Maybe it could be better with a more even mixing.

Side A ends with "Thirsty Moon", a most desired rest for the ears. It's a soft Rock song (well, for SBE's standards) with acoustic and crunch guitars, it reminds me a bit of Blue Öyster Cult. It also has some organ but it was mixed far too low.

"Outside Insight Blues" begins with a bluesy tune and a great guitar solo. It suddenly becomes faster and in a Hard Rock style. Then there's a cool section that brings Led Zeppelin to mind. After that, it unexpectedly turns into Swing, SBE style, introducing also the harmonica. The song then ends as it started.

"Zwei Schatten im Schatten" is the softest piece on the album, a breezy interlude for acoustic guitar and sitar. The title track starts right after it with a bang. There's a good combination of clean and distorted guitars, very nicely mixed. The vocals appear with vibrato effects, having some stereo interaction with the guitar. There's a crescendo and then a calmer part that includes the remaining instruments I was expecting to hear, synths and harp, with clean electric guitar and sitar. The vocals and distorted guitars join the party and we get to the beginning. The album ends with a long wah-wah guitar solo.

In conclusion, I miss the diversity and the long distance trips with more twists and turns of the debut, but it's still a really good record.

3.5 stars

Following the Samsara Blues Experiment's first EP of two songs, this expanded 2009 version for their US tour is strengthened with a live take improvisation and alternative studio take, representing their stylistic palette as a grandiose and compact mini-album. "Singata (Mystic Queen)" is erected upon oriental sitar reverbs stoner-constructed shrines for bluesy psychedelic rock sermons. Vibrating elements associate with space rock textures, and the drummer goes pleasantly for enriching fills, even though not being Mitch Mitchell yet. Guitar riffs build intensity via increasing distortion levels, and visit really fine solo sequences. The monolithic dronings contain culmination points for melodic variations, returning eventually to Indian mandala after eight minutes of severe sludge worshipping. "Double Freedom" continues the synthesis of raga-rock sounds and down-key rocking's co-existence, and also introduce the band's vocal presence. Calm evolvement with slower pace leads to the band's dominant guitar-driven blasting tones. The rhythm section refrains the power of guitars escaping to extensive heavy metal territories, some doom-oriented sequences correlating with early Black Sabbath tones with Hendrixque guitar licks. "Red Rooster Jam" is capture from a concert stage, representing group's potential of illustrating the aural canvas with heavy fuzz-tapestries and stimulating open rock ventures. The demo version of "Double Freedom" then proves how the core idea of their composition can successfully be approached also from a different vantage points; Heavier tunes can be applied to acid folk meditations, being able even to tranquilize Gustav Klimt's Danaë to a blissful ecstasy of unconsciousness. Thus I consider this EP as a really convincing collectible item, introducing Samsara Blues Experiment's abilities to conjure creative art music to the spheres. Similarly they unite quite conventional musical elements to a personal sound, being attractive both on dance floor or chambers of more severe musical contemplations. A wonderful start to a career, which most recent turns are yet slightly unclear to me - these straits certainly needing further investigation.

What a pleasant surprise!

Had these guys recorded 40 years ago, today they would still be a household name.

Don't let the name deceive you, they do give a tiny nod towards Blues, but this is not a blues band. Hard to describe as they encompass many different styles and genres - all at once! And they do it in a most satisfying manner.

OK, here we have a combination of riff- based Heavy-Prog that reminds of the better moments of early Black Sabbath, or even Budgie. Then again, it's not head-banger stuff at all, but thoughtful and heartfelt riff-galore in a manner that encompasses Psychedelic, Jamming, Stoner-Rock and Heavy-Prog delivered in a relaxing and most pleasing way. Blues is the least prominent approach.

The guitars are convincing, heavy - yet they serve their purpose without appearing forced. The bass player is also prominent, delivering a grunty bottom line almost like a lead instrument. The vocal "intrusions" wouldn't be missed, but they are not really disturbing. "Ah, what was that that just flew over my head?" kind.

Easily a 4, even 4.5 rating in my books and I am looking forward to hear more of this band.

German cosmic rockers Samsara Blues Experiment are the practitioners of some excellent but fairly heavy psychedelia and, for what it's worth, their debut album ''Long Distance Trip'' looks like it will feature prominently among my top ten favourite releases of the year just ended.

Effects-laden guitars dominate proceedings with occasional sitar giving an Eastern flavour such on the opening track ''Singata Mystic Queen''. The texture here is thick with twin guitars and an organ throbbing in the background, and everything congeals into a powerfully melodic riff that makes me feel like I'm peering into the cavernous throat of the abyss. The short but intense instrumental ''Army Of Ignorance'' sounds like Sabbath's ''Iron Man'' in a drug-fuelled delirium, while the otherworldly hypnotic pattern of ''For The Lost Souls'' also gives way to a heavy riff and gruff vocals. The atmosphere changes with some dreamy organ and synthesizer, although the heavy, malevolent riff is not long in returning either.

''Center Of The Sun'' lurches along to a Hawkwind-style groove of spacey sound effects before it gets swept up in a vortex of harsh vocals and fiery wah wah guitars. The atmosphere lightens again with the acoustic ''Wheel Of Life'', presumably based around the Buddhist perspective of cyclic existence. Buddhism seems to be a guiding principle on this album and in his review Uwe has already highlighted that the band's name is derived from the religion's concept of continuous flowing. This is exemplified on the krautrock-inspired ''Double Freedom'', a 23-minute cosmic montage that once again features sitar. I'm glad to say that exotic substances aren't required in order to appreciate this spacescape, just lie back and let your imagination run wild.

It's been awhile since I've reviewed, much too long, but with school and all that jazz I haven't been quite as prolific as I'd like to be.

But the real focus is this album, this mighty psychedelic gem. Put those illegal drugs aside and take in this beauty of an album, Long Distance Trip takes you on a, quite literally, long distance trip. The thing that really hypnotizes the listener is no doubt the excellent guitar playing that really creates a thick psychedelic atmosphere, exactly what the band wanted, I believe.

The album consists of purely the psychedelic jamming that makes it great and it's really hard to tire of. The hour it takes to listen goes by extremely fast as the listener is caught in a haze of the atmosphere the music produces.

Can't go wrong with this one and as a bonus, there are nude women on the cover! =O

4 stars, wonderful debut album.

I've been getting myself into Heavy Psychedelia music lately, thanks to Norway's Motorpsycho. "Samsara Blues Experiment".

Singata Mystic Queen sets the mood that will be consistent through majority of this album. Heavy, Psychedelic journey through the motions of slow headbanging (full of air guitar practising by volunteers) I would say.

During For the Lost Souls, Christian Peters stars to sing. And this is quite disadvantage for me, his voice is far from being nice. Of course, high pitched vocals would be even worse, but I these songs are more fitted to be instrumental only. I also at first thought he is singing in German, but nah, it's English, only with extremely strong accent (one of the strongest I ever heard, but it can be caused by music too). Fortunately, he doesn't sing in all tracks. There is something in his vocal style that fits here well when you think about it a little bit, harsh vocals to harsh music. But instrumental songs / parts of songs are better. Actually, it's more about any vocal intrusion that about his vocals. Because I think it's valuable, I have to state that the more I listen to this music, the less I dislike these vocals.

Wheel of Life serves as some kind of "eye of the storm", calm before last (long distance) trip in form of Double Freedom that absolutely stuns with its guitar solos, atmosphere and overall composition (e.g. how it works so good and flows so easily).

4(+), one more thing I don't like much is instrument sitar. I never learned to appreciate this one, but that's me, not you.

SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT from Berlin are promising newcomer on the heavy psych stage. The name is well conceived pointing to the band's essentials. Hence you can easily smell the blues roots. Samsara is derived from Sanskrit which more or less means 'eternally wandering'. And indeed they offer a convincing alteration here when comprising space rock, psychedelia with eastern flavour - and of course stoner/heavy psych as for the fundamental aspect. Finally you can state an experimental approach when musicians try to blend different rock styles to something refreshing and unique.

The quartet worked on some fine-tuning when intensively touring in Europe and USA before they produced this debut album. A significant trademark is Christian Peters' and Hans Eiselt's well-matching guitar work. This will be immediately confirmed when starting with Singata Mystic Queen - an early song, first published on a promo EP in 2008, but now revised and certainly improved with the result of a better interaction and equality of both guitarists - that's my impression at least. It's a midtempo jamming heavy psych track. Soaring spacey and riffing guitar impressions are swirling around each other. This is provided in a rather relaxed way - heavier propulsive excursions are rare here. Decent organ/synth and sitar goodies care for more variety and richness.

Army Of Ignorance is played straightforward rocking featuring a slight doom factor in the vein of the good old Black Sabbath. For The Lost Souls contrasts when starting as a cosmic trip which begins to groove more and more - certainly a challenge for space rock fans - playful melancholic, wah-wah and delay modified guitars - I like it! According to the 'eternally wandering' motto it all turns into something uptempo rocking then. Moving into the Center Of The Sun they let me feel like reaping black tomatoes together with the Oresund Space Collective. The album's center of gravity for what it's worth. And now at the latest I should mention the band's solid rhythm section. Powerful - and once again they fall into heavier streams in between.

A long distance trip also requires some laid-back moments - and so campfire romanticism comes up when listening to Wheel Of Life based on melancholic double acoustic guitar combined with the sound of the sea - nice change. The extended improv Double Freedom closes the album, multiple guitar appearance including sitar. Charming here - crushing there with much stoner and even some hypnotic krautrock appeal. Later gliding into another fine grooving section this forces a lively imagination how impressing the band's live performances must be.

'Long Distance Trip' provides heavy psych, decorated though with several proper space rock excursions. Even when holding a high proportion of jamming this is carefully produced - recommended - a really enjoyable one.