What their brilliant goal or purpose of musical style is, I wonder. They play with splendid, magnified chorus with deep, drowsy, spacey rhythm section and dragged, multiplex guitars and keyboards - and yet pop and melodious flavour should not be lost at all. There is nothing specific to either pop nor space rock but exactly complex flavour like estery and smokey one of a well-matured whisky or wine. Their melody, tune, or tempo is slow, thick, heavy but slender, that reminds us stoner progressive rock (but not metallic). Their chorus is, I feel, like early YES or THE BEACH BOYS, so consequently not only graceful and elegant, but also of deeply trailed atmosphere. Bulldozed and hypnotic repetition of warm sounds can be called exactly as the mixture of an opposition to another.

Two Stage Rocket has theremin sounds by Anderson like an ascending air stream, drifting guitar solo, and steady drum sounds with relax. They can drive psychedelia with leaving some of friendly tune here. Easy to groove to the song - feel wonderful. In Two Birds all vocals can perform perfectly in their chorus with each other, as in the fourth track The Slumbering Ones. Remind us fresh air and cool water - very comfortable but rigidly with heavy and spacey riffs and floating atmosphere by synthesizers. This song is the longest in this album but should not force its length as the other songs be...it's natural and smooth for us listeners. The next song Drunken Leaves is, as the title says, drunken and vertiginous space rock. Around it are heavy noises leadin' to our heartache and palpitation - these achy stuffs cannot exist in pure heavy rock songs. Sticky and slimy repetition by all instruments should outweigh catchy flavour but the pop spice should make us relaxed in the outer ground. Kolob Canyon is a song with real canyon's magnificence, by terrific chorus and strict guitars; we can be struck with the grandeur. Furthermore, here is nothing affected - natural and smooth, as well. A heavy-folk-flavoured song, By The Ripping Green, has more stoner kickin' than other songs. Dreamy dream comes from the laidback guitar solo. As well voice solo can be widely spread. On the contrary, noisy psychedelia with massive attacks by guitars and drums is Clive And The Lyre. Even though here are some repetitions with simple and flat riffs, why can we bubble as such? In the last song End Under Down the flute solo is very graceful and plaintive - heavy guitars or percussion following that should have the same taste. All will get downturn and finished I imagine? But their psychedelic trip will never end?

This album let us feel obscurely cool. Wink.

ANDREW DOUGLAS ROTHBARD is a multi-instrumentalist in his inner psychedelia. His "unconcealed" acoustic guitar solo is the basis, with lots of instrumental sounds with special effects or into reverse, and his dimly obscure voices - all sounds and effects are matured with each other and gush out mysterious flavour.

The amazing thing is that all his sounds should be swaying, trembling, rolling and twisting simultaneously together - the sound motion is not only dreamy but also dry & serious. Did he make this work with imagining what? If his brain were in "this" world, he could not paint his psychedelia with some primary colors. However, I guess, he should paint a psychedelic picture as he wanted to, and should check and fix this confusing stuff into the musically theoretical one. His work is, that's why, so strict and melodious, not lazy and freaky, like the title "Abandoned Meander". I wanna say he could produce an amusement park and his sounds are playing leisurely there - on a merry-go-round or a Ferris wheel, not on a roller coaster. :-)

Highly recommended as a psychedelia directly into our brain.

The guitar player Isaiah Mitchell is in my opinion very talented and imaginative solo guitarrist, the professionally performing rhythm section mostly keeps the set together. I think it is an achievement to lead a twenty minutes excluding jam track with solo instrument in an interesting manner. The overall sound of this group is also really pleasant to listen, an association of an expanded treatment of THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Driving South" BBC Session track is born in my mind, also live sound of CREAM with less-adventurous rhythm section is another thought as comparison.

So if you like guitar driven heavy psychedelic rock music, where long jams are borne from simple rules and vivid imagination, this record will probably please you. 

Reviews on other websites (some positive, some not...) for Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky:

Ground & Sky - http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=earth-rfacs - http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=earth-rfacs

Dusted - http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3579 - http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3579

Sea Of Tranquility - http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=5090 - http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=5090

The music here takes it's cue from the space rock of the 70's, at least in sound and style. A big, fat bass line is the foundation in most segments on the four tunes here, with psychedelic guitar licks and spacey synths improvising on top, spacey synth sounds adding texture and a very 70's electric piano adding melodic themes from time to time. Drums and percussion seems to be the pacesetters.

Sound and style reminds slightly of bands like Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles, and there's some obvious similarities to Öresund Space Collective too; which isn't a surprise as these two bands have some mutual members.

Recommended for fans of improvisational sounding space jams, in particular those who fancy this style of music with a 70's sound.

../album.asp?id=18508 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

Sweden is a country which is really rich on prog and especially psychedelic/space jam acts. Exchanging the musicians at pleasure looks like to be quite normal for some of them. Probably BLAND BLADEN can be titled as a forerunner of the Oresund Space Collective (OSC) which is most likely the bestknown of all. So it's not quite astonishing that all the band members had collaborations with OSC in the past respectively Ola for example plays fender rhodes and synthesizer on the current masterpiece 'Black Tomato'.

This BRAND BLADEN debut from 2003 is consisting of four songs, totally instrumental, and yes, indeed, they can be considered to be in the vein of the OSC sound. Improvised jams with a happy flavour where you can feel their pleasure and fun making music first of all.

The excellent title song I grévens tid appears as my highlight - a nice grooving song with jazzy rhodes piano plus a bluesy part with bubbling synths and sensitive guitar. På Grön Kvist is provided with an intense reggae/dub rhythm near to the sound of Hidria Spacefolk and the following 13 minute track I Afton Trans comes up with two main parts in a different mood, first uptempo busy, later floating and gliding. A heavy rhythm section dominates Dimland later changing to a trippy rocking part with some eastern oriental elements.

'I Grévens Tid' is an enjoyable album and excellent find for progheads who like Hidria Spacefolk or Ozric Tentacles as well as swedish bands jamming along anyway - 3.5 stars.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=4080 - ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher

Here’s a trio of guys who can’t seem to decide if they want to be a post-rock, psych, or Krautrock band, so instead they combine all three. The Future Kings of England may not in fact be future kings, but I like their style. Think a little bit of Godspeed You! Black Emporer (or Explosions in the Sky), throw in an awful lot of ‘Wish You Were Here’-era Pink Floyd, and you pretty much have these guys pegged.

The opening track “Dunwich” is one of those Floydian songs, with lots of slow, building guitar and keyboard drone with a couple of crescendos that make you realize they are actually trying to be innovative, or at least not completely derivative.

“Mustard Man” includes lyrics and sounds a bit like a mellower version of the hard psych band Dead Meadow. I’ve no idea what the song is about – perhaps the weird Canadian dude from the Mustard Man Adventures. And maybe not. I don’t think you’ll hear many psych-like tunes with post-rock overtones and a mandolin though, so you should probably check that out.

With “Bartholomew’s Merman” the band goes back to ‘Wish You Were Here’ on guitar and keyboards, with the exact same sort of slow tempo and lack of concrete focus that made that such a strong album.

And if you ever wondered what a mandolin and banjo sound like on an Explosions album, “Children of the Crown” is the song for you.

Nearly half the album is taken up with the title track though, and this one is a lengthy and sometimes stalled-out affair that seems to be an attempt at a space-rock/experimental epic. It falls just a bit flat due to the unnecessarily long stretch of keyboard noodling, although the trippy keyboard passages are decent enough.

I was a bit disappointed by the lack of anything really powerful or groundbreaking on this album, although like I said earlier the inclusion of mandolin, banjo, some autoharp and even a dulcimer (although I’m not sure where – it’s in the liner notes) make for a departure from more traditional psychedelic music. I will say that these guys seem to have a talent for composition, even if they don’t have much discipline. Maybe with time. I’d say this is about a 3.499 effort, but not quite up to the level of essential, so I’ll go with three stars and hope they stretch themselves a little more next time. Recommended for fans of GY!BE, A Silver Mt. Zion, modern psych, and possibly just the musically curious.

peace

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=11631 - Windhawk
Special Collaborator Neo Prog/Psych Teams & Band Submissions

The sophomore release of this English band is a fascinating listening experience.

Combining influences from bands like Pink Floyd and Hawkwind like they sounded at the start of their careers with some slight touches from krautrock, highly psychedelic and atmospheric moods are created and explored. The tunes mostly combine mellow sections with an almost minimalistic approach with epic sounding atmospheres, more often than not exploring a mellow theme before suddenly adding elements that in an instant evolves the theme from a lush soundscape into a rich epic sounding soundscape. An additional trait to the music here is a dark and haunting atmosphere throughout, an element setting it apart from most releases in the same category.

Fans of atmospheric, mostly instrumental psychedelic rock as it was made in the early 70's should clearly check this one out. Highly recommended.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

This one isn't as heavy as their debut was at times,but we still have that post-rock/psychedelic flavour front and center.The PINK FLOYD comparisons are very obvious on this one(i couldn't hear them on their debut) and there is a vocal track as well which is something new.Yes i can say that there is a krautrock connection, especially on Children Of The Crown.This band is from Suffolk, England and there is a theme to this album as all the songs are really stories(fiction) of events that have happened in the past in Suffolk.The cover art is a picture of a harbour at Suffolk called Dunwich.While these songs are mostly instrumental there is an accompanying story with each track. Dunwich is about that harbour, and so we can hear the sounds of sea gulls,waves and a storm during this song.Sea gulls cry out to open before A PINK FLOYD-like soundscape takes over reminding me of the album Wish You Were Here.The organ work is fantastic.A change after 2 1/2 minutes as the tempo picks up and then quickly settles down as mellotron,thunder and sea gulls can be heard.Post- rock style guitars 4 minutes in as the song starts to build to a full sound to end it. Mustard Men is a killer track and the only one with vocals.This is very PINK FLOYD-like,especially the vocal style that reminds me of the Meddle album.The guitar led sections are contrasted with the calmer vocal passages.It's like PINK FLOYD has risen from the dead!Ripping guitar 2 1/2 minutes in as a gale force wind of mellotron comes in.Check out the psychedelic section a minute later.So serene.It's like we're in the late sixties 5 1/2 minutes in.Post-rock guitars a minute later to end it. Bartholomew's Merman sounds like the start of a post-rock tune until the synths come in strongly ala PINK FLOYD.It calms down 2 minutes in as strummed guitar leads the way.Bass comes in.It's building.Full sound after 3 1/2 minutes.It calms right down a minute later to end it. Children Of The Crown sounds like a party with the sounds of people talking.Strummed guitar comes in before we get an eastern flavour.This is definitely krautrock inspired.A baby can be heard laughing 5 minutes in as gentle guitar and organ take over.This is an amazing passage!Drums and post-rock guitars after 7 minutes. A Meeting At The Red Barn is a short instrumental.Sounds like some mandolin or harp in this one as it calms down before 2 minutes. The Fate Of Old Mother Orvis is the 18 minute closing track.The sound slowly builds, and it sounds incredible.Someone is speaking in the background.It turns very psychedelic and eerie after 3 minutes(it's about witches).It changes 5 minutes in as guitar and drums take over and build.A powerful,psychedelic wall of sound is the result.It changes again 12 minutes in to a spacey climate.A guitar/drum melody with banjo comes in and builds. The first one was more difficult to get into but once i did it's still getting better.This one is more accessible and seems to be most peoples favourite.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

This has been my biggest discovery so far in 2008.These guys blend psychedelic,krautrock and post- rock like none i've ever heard before.This is modern sounding instrumental music that creates atmospheric and psychedelic soundscapes.The post-rock flavour is by far the strongest in my opinion.The album cover is very cool as well,especially the back cover. At Long Last... is the one minute intro.They actually took part of King Edward VIII's abdication speech which begins with At long last i am able to say a few words of my own.As he speaks there is a pleasant acoustic guitar melody playing. 10:66 opens with eereie and haunting sounds as drums and guitar come in.Some spoken words after 2 1/2 minutes as the melody stops.It comes back and slowly builds to a heavy duty sound before 5 minutes.This is great! The tempo picks up 6 minutes in although it's still pretty sludgey.The post-rock style guitars are peeling the paint at this point. Humber Doucy Lane opens with a sinister bass line that is slowly picked.You can hear kids playing.Mellotron floods the soundscape as drums and guitar tastefully play.It builds to a wonderful wall of sound.Mellotron stops before 4 minutes.Kids are back playing after 5 minutes to the end of the track.Mellotron comes in wave after wave 7 1/2 minutes in to the end of the song as well. Silent The Invisible Converts opens with lots of aggression but settles down quickly to a gorgeous sound.It starts to build to a heavy sound.It's built! Punishing sound. It starts to calm back down 6 minutes in,but it doesn't last long.Awesome ending. October Moth isn't as heavy as what we were just listening to but it's raw,powerful,beautiful and uplifting.Excellent tune. Lilly Lockwood opens with a guitar sound played slowly over and over.Mellotron comes in as bass,cymbals and guitar play in this pastoral section.Drums and a full sound 1 1/2 minutes in.It stops abruptly a minute later and a new melody arrives.You can hear voices as drums pound and spacey sounds howl.The guitar is playing as well.The sound gets a little dissonant.An uplifting,heavenly sound(including mellotron) arrives 6 1/2 minutes in to end it.Nice. The March Of The Mad Clowns opens with heavy drums that turn into a marching style rhythm.The guitar creates some psychedelic sounds. Pigwhistle is the longest song at 14 minutes.A nice heavy sound becomes quite intense 2 minutes in.It calms right down 2 1/2 minutes in until all we can hear is a bass line and people speaking in the background faintly.This is very atmospheric,dark and haunting as sounds rise and fall.It changes after 8 minutes as the guitar plays gently and drums and mellotron join in.It's building.Amazing sound 11 1/2 minutes in. God Save The King is the short conclusion.It's like they took part of the intro(first song) and processed it heavily making it very psychedelic much like these future kings. The closest reference i think would be GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR with the dark and atmospheric soundscapes they create as well.This album continues to get better with each listen.This is like exploring a new land and finding new things everytime i go back.There are so many amazing passages on this record.I'm in awe.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=8772 - acid dadda

Hi there! This review will be totally biased since I'm (was? dunno, really) El Diablo's drummer... I just want to thank those guys that wrote those nice reviews... Anyway, this album is quite different to the rest of the stuff we recorded throughout the years. El Diablo, truth be told, is a heavy rock/stoner band, with psychedelic overtones... But, you see, since at the very beginnig we were always on drugs, at least ganja, we always kept an open mind, and for a while we got heavily into progrock so we decided to try out some new (for us, anyway) ideas... man, it's been nine years since we recorded this album, so I'm trying to remember why in hell we did this! I guess it had to do with the fact that we thought we were post-modern hippies, so, accordingly, we searched out those old-timers who might have shown some interest in our music. for starters, we wanted to distance ourselves from our heavy metal roots- actually, in case you didn't know (I'm sure you don't, and that's fine!), El Diablo started out as a hardcore/thrash metal band!!!! we used to call ourselves 34-D, and playing that kind of music was actually great fun. someone even put our demo out, in cassette form, in 1994! after some time we got burned out because metallers thought we wer too punk, hardcore/anrachits types thought we were too metal (they hated our super long, alice cooper-like locks...), and both scenes thought we were fast becoming fried-brain hippies... which was true hehe! anyway, the old-timers had to follow their own prejudices and cliqués, so they told us we were too young and too heavy to be a real 70's-worship band, whatever that means! but an old guy with a long white beard and snow instead of hair liked us enough to 'sign' us to his label: smogless records. he's well known in prog circles because he used to put out all kinds of wacky mexican stuff, even some classic re-issues... he liked us because his rocknroll knowledge is so incredibly vast, so he heard some demos and thought we sounded a bit like keith relf's armageddon, mixed with sabbath and blue cheer. that's kinda accurate, but actuatlly we wanted to copy and emulate the edgar broughton band, november AND corrosion of conformity... so we payed for some studio time and recorded the album. called some friends for help and smoked so much that towards the end we really didn't know what we were doing. our ego grew so badly we thought we had actually made an album of pink floyd proportions. but the guy at the mixing board didn't help matters any: he was so stoned he kept on rearranging levels and stuff, so when we heard the final mix, in the comfort of our own homes, we noticed that Ivan's guitar had been buried, that the third song (purusha) had sped up (and the original, correct version is nowhere to be found), and that the keys became discreet, laughing mice, if that makes any sense (ok- they were VERY low). we wanted to fix things, but we were out of money, and the mixing guy was out of town, so we were [%*!#]ed... later on we remastered it, but the new overall level went overboard because the master-guy was also incredibly stoned! first he was all serious and snobby, claiming he hated heavy metal and all that jazz. actyally, he's the former guitar player of a 'classic' Mexican RIO band: the high fidelity orchestra. so much for his principles: a few hours later he had all his hair in his face, and he was standing there headbanging on repeat to captain obeatleration hahahaha! ... so smogless put the record out and maybe sold, after a few years, its 1,000 copies pressing. or maybe not... we played a few times, recorded some more stuff (my all time favorite is our live record- it's way heavier, the songlist is completely different, it features a couple of studi tracks off our first demo- recorded in '97 - and sounds pretty good for a sony blank cassette that I found below the driver's seat of my car about 10 minutes before the worm, I mean, before the show) and we sort of went into hibernation in 2002 or '03... man, nobodu cared about us, so it was really depressing, plus we were all bankrupt and in our early thirties... but that's it. now a quick rundown: huautla - nice song, nice flute work, nice out of tune and badly played but lovable citar. this is actually an ode to a magical place way up in the mountains, somewhere in southern mexico. the people are nice, they're all indians and hardly speak spanish, sadly they're all very poor, but the mushrooms are great. so it's great to go visit at least once a year... mindbender - we used to jam to the main riff life or at rehearsals, just to warm up. it's obviously influenced by the floyd (echoes), and maybe quatermass... purusha - this song I truly hate. well, the real, slow version is pretty nice, all hippy-dippy, but at this speed it actually sounds like bad troll-rock. I wanted yo include lyrics, but i came up with some real corny stuff about Indian mythology and meditation.... captain obeatleration - heavy and more akin to El Diablo's real sound. it's fast, except for the middle santana-like part. actually inspired by armageddon and motorhead. tod you we were metal heads... my fave track oof the album, by the way.... equus - it drags on forever and it bores me to death. haven't heard it in years, and probably won't hear it again till my dying day. we wanted to be deep purple or something, but the guitar's low volume doesn't help one bit. avoid at all costs!!! rumanian blues - a nice acoustic piece, the sound tripped out with some effects. actually, Victor, our bassist wrote the damn song and played on it! in my opinon, Victor should release a solo album featuring stuff similar to this. i know i would take it with me to huautla... nosehablemás- we wanted to be a heavy metal Gong/Zappa. it's funny and not so terrible, but sadly, badly played. my drum playing here sucks and it makes me blush... Ok, I'll give it three stars... thanks for reading! rock on... Fernando Benpitez/El Diablo

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=2290 - memowakeman
Special Collaborator Italian Prog Specialist

In my will of promote Mexican bands, this time i will talk about El Diablo.

This band is not so known around the world, not even here in Mexico, they recorded their first and only album (self-titled by the way) in 1999, before that, they had some line up changes and a blend of various genres such as metal, psychedelic and rock. Like other 90`s bands they have been influenced by Pink Floyd, Gong and Guru Guru among others, in this album we can appreciate some of that influenced sound. Categorized as a psychedelic space rock band, i think that`s where they belong, with hints of jazz and experimentations were placed in this album, so here i go with the songs.

"Huautla" is the first song, a great song which show us the quality of the musicians, besides the members of El Diablo, here we can find guest musicians, for example in this song Alejandro Otaola (guitarist of Santa Sabina, an excellent mexican band) plays the sitar, sitar is not so frequent in progressive rock, here it makes the song more special and with a unique sound, progressiveness through the song.

"A Mind Bender" is a long song, characterized for that soft but great guitar sound Ivan Nieblas who is/was the leader of the band makes a great work playing the guitar and also the bass in the next song. This song is almost always the same rythm, bass sound reminds me of the swcond part of Pink Floyd`s Echoes, also here we can enjoy the psychedelic passages.

"Purusha" starts with that mentioned bass sound making the rythm of the song,it is not the best song of the album, maybe a little repetitive, with it`s slow tempo moments, but nothing of another world, drums are always great.

"Capitan Obeatleration", a weird name, i dont know if it has something relationed with The Beatles, at least the music is so different, it shows us from the start a psychedelic oriented band, strong guitar riffs, this song is great, a clear example of "modern" psychedelia,another almost 10 minute song, with this song louder your mind will fly!.

"Womoon" is another of that slow songs, which are envolving you, slow tempo song, the first and only with vocals, also here we can find a very nice flute sound, the guitar chords are always the same, but it makes it great, it is not necessary to change, i like this song a lot.

"Equus" wow, an excellent song, the highest point maybe, it is the largest over 11 minutes, again with that great guitar through the song, in fact it doenst have mood changes or time changes etc, but that 11 fast minutes of great guitar and armony makes your mind blowing , i really enjoy it, it freaks me out.

"Rumanian Blues" show us that space and cosmic sound, not as clear as Hawkwind for example, also this song is again slow tempo, experimentation , but with a similar style all the song, this time the acoustic guitar took the show.

"Samelbaheson" is the last song of this great album, and of course it couldnt get behind, it is another great song, but this time with a great change, it starts again with that exquisite sitar sound togehter with a voice over nowhere, which is reminiscent to some indian music, but suddenly El Diablo returns, again with that superb guitar with faster tempo, bass and drums like always great, also the flute appears here with an acid sound.

I really love this album, it doesnt have weak moments, this makes me think about give to it 5 stars, but im doubting, so after all i highly recommend this album, a great exponent of Mexican prog, and 4.5 stars really, because it is not a masterpiece, but it could be of course a great addition to any prog lover.

Some songs to remember: "Huautla": Excellent intro piece with a slow rhythm full of references to the 70's psychedelic. "Purusha": Interesting composition inffkluenced by some Ravi Shankar style and great work on flute. "Captain Obeatleration": The happiest song of the disc. A powerful and repetitive guitar riff leads the rhythm of that song that remembers a hard acid journey. "Samelbaheson": Another song full of ethnical inffluences. Totally beautifull and well arranged.

Pay attention to this band, really. They are full of beautiful arrangements, specially on winds and percussion. For those who likes experimetal and psychdelic this album will sound very good...

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

MARY NEWSLETTER is a band i've looked into more than once over the years but i could never find much in the way of reviews so i always passed.Then tszirmay came along praising this Italian Psychedelic band which coincided with the "Mellow records" sale, so i got this one and the followup fairly cheap.I'm so glad i finally pulled the trigger. I was able to find an old interview with this band which was enlightning because all the info and lyrics are in Italian in the liner notes.Mario the drummer says "We tried to compose a dark,psychedelic,minimilist album.We chose sounds able to drive the listener into a mental trip".This is a concept album about the incapacity of human understanding when it comes to infinity,nothingness,death,eternity etc. The title "Del Perduto Coraggio" stands for "Losing hope".The idea is that this(losing hope) is the final consideration of the human mind that struggles with these concepts(death,eternity etc.) and gives up. "Atomic Deja Vu" is silly and seems so out of place on this album,especially as the opening track.The band even called this "a stupid song about death".It's only 2 minutes long and is quite catchy. "Ah...sssch!" is atmospheric with sparse piano.This becomes haunting as other sounds come and go.Drums before 3 minutes out of nowhere.Vocals and a powerful soundscape follow.I like the guitar before 5 minutes.Vocal melodies then synth-like sounds follow. "Andrea Emo Nel Suo Studio" opens with these experimental sounds that are repeated over and over as synths play in the background.I like it.Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in come and go in a relaxed manner.It's experimental again.It kicks in around 4 minutes.A calm before 6 minutes as it turns spacey with vocals.Piano before 7 minutes to end it. "Dovuti Effetti Du Una Sola Causa" is my favourite and it features fast paced spoken words with a haunting background.Sounds like footsteps coming and going.The song turns into sounding like a cross between FLOYD and TANGERINE DREAM.Vocals 4 1/2 minutes in and it becomes louder after 6 minutes. "Neon" kicks in with a good rhythm before 2 minutes.Nice guitar too. "Del Perduto Coraggio" opens with pulsating sounds as other sounds come and go.It's eerie and dark.A beat comes in.Spoken words after 2 1/2 minutes or is it yelling.Haha. The raw guitar before 4 minutes is cool.The pulsating sounds of the intro return to end it. "Amica Venus" kicks in around a minute.Great sound! Guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in.Nice.Atmosphere to end it as it blends into "Wittgestein".The atmospheric synths continue.A beat comes in then vocals. "Deja Vu Reprise" is next.Why!!? Haha. "Prospettiva Nevski" features FLOYD-like bass as vocals come in.It turns powerful after 1 1/2 minutes as vocals continue.It ends as it began. I think there's enough here to give it 4 stars.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9836 - tszirmay
Special Collaborator Symphonic Team

This unique release remains one of my favorite Italian School of Prog releases of all-time, an extremely thoughtful album, lushly loaded with shimmering ideas, simmering atmospheres and exquisite creativity. It does need total attention as the value takes time to surface . The immediate first impression is one of playful invention, with decidedly unpretentious delivery, featuring the quality guitar playing of Davide Pisi, whose style is a mixture of Mark Knopfler (that gritty bluesy tone), Jan Akkerman (the jazzier solo period) and at times, early David Gilmour. But the remaining musicians are wonderful as well Marco Gusberti on piano and keys, Massimo Necchi on rotund bass, Mario Bramè on bold drums and a full-voiced Massimiliano Galbani, a vocalist who can emote, wail and soar in the language of his ancestors. "Vis Country" is a fine example of their inimitable recipe, an evocative romp that swerves, swoons and swamps with utter conviction. The guitar technique is pure genius, a blend of crass, coarse, grainy and rough, within a jazz-blues-prog blanket, great melodies and moods, up- tempo coalescing with mid-tempo , tossing in a few viola, cello, mandolin and flute passages to the mix, the mid section infuses mysterious psychedelia into a glorious paroxysm of emotion. A subtle piano-led solo and the restrained electric lead solo crowns this opener with cheering zeal and augurs well for the following tunes. "Intermezzo per chitarra, flauto e bouzouki" is a brief piece with German spoken words, flute, acoustic guitar and bouzouki, a beautiful pastoral interlude, full of sultry beauty, a simple melody to expire for, sheer exaltation. "Lontano" is a bruising, guitar-droned 6 minute masterpiece that resonates with conviction, bass guitar bopping along uncaring, the vocals sadly exuding some "distant" pain, dreamy psychedelic overtones color the arrangement. The ultra-distorted guitar break really growls with unabated fury, proving what an original 6 stringer Pisi really is, loading up on a fluid jazzy solo just to add faint distinction to the grind. A string quartet ends the tune and allies itself with an acoustic guitar on the next splendid ditty "intermezzo per quartetto d'archi e chitarra acustica". The contrasts are well thought out and thus, exhilarating. "Cattolica" is a 9 minute extravaganza with slithering slide guitar runs adding to the sublime main melody, very wistful and permissive until the underlying tone kicks in with pulsating frenzy, a restrained synth passage ushers in a pensive introspection and then, explosion! Pisi's axe playing becomes utterly lewd, almost dirty, complete bravado and bold assertiveness, an incredible display that is so rare in modern electric guitar playing. A return to the slide guitar trip and the vocalist recall of the main theme give the piece room to blossom, in fact imploding into a jazz bar-room atmosphere with scat-singing, bebop drums, cymbals crashing in seemingly disarray, real cool stuff! The next Interlude is "Orientale" where sitar, flute and percussives combine to provide an Eastern aroma, another sign of their expansionist creativity. "La Danza" is a mischievous little piece that "dances" convincingly, with Pisi's punkish axe leading the way, while Galbani's vocals truly shine with both brute power and insidious resolve , held down by some insanely nimble bass work. The similarly brief "Ricordi" is firmly in the dreamier category, with the spotlight directly on the vocals and some slithering bluesy guitar runs (a riveting solo that just rages onward), again combining jazz, blues, classical and that touch of originality that defines their style. "Le coup de fion" is a sumptuous interlude featuring piano and strings within a gorgeous melody. To prove how great this album is and how deep their craft can express powerful emotions, they finish off the proceedings with a 19 minute epic, the simply masterful "Martiri di Curiosita" (Martyrs of Curiosity). A long, sinuous, pensive intro assigns gentle electronics together with delicate percussion, the space/psychedelic overtones palpable, slowly exploding into a reptilian propulsion where all ingredients come together led as always by a bass-led turbo charge, some extended guitar improvisation, smashing, slashing, drilling and drooling with barely restrained abandon until the clearly defined melody breaks through the sonic clouds, opening up the piece like a blooming tulip! The piano and the vocal then reiterate the theme with conviction and one cannot help but smile as the whole becomes crystal clear, this is simply astral music. It's all here: soundscapes, special effects, great instrumentation, superb melodies, great singing and superlative playing. An absolute must for any ISP fan as well as for those who constantly seek new rock guitar sounds and styles. 5 virgin headlines.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9836 - tszirmay
Special Collaborator Symphonic Team

There are very few groups in Progland quite like these simply amazing Italians, choosing to ply the oft traveled waters of symphonic prog with a whimsical take on the style, bringing in all kinds of intriguing touches. Their previous album "Distratto Dal Sole" was a real jewel, fueled by Davide Pisi's rather original guitar style, some unique singing in the traditional language of the land and some very attractive arrangements that kept away from synthesized bombast, preferring a jazzier experimentation slant. "Del Perdutto Corraggio" is even more leftfield, exploring peculiar soundscapes with unabashed curiosity , propelled by Pisi's magic axe and masterful interventions from the remaining crew, Marco Gusberti relying mostly on ornate yet slightly dissonant piano and hissing synths in an almost ultra-modern electronic style, as opposed to traditional sweeping virtuoso approach. The material sparkles with a hypnotic feel, singers Massimiliano Galbani and Mario Bramé (who is an excellent drummer as well) offering up some sense of lyrical balance to arrangements that veer dangerously close to sheer madness. At times minimalist (especially when the piano plays a major role) and at others effervescent, their brand of ISP is wholly original, extremely affirmative and slightly provocative as proven by the "Yugoslav" radio samples that collide with bubbling synths, mechanical drum beats, closer to experimental electronica than anything symphonic, as amply demonstrated on the manic "Dovuti Effetti di Una Sola Causa". The next track "Neon" returns to the supple delivery of their brand of psychedelia, with Pisi's twangy 6 string foray, twirling politely with Massimo Necchi's booming bass guitar, this is Mary Newsletter at their most cohesive and unique. The title track reverts to the realm of creative bizarreness, weird electro burps shuffling relentlessly, zips and zaps all over the place with an exalted vocal rant that is downright creepy, until Pisi kicks in a wickedly schizoid guitar blast, full of muted rage and insanity. This will not play on the radio, I assure you. "Amica Venus" is a disjointed affair that reveals some disturbing traits, burping bass heralding in a marshalling vocal that seem to float in luscious rancor. A slashing harmonica sardonically winks at the intense wah-wah guitar explosion, a definite descent into delirium. "Wittgestein 31" is another sterling electro breeze with swooning washes of synthesized wind, floating over some simple guitar picking, a brief but magnificent piece of divine music. The concise "Déjà vu reprise" revisits a previous album mainstay, the playful "Déjà vu", a sing along ditty full of fun and brawn. The boys like to have some fun, occasionally sprinkled with some odd ball configurations which continue on the rather Tullian "Prospektiva Nevski", echo vocal and all. While not as immediately appealing as their stunning predecessor, credit must be given to their inbred sense of "progression". 4 issues.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=12042 - Finnforest
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / RPI Specialist

Fresh, weird, rocking. Floats my boat.

Mary Newsletter's fourth album is a very fresh take on the modern space rock album. The true Italian spirit of adventure and humor can be found in this eclectic mix of rock, space, psych, pop, and electronica. Do not judge the group by the streamed track on this site, it is an older track that frankly doesn't compare with the quality of this album. They list their influences as Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service and their guitar sound could be compared to Mark Knofler at times though it is often not as clean sounding as Dire Straits but with more of a spaced-out vibe.

"integro" begins with bleepy samples, weird sounding guitar and distorted wordless vocals. Some frisky acoustic guitar joins in. Then the band comes in heavily with good bass and drums. No one shows off too much but you can tell they are good players. Some normal vocals alternate with the distorted ones. The last minute features some weird squawking noises to the jamming guitar. "il colpo e la croce" is my favorite track starting with eerie noises to acoustic guitar. A beautiful and haunting vocal starts soon after that with absolutely perfect expressive space guitar and bass creating a Djam Karet style atmosphere. There is an odd effect to the vocal that gives a sense of helplessness to the subject. Soft piano sprinkles, bird like noises, and sparingly used percussion all add so much. The Levin sounding bass playing carries the track through some of the quieter moments. A masterful, perfect song. "peccato." comes charging out of the previous song with an upbeat drum beat and some rock guitar and heavy bass. More odd vocals give the otherwise static song a little edge. "illusione/delusione" is a jamming instrumental workout. "la pace" features both regular drumming and hand percussion with wah-wah guitar and good vocals. More nice piano here and there. The song structure breaks down in the middle and has some open space with just jazzy cymbals and loose guitar leads. One of the stronger tracks. "morte di un moderato" is quite bizarre with a movie soundtrack feeling, like from a strange 60s film. Exotic instrumentation and a "no rules" playing style of each man for himself. "step forward" is a strange song that begins with an electronica styled programmed beat with psych guitar in the background and wistful vocals. It slowly evolves into a good electric guitar solo over nice slow rhythm before the fast programmed beat returns at the end. "comin' into LA" may go down as the strangest cover I've ever heard. It's an electronica version of Arlo Guthrie's old "Coming into Los Angeles" that could be played at a rave to a roomful of partyers. It's a bit ridiculous to be sure but this album has a sense of humor lost on lots of dry artists. "nothing but the net" is almost a mix of punk, surf, and psych-pop. "in fondo" like the previous track shows the wheels coming off the wagon even further, in a good way, as "normal rock" music blurs into a loose, trippy rock chaos.

The band's myspace site claims they have disbanded but given the strength of this most recent release, we can only hope it is a temporary hiatus. Mary Newsletter is one of the most refreshing modern rock bands I've heard in some time, with a knack for combining good melodies with interesting and bizarre songwriting choices. Recommended to anyone who likes adventurous psych-pop or space-rock. Comes with a lyric booklet and nice artwork on the front and back covers.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=240 - Prognut
Prog Reviewer

Actually 3 1/2 stars!

This Band is somewhat difficult to describe in an overall sense?! I can tell you, however that this album to me is a very pleasant to listen. Not very complex but, melodic. It has progressive touches throughout no question about it, but it also shows elements of Rock, Blues, ethnic and space/Psych (ala PT) in the mix.

Several points, that I personally like about this album...It does not manifest a simple influence and preserves their Italian heritage, but with a 90's feeling (Italian lyrics by the way..) and, actually they have done a great job in this regard. There are four Intermezzos tracks, which give the sense of a cohesive album.

In all a very good release, that deserves some attention! I would not have any troubles in recommend this album to anybody, especially the Italian Prog lover!!!

"Nuove Lettere" is their first self-produced demo-CD. Half of the lyrics are in Italian and half in English. The sound on the CD is very dated with a flat and rough sound, but actually that is only good, because you get the impression of actually listening to a band from the late 60's or early 70's. The music got an improvised feeling overall, with many rhythm and tempo changes.

A very nice thing about this album is the use of violin and flute. There is also some excellent guitar and bass playing too, even though the guitar and bass get to much space on the album and the keyboards is sometimes disappearing in the mixing. When you get used to the singer he fits in very well with the music.

The best track is "Introduzione", "Mary", "Thanks Daddy!" and "Thoughts" (a 13 minutes long masterpiece).

This is not a perfect debut; still I think it's one of the five best albums from 1996. MARY NEWSLETTER is surely a promising band with very good musicians. I hope I get the chance to hear their new release "Distratto dal sole", because this is an interesting band. Recommended.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=10545 - Chris H
Collaborator Math Rock Team

Wild screeching, tapes running backwards, maniacal drumming, random explosions of feedback mixed together with off-key bass eruptions and bits of silence?

No, that is not an excerpt from the recipe to making an Alfred Hitchcock movie score, it is a description of a few of the many different experiences one may encounter on this incredibly strange, yet unorthodoxly delightful musical extravaganza. From the cover until the end of the last track, this is one big giant freak out party.

The opening track, "Lyon" is a shocking mix of feedback and screeching guitars that almost sound like nails sliding down a chalkboard, but somehow I get the strange feeling that it was meant to be that way. This screeching atmosphere continues into "Paris Pt. One" and halfway into "Paris Pt. Two" before our madman behind the kit, Tatsuya Nakatani starts bringing some major skill into the picture. The band actually starts to jam with a fixed beat and only limited guitar wanderings and Nakatani drives the whole show home before erupting into a drum solo of monstrous proportions with about 1:30 left in the track. "Napoli/Perpignan Pt. One" starts out with an almost haunting mixture of rhythmic backgrounds and spinning sound effects that sound vaguely like screams in the darkness. Silence comes around 4:00 in, and then a fixed rhythmic jam starts, and this is actually quite relaxing compared to the unstructured romping of the previous tracks. "Perpignan Pt. One" is one of my favorite live snippets of all time, mainly due to the fact that the band finally tames a little bit and kicks the structure up a notch. The bass and drums match beats for the first time on the album and the guitar actually has a sense of direction that it lacked for the first few tracks. "Ex-Visitations" brings that show to a close, and this is not a good way to end it. Repetitive chords with random percussion smashing? Doesn't work for me, sorry.

All in all, I guess this is one of those shows that you need to experience live, right before your eyes. I'm sure all of the guitar wandering and drum pounding is much more appealing when you can actually take a visual glimpse of the skill of the musicians, but on CD, it just doesn't transfer to something that is listener friendly.

A great attempt to fuse psychedelia and avant-garde, but let's keep adventures like these for a live crowd only.

3 stars, go see these guys live instead.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=5206 - chamberry
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

A Psychedelic Noise Rock band (literally!)

The Psychic Paramount may be just a trio, but man can they pack a punch! This guys play their music with the volume up to 11 and no less than 11. This can be slight of a problem for people with sensitive ears or don't want their speakers to be severely damaged by the sheer power of this band. You've been warned...

Now to their music. This is jam band often echoing Guru Guru circa UFO, but dirtier and rawer than them. The first song is the intro and it's pretty much made up of pure noise and nothing more. It may annoy you or you may enjoy it, but whatever it does to you it will keep your blood pumping and it will stay that way for the rest of the album. The album is pretty versatile in their own context of sound. From trippy noise passages to aggressive jamming from the three members. All of their sound is revolved around their over-distorted sound. This may put off many people at first, but after repeated listens their sound becomes more tolerable and enjoyable. Luckily, by the end of the album their sound isn't as harsh as the rest of the album. The last song, "Paramount", is probably the more trance inducing tune in the album with its repetitive theme echoing into nothingness for almost 7 minutes. It's a well needed brake for all of the slaughter your ears experienced in the previous songs.

So by the end of the album your ears will be ringing badly and you will probably need to buy some new speakers. This band is definitely not for everyone, but if you can tolerate high amounts of distortion and white noise this band will be greatly enjoyable. My only complaint is that the album is criminally short. Only 35 minutes! It leaves you wanting for more, but we'll have to wait for later this year for new material.

Not for the faint of heart.

3.7

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

Oh! - this sound flows through my body like heavy dope. And drugs are dangerous - you know that? Don't try to listen when you are in a bad mood. In that case this music will knock somebody down for sure. Otherwise - when you are up to scratch and feel the necessity to hug the whole world this can carry you to a new dimension.

'Last Day Of Sun' is the second effort of a Moscow based band with an almost unspeakable name KALUTALIKSUAK. The album title points to the fact that in some russian territory the sun is remaining below the horizon for nearly 2 months in winter. This is taking effect on the people's mood where Shamanism and native rituals still have a special meaning.

Is it one entire freakout jam what I'm listening to? Or composed with well thought out ideas? Onlythe band members know the truth. I tend to the latter. Krautrock and psych/space fans watch out! This is hot hallucinatory stuff predominantly - but not familiar as you might expect because provided with a strong avantgarde approach. They don't stay and float in the orbit - it's a permanant up and down - you can't figure out the direction. Starting from a psychedelic fundament they are adding ambient and free jazz similar parts with roving guitars and keyboards presented by the two core members Vladimir Konovkin and Alexander Chuvakov.

You will detect native russian elements, flute, exceptional vocals with a Shamanic background I assume - walls of crashing instruments too sometimes. All this is alternating, swirling around, gripping, perplexing - I don't think according to the random principle. It's not chaotic - an experimental symphony though so to say - only the popular understanding of what melodic means takes a backseat here - or is simply assigned with a new sense. Astonishing!

Recommended to open-minded music listeners who are interested in exploring new (foreign) territories. As for my personal sentiment - it has left me quite nervous once before when I listened to the whole album at a single blow. As no other it depends on your mood how you are digesting this sort of music. Probably not surprising for the band - they know what they are doing, KALUTALIKSUAK define new boundaries, celebrating an atmosphere which is absolutely unique. Not everyone's cup of tea and as for all avantgarde stuff it grows I'm sure. 'Last Day Of Sun' gets an additional star from me because I never came across something like that before ...

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=16135 - raigor

In some sense, there is a good reason to label KALUTULIKSUAK as Psychedelic/Space Rock band considering that their first official, self-titled CD-release featured a sort of proto-space-rock (with programmed beats, swirling textured keyboards, swishing phased guitars, and groovy bass). Those obscure songs were recorded in 1992-1993 at rehearsals. Simultaneously, they also recorded very different and much more focused avant-rock songs (as GB) which you can download and taste from www.raig.ru/AT_kalutaliksuak.asp.

And here comes a new album "Last Day of Sun" recorded in 2008. Space-Rock? Psychedelic? In the sense of HAWKWIND or OZRIC TENTACLES music it is not. But if you take, for example, French SHUB- NIGGURATH, blend it with Danish-Swedish ORESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE, and add authentic Siberian Shamanic chanting (sang on self-invented language), you would get a picture of how KALUTALIKSUAK sounds this time. This is an associative description for "rock" generation. Though, if your musical interests spread to classical academic music, the better description would be "an adaptation of Igor Stravinsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, or Alfred Schnittke's music to the format of rock-quartet".

Yes, it's very uneasy listening. Yes, it might sound too chaotic and confused (like certain works of aforementioned academic composers). But it's very concentrated and loaded performance, which sometimes even lacks in this free-loose spirit of psychedelic jamming.

This is excellently presented with the opener Black Capricorn - a sonic adventure, the drones are not that aggressive - which means the song can evolve dreamy and trippy anyhow. Can't detect if guitars are involved here. Fortunately they invited drummer Andreas Hauer-Jensen who serves a rocking component with his groove and so you can also consider this one as a space rock tune indeed.

The same to say for the next The Flutist, provided with a nice mellow ambience and meandering guitar appearance - fantastic - and one might say way too short! The floating Cairo is based on an industrial humming loop which reminds me of the german project 'Space Explosion' featuring members of Faust and Cluster. But this one is presented more smooth with a slight oriental touch which appeals even better to me.

Loop#9 is reminiscent of Pink Floyd's spacey heyday a little bit as for the keyboard/synthesizer parts where the guitar is not a Gilmour clone at all appearing with an acid bluesy touch I would say. The longest track Billy Name is also reserved to be the last one - for me a less intriguing jam with stoner rock leanings - okay, more subtle compared to other stoner songs in any way and provided with an interesting melancholic ambient section at the end.

SVARTBAG's debut is a highly recommended album - skillfully worked out with a gripping athmospheric texture. Experimental but also melodic, droning but also charming - the songs are successfully uniting elements which are even seemingly controversial. I'm curious what will follow ...

Taking its influences from krautrock, psychedelic-rock, shoegaze and minimalism, Svartbag present an intriguing view of their musical vision: dark and gripping rich-sounding repetitive tunes, pleasant yet eerie; on a mission to isolate the listener from its environment and surround him with powerful and controlling patterns and sounds. Svartbag's Myspace offers this fitting description of the album: "Svartbag's music can best be described as sonic drones, analogue noise and repetitive space-rock with a touch of ambient and electronica."

There is not much wait, no slow buildup; rather it faces you head on (though not in a bombastic or overly aggressive way) and steals you away from your reality into their musical scenery. It is in fact epic-like, not in length but in scope, in what they achieve with their five compositions, which is a haunting atmosphere, a compelling entourage of sounds. The richness of sound, the flow of each track, the well played and composed tunes, the rhythms and varying moods and influences all sum up synergistically to a fabulous listening experience; one that makes me eager to listen to it again and again. When talking about the magic in music, that something indescribable that grabs you and takes you away from your physical self, this is to me that kind of music.

Svartbag is one of those albums that caught me from first listen. It's refreshingly well-done and well-balanced. A highly enjoyable and recommended release.

The music on the album is minimalistic, droning and slow building post rock. There are also some obvious nods towards the early german krautrock scene. I was for example reminded of Neu! when I listened to the second song on the album The Flutist. As mentioned the songs are very simple and slow building towards multilayered climaxes of droning noises. The music is dark and atmospheric. The most accessible song is probably the above mentioned The Flutist which is also the shortest track on the album with its 5:21 minutes playing time. The other four songs ranges from 8 to 14 minutes in playing time.

The production is pretty raw and unpolished with lots of distorted guitars, electronics and samples mixed together. I think the sound suits the music well.

For fans of slow building post rock with lots of drones this is probably a really good release but I must say that I prefer my post rock to be less repetitive and more melodic. I enjoy the dark atmosphere but the repetitive nature of the music really turns me off. I can´t give more than 2.5 stars. This is a case of me not enjoying the music though and not a case of bad quality.

Their music travels a wide scope of emotions, from delicate and soothing to rock passages with the guitar leading the way to climatic, powerful and moving. The band knows how to create effective space-rock themes with psychedelic elements and a good example of that would be the track Floating Underground, which incidentally has a very prominent and appealing bass line. The synths add a great spacey atmosphere with their effects and the guitars soars through them; all this results in an excellent tune. The tracks flow very well from one to the next (some are directly connected) and there is a very homogenous sound to the album; A somewhat sad and depressed mood that yet has optimism in it. A good example of that is the beautiful song Peaceful 5 which while being short and acoustic mixes the melancholy of the album with a brighter than usual sense than the rest of the songs on this album; the vocal harmony of the band members are done well and are very beautiful. Sound references would be the spacey rock period of Porcupine Tree (Sky Moves Sideways) with a bit of the later material as well with touches of symphonic-prog/art-rock a-la King Crimson and Anekdoten as is evident from the flute part; also there are post-rock characteristics of climatic guitar riffs peaks.

The vocals are not the strong side of the band, though they do not detract much from the music. Not that they are bad, but a stronger, fuller voice style would give the music a stronger effect.

Overall, an enjoyable album I'll come back to listen to; however I do hope they'll form more of their own sound and rely less on the influences I mentioned above.

3.5 stars.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

Greg Walker has this to say about this band on his web-site.Beautiful melancholy progressive,like a mix of ANEKDOTEN,LANDBERK and PORCUPINE TREE.One of the best things i've heard from Isreal. I bought it right away knowing Greg's excellent taste in music,this was before REALEAF were added to the site by Avestin. These four guys have spent a lot of time listening to seventies music, and have come up with a psychedelic gem called Possibly Not. Early PORCUPINE TREE is a definite refence like Assaf says in the bio. This is sad and spacey with psychedelic lyrics.I love this stuff. Giant Bus In The Sky opens with gentle guitar as light drums and synths come in.This is mellow and melancholic.The sound is building slowly.Vocals 2 1/2 minutes in.The bass is prominant.This is such a dreamy tune.Guitar after 7 minutes is heavenly, and then it gets heavy to end it. Floating Underground is an instrumental that features a slow but steady beat as raw guitar melodies echo over top.Awesome sound. PORCUPINE TREE-like synths come in at 2 minutes.A nice heavy bass follows.The psychedelic guitar is ripping it up as synths cry out.Incredible sound! Something Breaks (Pt.1) opens with soft vocals as guitar gently plays and drums beat lightly.A heavy sound arrives a minute in.Check out the bass! Processed vocals a minute later and then it kicks into a higher gear.It settles quickly as the tempo and mood change often.This is such an outstanding track. The Rising (Pt.1) is less then a minute of what sounds like wind blowing and water flowing. Everything's Going South opens with gentle guitar before spoken words come in reminding me of The Necromancer by RUSH. Wilson-like vocals follow with light drums,guitar and a fuller sound that builds. A Peaceful V opens with reserved vocals that are almost spoken as guitar is strummed lightly.It picks up a bit a minute in.Multi-vocal melodies and prominant bass follow before returning to original sound. Walking Away With Closed Eyes is again very mellow as guitar and drums take turns before vocals arrive.Multi-vocals after a minute.Then some blistering guitar comes in with heavy bass.It calms right down quickly then multi-vocals are back 3 minutes in as sound starts to build. Possibly Not is the 9 minute title track to end the album.The intro is dark with guitar and drums.Spacey synths join in and then vocals 2 minutes in.The synths and almost spoken vocals remind me so much of PORCUPINE TREE.Amazing soundscape.He's singing before 5 minutes.The song starts to get a little freaky then the guitar comes in and lights it up as the drummer puts on a show.It gets really heavy 7 minutes in.It then becomes silent until what sounds like an atom bomb goes off ends the track and album. I highly recommend this record to fans of early PORCUPINE TREE and fans of psychedelic music.Great album.

Well - where should I start? Okay - let's say you're running across sitars everywhere, for example immediately on the opening title track. Very cool and provided with a rich instrumentation - percussion, acoustic/electric guitar, bass and synths are additionally acting - a mellow thing with a nice melody - only the electronic weird end is somewhat contrary and another hint for a modern production. Will's voice is excellently matching by the way. All in all the tile song manages the task to make curious for more.

You will fail to detect some drum playing on the album. This is kept for the next one which is announced for 2009 - and for the live performances. Acoustic guitars are dominating - but more than in a simple singer/songwriter vein - so to hear on Floor which has a nice decent electric piano accompaniment. Mantra #27 pleases me because offering a more weird combination of oriental feeling and heavy psych guitar plus nearly aggressive bass playing. This is one of the songs where you might be disappointed about their shortness. The same for Giallo (Profondo Argento) with fantastic spacey guitars.

Another Venus - american westcoast feeling comes up here. Excursions into a more bluesy terrain are also integrated with Plastic Hippie. Mariachi - The twilight and Chiaroscuro are hijacking you to South Europe in a more classical mood. Lonely Grave with dual acoustic guitar is probably the most melancholic tune you can find - gentle and mellow. But the following contrary Conversation wakes you up immediately with doubled hard rocking AC/DC guitars and some whacked-out statements. The last two songs belong to the longer ones. The ballad In the Haze of drugs deals with the tempation of drug use and shows some scary sound samples. The Last Song is wonderful asian flavoured with suitar and percussion but soon counteracted by a heavy psychedelic guitar and last but not least provided with a 'hidden track' gimmick.

'Lord Space Devil' is a psychedelia drenched album recommended for a listening session from the beginning to the end. Take your time and let the music flow. Monotony or boredom - what's that? A diversified piece of work with a professional sound mixing - rich on ideas and instrumentation.

Appalachian Translator are a three-piece outfit by three Primak brothers, who have had much experience and grown up through home recordings. Yes it's no problem to say that from their 'Garbage Snake' (the roots of Appalachian) era, they have continually built extensive experience and massive material for this terrific debut album. You can see such a kaleidoscopic effect even only listening to the first track. Indeed they say they should be much influenced by such as British progressive symphonic rock, Hawkwindish space rock, Krautrock, new heavy progressive rock. But at least for me, they seem to be a faithful learner of shoegaze / garage independent rock. Their fuzzy and twisted style, especially Luke's low-tone and rumbling voices...I can feel as if they should be a follower of Stone Temple Pilots. (Luke's voices sound like Scott Weiland's ones...any comments?)

Anyway here are remarkably heavy and thickened sound 'mass' and sound 'lump', with adding on various material one after another. Consider they can well throw sci-fi noises, sometimes loud growlin', effects with echoic sounds and voices, and markedly stoner / shoegaze / garage low-tone guitar and bass sounds in this work. Their sharp-edged ensemble can pierce your brain slowly and steadily and knock you over the 'real' world to their psychedelia. only their pop sense can relieve you at a little time...can't it?

I wonder how they can be expressed - kaleidoscopic stoner Krautishly-psychedelic garage rock, in my humble opinion. In any case, please listen to the album and digest as you can.

../album.asp?id=25240 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

APPALACHIAN TRANSLATOR are a really interesting find. Three brothers from Pennsylvania making music together - enjoyable by all means with psychedelic and spacey elements in the majority. Unmistakebly influenced by several prog bands and styles and therefore they celebrate a special eclectic style on top of it. 'Consider An Invasion' is not very lengthy - nearly a total time of a vinyl - even though this one offers various impressions.

Emulsion Tubes proves that immediately. Belonging to the album's extended tracks the opener surely is able to represent the distinctive genre - one of the highlights. You will find a spacey synthesizer intro first but the special trickiness comes from a combination of mellow parts (electric piano, acoustic guitar) and heavy moments (impetuous vocals and rhythm work, multiple electric guitar layers). What may sound like plain jamming for the first impression evolves to a well thought-out tension-filled diversity after some rounds - well done!

A bouncing bass guitar accompanies you through the next songs - besides the inventive vocals another remarkable goody. If it is the grooving Knowingly or the garage rock inspired Who Are Them and Masters of Gravity - the latter provided with crazy vocal contributions. The excellent False Alarm expresses some krautish weirdness where Un-ultimate is defining something new - a kind of space punk.

Showing a slight pop appeal first Research sounds retro - like longing for the beat music dominated 60s where the first bands tried to experiment with some psychedelia. But then they live up to their reputation when changing to a floating spacey section later on. The album offers another challenge with the lengthy Community - obviously an eclectic one and hard to describe. Initiated by a sample swirling crimsonesque guitars are taking control until the band is on the run to heavier territories. Then surprisingly some Bo Hansson feelings come up when going on to a more relaxed jamming middle section.

Again this seems to evolve to something simply repetitive at a first glance but the instruments are slightly varying in fact and care for some tension - probably the band's masterpiece. Finally the heavy Hunter From the Treetop is made up very experimental too where Luke Primak seems to scream his head off right in the middle of the song but fortunately is able to recover soon.

'Consider An Invasion' is a matured album, ambitious, far away from any mainstream. However - although containg some weirdness here and there consisting of really listenable songs, requiring full attention to reach for the depths. APPALACHIAN TRANSLATOR are on the way to new horizons here - that's unique. Recommended!

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9815 - King Lerxt

I just got it and play it for the first time. The album is very interesting and the sound is very reminiscent of the 70s progressive rock.

This new propossal includes a mix of phasers and delay, manic-flanged drums, synthesizer mayhem, acid- guitar leads, unthinkable bass lines, time-signatures, and cosmic space sounds of the highest order.

Titan are a pleasure to behold. Highly recommended for fans of all things psychedelic/prog/Kraut/space rock, be it contemporaries like Acid Mothers Temple, Comets on Fire, Boris, Green Milk from the Planet Orange, and Dead Meadow, or legends such as Guru Guru, Amon Duul, Can, King Crimson and Hawkwind.

4 stars!

../album.asp?id=15274 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=5206 - chamberry
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

While most stoner rock bands draw influences from Black Sabbath and Hawkwind, Titan adds more influences into the mix. They incorporate the spirit and attitude of 70's progressive rock bands to their raw and druggy sound. This is a great step forward within their genre and compared to other "retro" bands they are still a force to be reckoned with.

The sound and feel of the albums is firmly rooted in the 70's and although this can be a bad thing if one's looking for innovation, if we talk about how good the music is then it's another different story. They have a wide array of influences ranging from bands such as Neu!, Ash Ra Temple, Hawkwind, Rush, Mahavishnu Orchestra (although less disciplined) and even Comus. Now try imagining all of those bands mixed and served with a coating of some good ol' stoner rock. From the fuzzed guitars, to the steady-yet-interesting rhythm section and the different kinds of keyboards such as the Hammond organ (for the heavier parts) and the moog (for the intergalactic trips) all of these instruments help create this wonderful retro sound.

All of the songs here are around the 10 minute mark and they have plenty of time to develop their sound. All of the songs have different moods and themes, but all are centered in showing off their prog influences (and jams). The first songs starts with their only vocals in the whole album sounding like Roger Wootton from Comus and then switching to a organ/ guitar power duo leading us into the extended jam for there on after. The second song is the "heavy prog" song in the album giving us nods to Goblin, Bigelf and other "heavy prog" bands while still having a trippy atmosphere in the whole song. Sadly this song isn't very varied and its the weakest of the bunch. The third songs kicks us back in action and now with a space rock vibe and Acid Mothers Temple-ish synth effects. This song also shows their stoner rock roots more clearer and its the highest point in the album. The last song is their Krautrock moment. A single motorik beat keeps the song going echoing Neu! in their prime and an excellent song to finish the album.

As you can see by reading this review if you're looking for innovation then good luck finding it here, but if you want some prog inspired stoner rock jams then this is your stop. Also if you enjoy bands such as Comets on Fire, Dead Meadow, Colour Haze, Mammatus and related then this is for you too. Highly recommended for people who found this review interesting.

3.5 out of 5

(Don't let the star rating fool you. If you're interested in this band then don't hesitate and check them out.)

Great debut of this collective which celebrates 'spontaneous real-time composing' for what also several other swedish bands are known. Just to mention KAABEL or ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE (OSC) for example. So the songs are often the result of endless jams, just the essence of them, 10 songs which are stylistically hard to categorize. The psychedelic element is dominant, the band acts with much variety and links to the 70s (prog) rock. Additionally théy use a lot of effects and native instruments. Vocals are accent free and so you're sometimes willing to suppose the band is from the States and not from Sweden.

The album starts with birds' twittering and Didjeridoo. One of a kind, a brave opener, has very accessible melodies and is also complex indeed - tricky and eclectic with a dark atmosphere ('you're eating my mind'). Susanne's vocals are top-notch and serve a cosy touch but can also be harsh when the song explodes with heavy guitars and drums. This is excellent song writing (if they ever did so in a classical way but I don't think it's spontaneous), one of my favourites. Autumn is initiated by the african Udu which sounds like a tabla. The band is playing similar to JEFFERSON AIRPLANE with speed variations, melancholic with wonderful vocals once again. The following two songs are somewhat ANEKDOTEN like, very powerful performed whereas Ode to a goddess is a perfect mix of Psychedelic pure and heavy Rock. The song ends suddenly and it sounds like even Suzanne had been surprised about that. Long distance call shines with a groovy rhythm, great guitar work and an eastern european polka interlude.

'This is a man's world' the main refrain is revealing with Gahn. Yet another very dynamic and heavy killer song. Daddy's dead mysterious, clutterlng, weird with Digeridoo once again and R.A.M.M first of all convinces because of Göran's excellent drum work. In a world of trouble they find their way with safety, similar to the opener exellently arranged and musically perfect. As for a highlight you can listen to simultaneous vocals and guitar playing with a native american atmosphere.

This album contains no weak song which is not quite natural. Highly recommended - one of the best of the year 2005 I could listen to.

Heavy, aggressive, raw, angry, dark, repetitive, hypnotic, mesmerizing, psychedelic. Bitter? All of these words can serve as good descriptions for the music that Solstafir plays on this album.

Sólstafir is an Icelandic band that was created in 1994 and went through several phases and demo, promo and EP releases up to the point of releasing their first full-length in 2002 and this one, their second, in 2005. Sólstafir provides a listening experience that's based on mood, power and "tripping out" with the music and not on technical playing, complexity or virtuosity. If you want to know more about the background of the band, you're welcome to read the bio I've written for them in their page in Prog Archives. Made up of 7 songs, mostly long, with the opener being almost 20 minutes, this album can be exhausting (in a good way) and one needs to be in a proper mood to absorb its entire 70 minutes. The length, however, doesn't mean the songs harbor diversity or are complex epics; rather it should tell you of their inclination to create lengthy metallic freakout. At times it sounds like long repetitive and endless jams. That is, they go on for quite a while in their hypnotic riffing (which can be either slow or fast), and thus create a particular mood that can serve as a good companion to chill out or float away with your thoughts; that is until Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, the vocalist, resumes his screams. The vocals are mostly harsh screaming which to me seem to fit the music quite well, although at times can be too much or out of place; they complete very well the feel of the music and add to the intensity level. The thing is that when they're jamming or more accurately in their trance mode, it can be a bit tedious and too long; but when they garner up speed and energy, it's fabulous. Their dynamic side is impossible for me to ignore or let go by unnoticed; it's too thrilling and catchy and makes me shake my head or legs. Add to that the heaviness of their music and it can be a crushing experience. The guitars come crumbling down on my ears unmercifully and raw sounding, enhanced by the aforementioned vocals and with the blasting drums, one gets an ear a "devastating" listening experience. There are songs like Ljósfari, which have a haunting catchy melodic peak (yes, melodic). Those are great moments in the album, though not found often enough in my opinion.

A Masterpiece Of Bitterness is an angry album; it's heavy and raw. It's a great album to let loose your energies with. It's powerful and can be almost hypnotic in the parts where they play those ongoing riffs continuously. It's an effective and well made metal release but not an outstanding one. I do enjoy listening to it but there are some flaws as I mentioned in the review that prevent me from enjoying it more, such as some over-repetitiveness. I also think they should introduce more variety into their songs; there are places where I feel they could have gone further on and develop the theme or idea more and make the song more interesting and thus even more compelling to listen to.

I'm intrigued to see whether the band's next album will be in a similar vein or will they progress from this point onwards.

3.5 stars

4 stars.

../album.asp?id=14349 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

They've certainly toned things down a lot from their previous album "Liquid".That record was almost doom-like in places whereas this one is more trippy and even-keeled.I like this one a lot though especially when the organ and guitar come to the fore. "20 09" opens with not much going on until it kicks in after a minute.Drums and a trippy sound is the result.The guitar is more prominant before 3 minutes.Great sound ! Some nice organ runs here too. "23 32" kicks in heavily right away,guitar fills the air as the organ joins in. "06 18" is slower but heavier.I like the guitar.It turns spacey after 2 1/2 minutes and then blends into the next song "44 05".It changes to a trippy sound with organ fairly quickly.The guitar dominates after 2 minutes for about a minute.It starts to turn spacey then out of nowhere before 6 minutes we get a ripping guitar solo.It settles with drums before 8 minutes before turning really spacey again before 10 minutes. "22 25" opens with relaxed guitar melodies that soon turn aggressive.Organ and drums start to build.It settles then kicks back in.Love the guitar before 4 minutes. I do like this style of music a lot, especially turned up loud.

../album.asp?id=14350 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=24872 - Cioraneto

The best thing i heard in the last months.

Made by a peculiar heavy progressive band, this album is very hypnotic, with great drums and all instrumental, without the energic vocals of the first 2 albums of the band, and much more spacey and atmospheric than his predecessors. A strong guitar in style of stoner rock bands and synths effects that create furious crescendos, particulary in Voyage Automatique, my favourite track. Other highlights are Tsunami and Crystalline, i give five stars for them too. Four stars for Evaporate and then you have a masterpiece of progressive music for my taste. I recommend this effort, for sure!

../album.asp?id=14350 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

Once again i have to thank Avestin for bringing another great band to my attention. The title of the record is "Liquid" and on the front cover is a person diving into the water,and when you open it up you will see this amazing picture of these towering waves on both sides and you feel like your in this swell at the mercy of the ocean. I am reminded of the title of THE SPACIOUS MIND album called "Sailing Of The Seagoat".This for me is a ride on the sea that sometimes is at night where it's dark and calm when suddenly the waves start to build and your hanging on tight.Then a crushing wave will send you on an exhilarating ride.Next it's sunny and everything is perfect you would rather be nowhere else until the seas start to get rough and it continues to get worse as the clouds have covered the sun and your hanging on for dear life again.Yeah this is a trip. It opens with "Tsunami" and as you might imagine from the title this one has some crushing soundscapes.It starts with spacey synths that are joined by gentle guitar melodies 2 1/2 minutes in.It's all starting to build as drums are added.We get a full sound 5 minutes in with BLACK SABBATH like heaviness,almost doom-like.It all calms back down before things start to get heavy again 9 minutes in,as crushing waves crash upon us. "Crystalline" has a pastoral intro as the sound starts to build.The melody 3 minutes in sounds so good! This is perfect weather folks and you wish it would just go on like this forever.But 7 minutes in we are flattened by a wall of sound as the song ends. "Evaporate" has a good contrast between the heavy outbreaks and the wonderful soundscapes throughout this song.It has a spacey ending. "Voyage Automatique" has a good beat and a really nice sound with spacey synths, and it's heavy.The beat then stops as spacey synths continue until the song is over.This is the exact same melody that opened the album. I highly recommend this album to all you space cadets out there.This sounds so good loud.

The point I'm very surprised is that AHORA MAZDA seem to play relaxed from start to finish, without any prickles or needles on their mind. We can see the fact in Peter Abbink's laidback guitar solo or Rob van Wageningen's graceful flute one. But wait please don't be deceived - ingeniously AHORA MAZDA has set a trap as an album. Above mentioned aside, I feel the most ingenious part should be the rhythm section by Tony and Winky, two skilled but inconspicuous (sorry!) men. Really they can absorb us listeners with comfortably streaming beat and tempo...I wanna say the basis is absolutely their steady rhythm. Magic, they can do. Needless to say on the first track Spacy Tracy, even the simple bass sounds on the next Timeless Dream are heavy and strict, suitable for the rigid ground of this song. Over this rhythm section, a graphic flute, a terrific guitar, and psychic chorus should spread one by one. Furthermore in Oranje Vrijstraat mysterious and spiritual percussion spelling should knock us away deeply to Ahorholic world. I always wonder why such a complex beat can immerse us like an amphetamine. Another impressive part is Peter's lazy and fatigued voices. Indeed his voice may be underevaluated but this psychedelic world do needs his characteristic growlin'. Like a junkie, he goes through songs with his obscurity, especially the fourth track Fallen Tree. This floating atmosphere continues on Power, that has depressive and "indoor" air with twisted horizon. And at last in Fantasio African beats by rising-up-to-the space percussion should keep us holding under MAZDANDELION-coloured psychedelia!

They released this album as their one and only work in 1970 - again surprised. They already have conquered our mind with their trap!

../album.asp?id=15079 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=6780 - Agemo

Ahora Mazda was a well known band in the dutch underground scene in the late nineteen sixties. They played long elongated sets with improvised music. It was once described by a critic as "Avant-garde jazz/pop with a rhythm & blues slant" and that is a good description. Influences for the music are Jimi Hendrix, The Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart, but also world music. The latter can be heard, for instance, in their choice of several percussive instruments. Another main feature is the flute, which is wonderfully played by Rob van Wageningen.

On their one and only album, they decided not to play the elongated sets, but more conveniently arranged songs. This doesn't mean you get easy to swallow music. The free form music still exists, as can be heard in tracks like "Oranje Vrijstaat", the most avant-garde of the album or in the second half of "Spacy Tracy" with a long Hendrix-like guitar solo and a very spacy ending. More structured are the haunting "Timeless Dream" and "Power". "Fallen Tree" is the most rocking track of the album with a heavy guitar solo and excellent flute playing. On "Fantasio" several percussion instruments are used.

On the CD reissue five bonus tracks are added. These give away some of the magic from the original album. Although it looks like they are tracks, they a more sort of random chosen parts from a studio session. They may give some insight in how a concert of Ahora Mazda might have sounded like, but for me they are not so interesting.

In conclusion, this is a psychedelic masterpiece from the Netherlands. This album, together with Group 1850's "Paradise Now" (1969) and Surprieze's "Zeer Oude Klanken en Heel Nieuwe Geluiden" (1972) are the top three of psychedelic rock from this country. It is recommended to everyone with a love for some old psychedelic rock. Especially when you want some jazz added to the mix.

../album.asp?id=15079 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=2915 - Eetu Pellonpää
Special Collaborator Psychedelic Prog Specialist Team

This album is a really fabulous psychedelic nugget from the land of the flowers and the windmills. It combines both more close-to-earth flute fronted bluesy jazz rock in style of German RUFUS ZUPHALL and free freak-out improvisational soundscapes with some really cool jazz styled saxophones. These both elements are presented in the funny opening track "Spacy Tracy", telling us a tale of a girl intetrested in the psychedelic way of life, starting as a mellow groovy rocker later morphing as completelly free improvisation. "Timeless Dream" is then a minor key melodic tune, having sadly a quite disturbing fade-out ending taking place in the middle of the song! The two following about eight minutes long songs combine again the freefrom improvs and nice themes, featuring some very good jazz saxophone tunes from Mr. van Wageningen, and also Peter Abbink blows some really good raw electric guitar solos in style of JIMI HENDRIX and MANUEL GÖTTSCHING. "Power" is one of the few mostly constructed songs, containing really weird and scary effects used in the singing verse, creating a very mysterious overall feeling.

The last five bonus tracks are a bunch of excerpts from the band's collective jazz improvisations, which sound sometimes resemble the primitive passages of SYD BARRET's "Lanky", sometimse the cosmic electronic soundwalls of HAWKWIND, and sometimes as the ethnic perscussion gear swithces on with the saxophone, MILES DAVIS's "Bitched Brew" could be another association. Sadly the excerpts are only cuts, varying in length from under two minutes to over four, beginning and ending from a silent void. I wouldn't have mind hearing some improvisation "mistakes", rather the hearing only glimpses of the grooves. Also another solution might have been to try construct a collage out of them, just like MILES DAVIS did in his fabulous record mentioned before.

But anyway, I really liked the little melancholic but still laid back feeling of this album, and I would recommend it warmly to anybody liking both 70's psychedelic blues/jazz rock and dreamy impressionistic collective jams. Also the flute melodies are here very strong, so the fans of that instrument might want to try giving this album a listen. If you want to see the last bonus tracks as an integral part of the album quality, remove one star from the rating.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

3.5 stars.For me this is a step up from the previous album "Abgelaufen!" but it's not quite worth 4 stars.I suppose i've been spoiled by their excellent "Morbus" release,it's hard not to compare their earlier albums to "Morbus" when it was the first record by them that i had heard. "Kwark" is the 20 minute opener.It has a mid-paced trippy beat throughout.The organ becomes more prominant 3 1/2 minutes in and the overall sound is building.Great sound 7 minutes in and later at the 9 minute mark, as we get some good organ runs as the drums pound away. "Holzbock" is more uptempo with a catchy beat.I agree with Rivertree that this song recalls CAN.Guitar before 1 1/2 minutes joins in.Organ comes in before 4 minutes. "Columb" is the 11 minute closer.This is my favourite of the three tracks.It's led by heavy drums as organ and synths create an almost haunting atmosphere.Mellotron 7 1/2 minutes in. I don't know but this record and the previous one just don't seem very inspired after listening to Morbus.It's like the latter is in colour,while the other two are in black and white.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

3.5 stars. This was released in 2001, but was based on sessions recorded July 1999-August 2000,and was mastered by Eroc at The Ranch. This is very much a hit and miss affair for me. Maybe i was spoiled by starting with their "Morbus" release which is simply amazing. This one is trippy,repetitive and fairly laid back overall,it just doesn't have those outstanding moments that "Morbus" does. "Off" opens with hammond organ as a beat comes in.Then a different,more uptempo beat takes over.The organ is back ripping it up, and it takes turn with the guitar the rest of the way.Great start. They slow things down on "Dym".A relexed beat leads the way until a complete change after 3 minutes.Then we get spoken words as the beat has stopped.The rhythm returns after 4 1/2 minutes with organ.More spoken words 6 minutes in.Mellotron before 7 minutes.Nice. "Zwiestuck" has this catchy beat as vocals come in reminding me a lot of Damo Suzuki.This sounds so much like CAN! "Bandeins Swingklar" is experimental early with different sounds coming and going.Farfisa organ 5 1/2 minutes in and some mellotron.This is a dark soundscape. "Golden Lake" opens with percussion and a dark mood.The tempo picks up with hammond, then vocals join in.The organ becomes prominant after 2 1/2 minutes.Guitar before 4 minutes.It settles 4 1/2 minutes in for a couple of minues then the organ and vocals lead the way once again. "Gruff" features a mid-paced dark rhythm with faint vocals for 11 minutes. "Hydrat" is more upbeat and faster paced than the previous song.An infectious beat to this one. "Ganus Abgelaufen" is the 15 minute closer.This is slow moving and dark throughout.There are these faint spoken words and some organ. Lots to like about this record,but they will improve upon this with "Morbus".

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=9980 - sinkadotentree
Prog Reviewer

4.5 stars.Thanks to bands like ELECTRIC ORANGE and THE FUTURE KINGS OF ENGLAND krautrock is alive and well in 2008.I don't know if the spirit of krautrock ever really died but i sure appreciate these bands giving us fresh material to listen to.The only thing i don't like is the cover art,but it's all about the music right? "Einwahn" opens with samples that make you think were in a middle of a party.Then the pounding drums arrive with guitar melodies.This is very repetitive(hey it's krautrock) and catchy.Organ joins in at 2 1/2 minutes.A minute later the sound changes as the drums become less prominant. "Rote Flocken" has these spacey sounds,drums and spoken words.Processed vocals 2 minutes in and a heavy soundscape.Organ runs are great that follow.Dissonant flugel?(sounds like trumpet) out of nowhere after 3 minutes.Distorted guitar and organ are outstanding. "Span 5" has this mid-paced,catchy rhythm.The bass stands out as the organ comes and goes.The harmonium cries out 3 minutes in.This is amazing! Some ripping organ 5 minutes in to the end. "Morbus" opens with percussion and drums as spoken words arrive.It's almost impossible not to groove to this one.A powerful wall of sound 2 minutes in changes things briefly before the beat comes back.This contrast continues. "Errorman" opens with sinister sounding organ as a nice heavy sound comes in.Drums and organ dominate this tune.Vocals a minute in.This is incredible! The melody stops 6 1/2 minutes in as deep,dark sounds take over,then back to the melody. "Flohfunknest" opens with drums,bass and strange sounds.Powerful organ joins in.Spoken words come in as drums,bass and organ lead the way. "Traumama" is spacey with drums and organ.Female vocal melodies 2 1/2 minutes in.Guitar comes and goes. "Krautschock" opens with dark,spacey sounds as drums and spoken words come in.The flute comes and goes.Organ and other sounds come and go.This is trippy stuff,i like it. "Wald" features drones and spacey sounds to open with no melody.An OZRIC TENTACLES-like beat comes in 2 1/2 minutes with organ.Vocals 5 1/2 minutes in with spacey synths.The beat stops 7 minutes in but then kicks back in with attitude.Killer guitar too.Fantastic ending on this one,incredible song. "Reaching" is a restrained tune with percussion,processed vocals and mellotron.Freaking amazing! Strummed guitar and flute also come in.The sound on this one reminds me a little of OPETH's Damnation album. "Schohl 2" is different with outbursts of sound coming and going.Not a fan of this one. Sarau sounds great with these waves of sound with organ and flute.A very spacey,FLOYD-like soundscape.Before 4 minutes in a beat arrives and the tempo picks up.Guitar after 7 minutes is atmospheric then noisy in a good way.Love the last 1 1/2 minutes of this one. Favourites are "Span 5","Errorman","Wald","Reaching" and "Sarau". Thought about 5 stars because i adore this record.but at 78 minutes in length it has it's share of average moments.Lots of variety though.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

Electric Orange underwater ...

ELECTRIC ORANGE's masterminds Dirk Jan Müller and Dirk Bittner had been invited to perform two live sets during the 10th anniversary concert of the Manikin label in 2002. The event took place at the Toskana Therme - a thermal bath at Bad Sulza in Germany - and experienced 18 different performances of acts from all over the electronic scene. It was a 36 hour non-stop event with lightshow and over/underwater soundsystem. Due to this special happening with a relaxed and warm atmosphere ELECTRIC ORANGE was playing very floating, spacey performances managing the electronic side of krautrock here whilst people were drifting in the water or were lying around.

They picked up some themes from the former 2001 studio release 'Abgelaufen!' but also older and new tunes. Because the music happened spontaneously, improvised, one can only recognize basics of this tracks. Ffurg is starting the first two hour set in a Tangerine Dream mood with a monotonic slinking beat by sampled percussion. Some twittering synths which are typical for space rock bands are also integrated. The dreamy Transit ins Jenseits with guitar contributions similar to Ashra is an excellent more psych oriented groover - gripping - always leaving you curious how the track developes. Fading into the shorter Sauerkirsch with a weird creepy touch the excerpts of the first set are finished.

Not of ... is another psych monster mainly caused by Bittner's excellent guitar work and a dull electronic bass groove. Wet cake as a fascinating and somewhat confusing synth sample opens the door for Ortat the masterpiece of this set. Again a synthetically generated hypnotic bass is initiating this song which unites psychedelic and electronic elements in a special way. Drum samples are faded in after a while which cares for a killer groove, later followed by floydy organ and guitar - hard to overtop.

With Span 2 Ashra and early TD like floating sounds are following now once more wheras Hydrog later is characterized by a more Can resp. Kraftwerk vibe. Mk closes this quite varied performance with a melodic flow dominated by guitar and organ which were swirling around nicely supported by a tambourine simulated drive.

More than 150 minutes of groundbreaking trippy music. Take a seat - maybe in your bath if possible - with your headphones on and enjoy the voyage! Fans of electronic and spacey psychedelic sounds shouldn't miss this album.

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

Can you find a holzbock on platte?

I don't know if the song titles have any sense. It doesn't matter - the main thing is to judge the musical output in the end. Here we have an album with some band jams mastered by Eroc at his 'ranch'. Originally released as a long player in 2003 - platte is a german expression for vinyl - the digitalized version from 2007 contains two bonus tracks. ELECTRIC ORANGE is delivering a special unique album - something I've never heard before. Either you love it or not. Fans of Hammond drenched music must be satisfied. But don't expect rock songs as usual. The basis of this album are hypnotic beats, pointed out monotonous with intention and the band members are spinning a fine web around them with their instruments.

kwark, nearly 20 trance minutes long, has a gloomy meandering begin. The song is absolutely Hammond infected but also with spacy guitars and raises in waves. holzbock with an impelling rhythm work remembers much at CAN. columb is my favourite - melancholic trippy with a floating beat because of the use of old drums. Probably suitable for a film music about camel riding across the Sahara - fantastic! Dedicated to mk with a swirling Hammond, caused by a Leslie I suppose, is recorded in memory of Michael Karoli from CAN who sadly died in 2001. This song was released on a Manikin Records sampler before. On flurstück something like a rhythm machine gives a minimalistic beat only accompanied by harmonium and flügel. The bonus tracks are rounding up the album with more variety.

Don't listen to this stuff only for one or two times - you will lose. The more I hear this the more I like it. Very creative album. References to the old kraut and psych times are intended but ELECTRIC ORANGE are delivering something new. 3.5 stars really.

If you're a fan of psychedelic/space rock or Krautrock (or both!) you should definitely check this one out. It's a solid debut by a band who will hopefully keep making more strong albums. Four stars!

../album.asp?id=28943 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=25551 - snobb
Special Collaborator Jazz Rock/Fusion & Post Rock

Spanish psyche/space band named under German pistol Parabellum (from 1908), English/German/French songs names and krautrock influence? Their debut album's opener disappointed a bit - vintage electronic space soundscapes, almost boring.

Then things go better. Compositions are full of energy (and electronic sounds), with repetitive constructions, but modern enough not to be mixed with Can works. But main influence is Primal Scream with Swastika Eyes (Luger has their Swastika Sweetheart on this album) and Kowalski. Explosive mix of indie, electronica sound and krautrock. With some amount of psychedelic/space.

When compared with Primal Scream, they have a bit less electronic and some bigger accent on German vintage krautrock sound. But successfully mixing it into quite freshly sounding music. Interesting debut album for Primal Scream fans and indie-electronic-psyche lovers. Free album download from band's site.

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.

../album.asp?id=27592 - Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

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.

LENINGRAD BLUES MACHINE have got advanced continuously methinks. I've heard they might have got started as a "pseudo" psychedelic jam band simply according to gigs in their early time, but in 2002 they could confirm the members and attitude for psychedelic progressive rock strictly I suppose. This album "Yajé" was their first full-studio-recorded one, that could alter the studio into the psychedelic progressive heaven. No need for us to say such difficult phrases, but alright only to listen to and enjoy this brilliant heavenly creation.

Anyway, whatever I say, please drop the CD player lens onto the disc. They open their musically versatile art curtain completely from the beginning ... wow, that's it! Our ears can touch directly their complexity and progressiveness around sounds and noises created with their talent of jazzy, funky, bluesy psychedelia. The rhythm section can be surely immersed into jazz rock / fusion, and Tabata's guitar solo can be whacked out deeply in his hallucinated mind. Though their voices are more freaked as if they should absorb themselves into mind-expanding substances, their play can be totally exploitable out. They, in this album, are hoppin', steppin', and jumpin' by making full use of instruments and ... yeah tremblin' air ... all around the heaven.

Here's a great stuff, that cannot be mentioned only with psychedelic rock manner. Recommended. 

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=14635 - Starless

This 6 track album was recorded on analogue tape over the course of 2 hours of improvised jamming by Nicklas Barker, the guitarist from the mighty Anekdoten, along with Mathias Danielson (Makajodama) - Guitar, and Ronny Eriksson - Bass, Tomas Eriksson - Drums.

Some of it reminds me of Man at their most spaced out, 70s Hawkwind, Amon Duul 2, T2 and Bevis Frond also come to mind as does King Crimson (on the aptly titled Precious Sanity). The title track is a gossamer thin wafer of music - a thing of almost ethereal beauty. Shame it's the shortest track on the album.

The final track Death And Beyond takes off into the outer limits with some mighty fine soloing. A really nice piece of wigged out space rock for the freaks.

2010 is turning out to be a good year for improvised space rock what with this and the 30 minute plus epic by Frogg Cafe "At The Table Of The Leptons" on the download album On The Lillypadd. Buy both, turn out the lights and trip off into the far reaches of the universe!

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=7397 - Rivertree
Special Collaborator Psych/Space Team & Band Submissions

This blows me away - highly energetic jams provided with psychedelic respectively spacey ingredients and some periods of rest in between. 'Twilight In The Crystal Cabinet' was recorded on a vintage tape machine during not more than 2 hours in May 2009 and mixed within another 2 hours. A rough diamond if you will because truly spontaneous and not reworked. At least since one starts to listen he/she will know that this four musicians involved here are not beginners on the stage - first of all to name both guitarists Nicklas Barker, delegated by the recommended Anekdoten, and Mathias Danielson, formerly of Gösta Berlings Saga.

Anyhow - the album lives from the fantastic intuition of all musicians, also comprising Ronny Eriksson (Magnolia) on bass and drummer Tomas Eriksson. Something magical in fact if you consider that they never had worked together before when starting this recordings - the vision behind that project was to meet and play an album totally out of the blue. So let me first notice the short eclectic Precious Sanity which probably is the most prolific proof. In any case this song steps out of line here most likely when speaking about a jamming approach at least.

Okay, now coming to the starting point, on Karmagrinder they immediately augment the sound to something you can call rage of enthusiasm. Wow ... it's really impressing how this escalates to a point of culmination by and by and then glides into a free formed meandering improv afterwards. When listening to the uptempo Electric Universe you first may think of a new Anekdoten song coming up due to this heaviness where the melancholic relaxed title song is cosmic/ambient tinged. Nice one!

The more spacey coloured The Mournful Howl Of Dawn and Death And Beyond appear surprisingly melodic and can convince due to a wonderful interplay of both guitars. In the light of this excellent performance you easily can pardon some little recording quality errors here and there. 'Twilight In The Crystal Cabinet' was released by Swedish Transubstans Records - a recommended snapshot if you're interested in inspired psych/space jams.