FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOSTS

Everyone that is familiar with Embryo already knows the story behind this and the two ensuing albums. In the 8 months following their second album Rache, the band recorded 3 albums worth of material but their label refused most of it due to the lack of "commercial potential". Only the songs that ended up on Father Son and the Holy Ghost were deemed accessible enough. Luckily, the other material was eventually released by Brain.

During these 8 months, the band changed musicians as swiftly as they wrote material, and each of the 3 releases contains a different line-up. It's something that very much defined the sound of each album.

On Father Son and the Holy Ghost the band is down to the Burchard-Hofmann nucleus with one David King on bass/vocals and Sigi Schwab on guitars. So no keyboards, and by consequence this album sounds very different from the preceding Embryo's Rache. In a way it almost returns to the guitar dominated kraut-rock sound of the debut. I guess that must have been what the label deemed 'commercial'.

While the album sounds a bit hurried and rough around the edges, it only contains mostly excellent material. Two songs have vocals which remind me slightly of Blue Oyster Cult's early albums. The remainder of the tracks is split up between 3 longer improvisations and 2 short interludes. Nothing is really essential and the best composition Forgotten Sea appears in an alternative and superior version on the ensuing album Steig Aus (where it is named Dreaming Girls).

Overall an enjoyable collection of songs for Embryo fans, but any other album from Embryo's first 6 is better. 3.5 stars.