COLOUR HAZE

The one track that stands out for me is "Gold & Silver" with the vocals being prominent and they really add a lot. To the point I'm thinking I wish there was more singing on here! Well that thought vanished with the next tune "Earth" where he's almost yelling the lyrics to the point I'm saying I wish this was all instrumental! Another tune that stands out for me is "Stratofarm" where we not only get vocals we get dual vocals. I like the heaviness and guitar late. The title track would probably be my third favourite.

I like this band but honestly I could take or leave them. 3 stars is all I got.

We get five tracks from this 2005 release and it's that long one at over 22 minutes that hits the spot while the rest are very much hit and miss. The opener is good for contrasting the mellow with the more amped up sections and there are some vocals. The two shorter tracks 2 & 4 do nothing for me while "Love" does have some merit at 9 1/2 minutes allowing the band to take their time which they do. The long track is called "Peace, Brothers & Sisters!" and man I like the spacey winds that blow early on and for some time too. This does build until it turns heavy after 2 1/2 minutes. Vocals around 4 1/2 minutes. The guitar starts to light it up and it turns heavier after 9 minutes as the vocals return. A calm 13 minutes in without vocals as thy jam in a relaxed manner. Vocals are back before 18 1/2 minutes and it's building again. Here we go once again as we get an uptempo tour de force.

I like this band but I only have one album left to check out and that's the followup to this one called "Tempel" and I'm looking forward to it based on reviews.

These guys are a trio of bass, drums and guitar and we do get vocals in English. They have divided this double album into four sections including West, South, East and North with 3 songs each except for East which has two because of that 18 minute track. These guys like to jam and the guitar really is the focus. We do get a couple of guests including Fender Rhodes on "Zen" and organ on "Overriding".

Again that opener really put me off with those vocals. Man my first listen was disappointing because I'm thinking that I'm going to be putting up with that vocal style throughout the 90 minutes but thankfully no. So I have a top four with one in each direction you could say. First is from West and it's "Roses" and the vocals are relaxed here sounding good while the sound is catchy and oh so good. After 3 minutes the guitar really impresses.

"247" is the short track from the South. A cool uptempo piece with high pitched guitar leads and vocals. "Weltraummantra" is the 18 minute beast from the East. They take their time to up the ante as it starts sparse, dark, experimental and spacey. Some outbursts will come and go. My favourite though is the other long track in "Overriding" with that guest organ arriving around 11 minutes in on this over 17 minute tune. But it's those passionate vocals reminding me a little of ALICE IN CHAINS that gets my juices flowing. Funny in each of the four sections I have a favourite and least favourite, go figure, but proof for my tastes that this isn't quite a four star release. Impressed enough though that I'm reviewing the other two records in the coming weeks and looking forward to them.

Fast forward to 2017 and I noticed that the band had released yet another new album. Due to my lackluster reaction to their previous effort I neglected to check out their new material right away. When I finally got around to checking it out, the music instantly grabbed my attention, yet it wasn't until after multiple listens that I became aware of how much I had underestimated Colour Haze. "In Her Garden" may be the best album of their long career, and it is certainly their most progressive.

The album opens with "Into Her Garden," which is really just a guitar intro to the next track, "Black Lilly." "Black Lilly" is a mid-paced rocker that features a cool, choppy riff from guitarist/vocalist Stefan Koglek. His vocals remain solid, but are more of an accompaniment to the music rather than a focus. What follows "Black Lilly" are several tracks, some instrumental, which are sewn together to form a wonderful tapestry of psychedelic rock. There are some familiar raga touches throughout provided by Koglek's guitar and guest musician Mario Oberpucher on sitar. Other guest musicians further enhance the music with Hammond Rhodes and modular, as well as horns, various strings and percussion. Koglek plays some of the most impressive soloing on an album in some time, while cohorts Phillip Rasthoper and Manfred Merwald lay down a fierce backdrop. Merwald's slightly jazzy drumming is as energetic as ever, and Rasthoper's bass keeps everything warm and toasty. There are some repeating themes that appear at various junctures in the album, which helps pull the whole album into one cohesive piece of music. The album closes with the two outstanding complementary tracks, "Skydancer" and "Skydance," the former featuring vocals and the latter being all instrumental. A superb, lively ending to a most enjoyable album that spans over 72 minutes.

"In Her Garden" is truly a thrilling ride. Let's face it, it's generally difficult to sit and listen to a double album and really enjoy it from start to finish. I feel "In Her Garden" is one of those albums that succeeds in being able to keep you satisfied all the way through. Which is an amazing feat for a band who has been at it for 25 years. The band has some albums that feature a few better songs on them than on "In Her Garden," but no album in their canon is this great throughout. And through it all, Colour Haze still sound like Colour Haze, just more refined. After much deliberation, I have concluded that this is a five star-worthy album of progressive psychedelic rock.

"To The Highest Gods We Know" is their 11th studio effort (the 1998 album "Seven" is missing on PA's list as of 2/28/2015) and finds the band pretty much where they left off on their previous album, "She Said." There are some added strings and horns here and there, but most of the songs cover the same territory. That's not to say the album isn't good ? it is. The album begins with "Circles," which starts off with quiet jamming, slowly building to a pure stoner/psychedelic blast of heaven. "Paradise" is the short, rocker on the disc. "Uberall" is another solid tune in the same vein as "Circles" with the slow build to a crescendo of heavy, low-end guitar, with the addition of strings. The fourth tune, "Call" is roughly six minutes of a lone, repeated guitar riff with soft vocal lines, before launching into another powerful eruption of high-energy, stoner riffage to close out the final 2 minutes of the song. The standout track is "To The Highest Gods We Know," which is an instrumental, Indian/Middle Eastern infused dose of psychedelia. The tune starts out with beautiful acoustic guitar work from Koglek, then intermittent strings and percussion add to the sonic tapestry skillfully woven together by the band. As the song closes, you are left relaxed and satisfied. But then, after a few minutes of silence, there is a reprise of "Call" (not included on track listing) lasting just over a minute.

While not their best effort, "To The Highest Gods We Know" is, all in all, a solid album by these stoner/psychedelic rock masters. I would probably recommend the album "All" as a starting point for newcomers to the band. However, "To The Highest Gods We Know" would make a great addition to the music collection of anyone who likes their rock laced with psychedelia, occasional heavy riffing, and lots of great guitar work.

Revised 4/26/2018

Since revisiting Colour Haze's back catalogue after not hearing it for awhile, I have to knock off 1 star on my review for "To the Highest Gods We Know." While I still consider it a solid release, it does not hold up as well to much of their previous works. It also does not hold up as well to their most recent release "In Her Garden," which is much better.

I totally agree with a reference to this band as having a "retro" feel. Indeed, they sound like a mix of Black Sabbath and Grand Funk Railroad - minus the riffs. Good guitar work along with thunderous bass often in a jammy fashion. Pretty good if you are into such grunty deliveries.

This album "She Said" follows a similar approach as before, but perhaps too much so. A feeling of "deja vu" creeps in, as if I've heard these lines before. Indeed this work sounds like a repetition of previous efforts and that leaves it rather redundant. Not bad at all, only there is hardly anything new here. A couple of mediocre vocal tracks bring down my rating to a 3.

I do like this band in general, their sound is well worth exploring, but on the face of it, compared with earlier releases this album is not really essential.

Delightful work by this hardly known German band. It's not common experience for me, but this is an album that hits the spot immediately. To the point that I could leave it on endless repeat.

Different genres are effortlessly transcended here. A bit of Psychedelic, Stoner-Rock, Grunge, Jamming in a package that pleases immensely. Leaves me feeling as if I just dropped in on friends who happen to be great musicians having some fun. Or in other words, one of the best garage bands I can recall and I don't mean it as a put down.

The distortion pedal, some feedback is applied in a sensible way, creating great sound without any hint of Metal, or Heavy-Rock. The bass is also using much distortion to the effect of a thunderous, yet non-aggressive bottom line. The keys add some colour, but not used as lead instruments. Some noodling here and there wouldn't be missed, but not really disturbing either.

The whole delivery is very carefree and relaxed, no sign of struggling here, only pure fun. And it works really well. Long pieces with some structure that still permit a lot of stretching out provide a nice balance.

Comparisons here would be rather futile, but let me say this. I am left with the impression as if Randy California, Frank Marino along with Mel Schacker (Grand Funk) had dropped in on Gong on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The end result is honest, heartfelt, pure fun!

It may never be considered a carefully arranged Prog masterpiece, but for the enjoyment I derived from this recording, a solid 4 is appropriate.