First things first, this album is recommended and it is the kind of album that is perfect for those late night journeys into darkness. Which in turn might be the reason why the label mentions Satan in the one sheet.

The label advertises that this release features a key member of a Satanadelic combo and the band’s name is done in the all too familiar black metal font (if you can call it a font). I am a fan of black metal and so I was thrilled. What is not to like about the promise of Satan on LSD? Surely Satanadelic must mean a psychedelic cult that worships Lucifer. I can see it now – a bunch of hippies on LSD worshiping the dark lord (and I do not mean Lord Voldemort). Hell (no pun intended), the one sheet goes on about guitar eruptions, classical orchestrations and dark folk tales. If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck then it must be a duck?

In this case, it isn’t a duck at all. Instead it is shimmering drones full of ethnic sounding instrumentation and what some call American folk. The singing (when present) does remind me of psychedelia from the sixties. It could be about Satan but the language is not mine.

All is not lost though --- the album has a lot to offer. The overall vibe is very immersive and the album sticks to a theme. It does feel like a journey as the one sheet says. At times it moves away from the ethnic drone to a krautrock like intensity. It is this intensity that really pushes the album forward and elevates it above other releases of the same ilk. The drone gives way to furious repetition and washes of sound with a percussive quality (I wouldn’t call it drums). You can almost feel the music swirl about you --- cutting you off from everything else. Your world drops away and you are enveloped by electric sound. This is the kind of music that can make you feel alive --- music that makes you feel like you might break past that wall and see what is really there.

However, the album falters by the fact that it never really tries to explore new territory. The tracks are eerily similar to each other. There are differences but it is hard to distinguish which song is which. In some ways, the qualities that make the album immersive also weaken the album. I could see this album rising above this if the tracks had been mixed together – in this way, the lack of exploration would have given way to repetition and mesmerization. Sometimes it is all in the presentation.

The music on this vinyl slab is both esoteric and compelling --- definitely something a cult would use to lure the believers in. So perhaps this is the link to Satan? Maybe Satan is a purveyor of drones and krautrock? I don’t know – it just makes me wonder who writes the one sheets and what they were thinking – I guess it did get my attention. Either way, it is recommended. 7/10 -- Daniel De Los Santos (28 April, 2010)