STANDARTE

Maybe not quite as good as their next one "Curses And Invocations"(a toss up for me) but man I love their sound. Very much a throw back to the late sixties, early seventies organ led music. It's not surprising then that they dedicate this record to the late Vincent Crane(his picture is on the back of the album cover) the former organist for ATOMIC ROOSTER. This band is a trio from Italy with English vocals.

"Dream Love Sequence Nr. 9" opens with mellotron as spoken words come in. Reserved vocals then take over as mellotron continues to flood. The vocals remind me a little of another Italian band called TWENTY FOUR HOURS. Powerful organ runs before 2 minutes as pounding drums join in. Mellotron and reserved vocals are back as this contrast continues. I can't tell you how much I enjoy this track. Some nice bass and mellotron 5 minutes in. A complete change of melody a minute later(more uptempo) after some spoken words. "One Strange December Evening" opens again with mellotron as spoken words come in. An uptempo melody takes over consisting of vocals, bass, drums and organ. A sinister vibe 1 1/2 minutes in comes and goes throughout. This is great ! A complete change arrives after 4 minutes, as an acoustic guitar solo ends it.

"As I Wandered" opens with spoken words. A catchy vocals, organ and drum melody takes over the rest of the way. Nice. Guitar comes in after 2 minutes. "Tolerance Town" opens with spoken words. I love the organ in this one. The bass is prominant 2 minutes in, and the guitar is quite raw sounding. This is a great instrumental. "Beat Pimp Muzak" really has a sixties feel to it, thanks mainly to the organ melodies. Vocals a minute in. "A War Was Declared" is another instrumental and possibly my favourite track. The mellotron to open is like a wind storm as spoken words come in. Light drums, bass and organ start to build. The guitar 2 1/2 minutes in is outstanding ! It's like they are just jamming and having a blast. "In My Time Of Dying" uses the same words that are used on the song of the same title by LED ZEPPELIN, but a completely different melody is used. These last three tracks contain no mellotron surprisingly. This is a powerful song,quite heavy in fact. Check out the guitar and sound 2 minutes in. Incredible. The last minute of the song is different as acoustic guitar and soft vocals end it. Amazing song. "Traumland" is another killer track. I just laugh during this one because it is so good. The organ play is insane, especially 3 1/2 minutes in. The guitar sounds so dirty on this one. "I Want You" is a vocal track that is very catchy, could have been a single back in the day.

Easily 4 stars for me. Check out the Vemod-like cover as well. ANEKDOTEN would be proud i'm sure.