SECRET CHIEFS 3

SECRET CHIEFS 3 may have begun as a mere side project of Trey Spruance while still in Mr Bungle but once the Bunglers called it quits, Spruance steered this unique musical collaborative effort into the realms of the esoteric and spiritual occult. While the first two albums showcased the band's eclectic mix of surf rock, Middle Eastern and Indian folk musical styles, electronica, film score techniques and Spaghetti Westerns and hinted at such esoterica, as the band evolved it began to adopt the abstruse teachings of Sufism, the Kabbalah, Hermeticism, alchemy and other occult knowledge systems and forged a veritable new cult of esoterica that incorporated concepts, patterns, sounds, musical scales and tones and timbres into a strange new musical connection to the divine.

While "Book Of M" first showcased Spruance's obsession with detail and featured the first ambitious trilogy effort that merged the world of sound and spirituality, the following BOOK OF HORIZON took things a few steps further and revealed that SECRET CHIEFS 3 was actually a collection of seven distinct bands that collaborate like long lost metaphysical tribes congregating to share revelations from this world and beyond. On this fourth studio album Spruance debuted the identity of the bands as The Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm and FORMS and yet one other called NT Fan that was not featured on the album at all. Taking on the role of high priest with the goal of connecting the listener to the higher realms of ascension through the ancient sounds amalgamated into an album's journey into the spiritual realms, BOOK OF HORIZONS proved to be as heady of a concept as it was a bedazzling journey through musical genres.

Evoking the depths of the esoteric as revealed to those who condition themselves to receive it, BOOK OF HORIZONS wends and winds its way through the labyrinthine musical approach already established on previous albums only taken to even greater extremes. Fortified with dozens of instruments from around the world and a lineup of eighteen musicians to bring these ascension sounds to fruition, BOOK OF HORIZONS expanded not only its conceptual approach into the limitless realms of the spiritual but also delved into an increasing diverse of array of musical genres hitherto unexplored. While the opening FORMS track "The End Times" evoked the by then classic SECRET CHIEFS sounds of the past with ancient desert rhythms colluding with theremin sounds and modernized production techniques followed by Ishraqiyun's "The 4" which adopts a similar yet more energetic blast of the past, SC3 soon tackles unexplored territories with the ethereally avant-garde sounds of Traditionalists and "The Indestructible Drop" which evokes a sacred Tibetan ritual only interpreted by Persian druids or something of the sort.

Immediately followed by the cosmic bombast of Holy Vehm, SC3 unleashes its own bizarre hybrid of death metal and grindcore accompanied by unorthodox chanting, percussive drive and truly frightening growling and screaming session delivered by Jesse Quattro. FORMS makes its second appearance with the avant-weirdness of "Owl In Daylight" inspired by an unfinished novel of Philip K Dick and every bit as bizarre as Dick's sci-fi subject matter. The album continues with a roller coaster ride of the band's taking turns offering their most unorthodox hybridization effects that range from anthemic epic soundtrack quality tunes to the usual surf rock meets Spaghetti Western scenarios of past albums. Each satellite band is represented at least twice with FORMS playing teacher's pet with a third track that ends the album's epic expansive mind-altering breadth of thematic infusions that find themselves teased out into a staggering variety of musical motifs and seemingly unrelated presentations.

A hard pill to swallow for the casual listener as this is one of those albums that requires a great deal of years to really sink in due to the depth and cosmic nature of its ambitiousness. To think you can grasp this one on a single listening experience or two is tantamount to claiming you have experienced the entirety of the nation of Russia simply by having a layover at the Moscow airport. On the contrary, this is an album that forces you to reckon with the spiritual depths of ancient philosophies and how they are conveyed through the arsenal of sounds that emirate a cosmic connection to the holiness and the divinity of the universe itself. Perhaps it all sounds a little snooty but for those who hunger for the musical equivalent of a the deepest teachings from the mystery schools that reveal the true nature of reality, this album as with most SC3 releases offers that opportunity to receive an activation through the patterns, scales, tones and timbres that are constructed like an aural codex which unlocks blocked energetic portals to the higher realms. A fascinating journey into a tapestry of complexity and not one for the faint hearted as this will surely go over the head of all but the most dedicated to its craft.

SECRET CHIEFS 3 are one of the most interesting and unique projects I've ever come across on this site. Beginning as a trio, hence the "3" at the end of the band's name, it was three MR BUNGLE members including leader Trey Spruance that got this thing rolling. A few guests on the first two albums but a trio on both. The third record "Book M" saw the band increase it's lineup to five and expand the guests involved. The followup to that "Book Of Horizons" is where the six satellite bands to SECRET CHIEFS 3 played the music with Trey being the common denominator in this process.

"Book Of Angels" is next, and once again changes are happening. Back to a band effort, but this time Trey gives up the controls to John Zorn, as they use his compositions, and he is involved in overseeing it all as the executive producer. The music this band plays is so complex and ethnic with traditional instruments involved, but married to sub-genres that you wouldn't think would work, but does to a point. They can get extreme to the point of death growls and music on "Book Of Horizons" their most "out there" record.

After barely getting through that album and not wanting to hear more I did return with the previous album "Book M" which while easier on the old ears it still isn't my thing by a long shot. So the debate for me was, do I put "Book Of Angels" off to much later or get it over with because I assumed this would be more of the same. I decided to get right on it and I still am smiling at how much I like this album. I kept waiting on that first listen to be disappointed but it never came. A very consistent album, and I live for those kind of records. I should mention that although these are Zorn compositions, Trey did change some of the arrangements.

In looking over the albums from this band that I've missed, there's only one that has me very tempted to pick up, and that's 2019's "Malkhut" where we sort of get a repeat of "Book Of Angels", in that Zorn is back with his compositions, and he's the executive producer once again. Trey himself says that "Malkhut" is better than "Book Of Angels" and I hope to prove him right one day. We'll see. I am so grateful for the space on this record, some ethreal vocals at one point even instead of getting hammered throughout on and off. That three song run from song three to five is amazing and then it ends very strong with track nine and the closer track eleven. My top five.

Pretty much everything that offended me on the earlier records has been removed, and the things I like are all still here like the baritone guitar, slide guitar, the bass/drum moments, strings of course and the atmosphere is increased. Speaking of which the album ends with a massive amount of atmosphere. A solid 4 stars.

3.5 stars. My first experience with this band was "Book Of Horizons" which I found very difficult, it was all over the map. Just too extreme at times for my tastes. I can handle death metal and growls, but I have no interest in going there after checking that stuff out years before. Just not my thing. So "Book Of Horizons" was probably the worst album I could have started with when it comes to SECRET CHIEFS 3.

It took me a full year to finally re-visit this band after that experience. I decided to pick up "Book M" because of it's high ratings, as well as "Xaphan: Book Of Angels" for the claim that it was a little different the rest. "Book M" was released before "Book Of Horizons" and if nothing else that latter album prepared me at least for what was coming on "Book M". Similar sounding record really but not nearly as extreme. Still, it's that amalgamation of styles and that strong Arabian sound that just isn't my thing at all.

A lot of electronics here and drum/bass moments. "Dolorous Stroke" stands out from the rest in my opinion as being more what I'm into, but this band if nothing else never ceases to amaze me for the complexity and top notch instrumental work. Trey Spruance the leader and multi-instrumentalist had this vision and he's sticking to it. The result is a very devoted fan base who are probably throwing virtual tomatoes at me right now.

After spending a week with this I really didn't relish the thought of spending time with another SECRET CHIEFS 3 record. So imagine my surprise when I spun "Xaphan: Book Of Angels" for the first time, and through that whole first spin I was waiting for the shoe to drop, but it never did. John Zorn had a lot to do with that. Review to come.

SECRET CHIEFS 3 is the project of Trey Spruance who some will know as MR BUNGLE, and even more will know his FAITH NO MORE music. Trey has a clear vision of mixing styles of music that don't really go together. Extreme vocals and music that bring Death Metal to the fore, to that baritone guitar bringing Surf Music to mind, but the topper is the ethnic music which is strong here as it is with all SECRET CHIEFS 3 music. This record is all over the place, and that isn't my thing at all.

My first taste of their music was back in 2019 with this album "Book Of Horizons" that was released in 2004, and this was not a good place to start. It took me a year after spending time with record this to garner the courage to pick up the album before this called "Book M", as well as the followup "Xaphan:Book Of Angels". This is such a unique project with there being all of these satellite bands involved in their music including on this album. In fact every track on this album was performed by a satellite band including THE ELECTROMAGNETIC AZOTH, UR, TRADITIONALISTS, ISHRAQIYUN, HOLY VEHM and FORMS. Just different.

The first three tracks on here were tolerable but then we get hit with "Exterminating Angel" and extreme music. Track six is the best up to that point. It's called "The Exile" and it sounds like part of a soundtrack to a movie. "On The Wings Of The Haoma" is pretty good, I like the spacey section, but my favourite song is "Book T:Exodus" where it feels like I'm listening to music from a Western movie but it works! More extreme music follows, plus experimental stuff, and then more Arabic music before another favourite "Anthropomorphosis: Boxleitner". Not into the closer either.

I had such a hard time with this record, I'm surprised I pursued this band further. But I'm so impressed with the genius of Spruance, and the serious musicians that are on here. This band has a cult following for a reason, and their live shows have to be experienced to be believed.

The band Secret Chiefs 3 came about from the unpredictable nature of the similar band Mr. Bungle. With Mike Patton involved with so many different projects, Trey Spruance, the main mind behind SC3's brilliant music, started up what was then a side project. "First Grand Constitution and Bylaws" is the first album from this interesting bunch of musicians.

As the band's first album, it is definitely varied and even a bit unfocused. You can hear bits of Mr. Bungle in the music here, but you also hear hints of the musical direction the band would take. But one thing you need to know about SC3. The band is "schizophrenic". Before this was diagnosed by the fictional doctor (of my own making) Fwedwick von Fincklehiemer der Stumpferter, all of the band's personalities were meshed together and it is very apparent on this album. That is both the album's strength and weakness. There is some great stuff here, but it is rather unfocused and flits from one style to another like a musical chameleon. You get wild and abrupt noises and sounds that can get somewhat abrasive, some jibberish and such, and some straightforward rock with is based a lot on differing ethnic styles.

Most of the tracks are quite short with durations that last from 2 - 4 minutes each. However, there are times that the band settles down and allows us to actually sink into the music, and these are in the longer tracks such as the excellent "Assassin's Blade" which opens up reminding one of "mall musak" style jazz, but slowly moves into a very nice sound as it continues on. "Emir of the Bees" is also a quirky yet great "suite" that takes the time to establish a theme element in an album that seems to have no theme. "Resurrection Day Soundtrack" is another great highlight along with album closer "White As They Come". These tracks are all separated by many shorter tracks that are a bit hit or miss, but seem to still generate interest as they go along, some more than others. The schizo personality of the band is definitely at play here.

This personality became quite apparent as the band continues along and eventually Spruance figured out that each of these personalities needed their own names, thus many different embodiments of the band have been established, and a lot of the albums and EPs begin to give these embodiments credit for their works among the band's albums. Thus, SC3's music becomes a lot more cohesive among their recordings as the history of the band continues. In fact, the album "Book of Horizons" not only features most of these different embodiments of the band, but also calls them out in the track listing. Some of these names are FORMS, UR, Traditionalists, Ishraqiyan, Noddingturd Fan (or NT Fan for short) and others. Hopefully this will explain how to find your way through Secret Chiefs 3's discography and also help the listener understand why this first album is so varied. Even so, it's still quite an enjoyable mish mash of the band's styles that, if nothing else, will make the listener want to look a bit deeper into this eccentric, quirky and schizophrenic band.

Trey Spruance launched his then side project SECRET CHIEFS 3 all the way back in 1995 in the midst of the Mr Bungle years and has continued to steer this unique collective of musicians into exciting new arenas that have contributed to the evolution of this band's sound into a veritable smorgasbord effect that is so pure and refined that SC3 sounds as if it resonates from a long lost tradition that has found its way into the modern world at the time of some sort of spiritual awakening. Having long ago mastered the exquisite alchemy of disparate genres such as surf rock, Persian traditional, Arab folk music, Indian classical, death metal, electronica and spaghetti western styled soundtrack music, the SC3 culminated its sound on 2004's "Book of Horizons" before Spruance announced that the SC3 was actually seven satellite bands named Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and NT Fan.

Before SC3 jumped into the satellite band procession, the project joined ranks with none other than John Zorn as they performed compositions from Zorn's second Masada book, "The Book of Angels" with song titles representing characters from Jewish and Christian mythology and an introduction into a new genre into the world of SC3, that being klezmer. After what seemed like a one off, SC3 released three more albums under the guise of the satellite bands that ended with 2014's "Perichoresis" and then the band fell silent for several years with nothing to offer those who have become addictive to this unique band's sophisticated style of musical amalgamation of tones, timbres, tempos and magnificent genre blending mashups. While seemingly dropping off the face of the Earth, SC3 were in fact working hard on the next Zorn collaboration in the form of an entire album that appeared on the 11-album installation of Zorn's "Masada Book Three - The Book Beri'ah" which found the band in company with Sofia Rei & JC Maillard, Cleric, Spike Orchestra, Julian Lage / Gyan Riley, Abraxas, Klezmerson, Gnostic Trio, Zion80, Banquet of the Spirits, Craig Taborn and Vadim Neselovskyi.

The whopping 11-album set was released on 9 March 2018 as album #10 of the massive collaborative effort and although officially a part of the SC3 canon, was unavailable for any sort of listening pleasure outside of plopping down a small fortune to obtain the entire box set of music, which is probably not a bad thing have you, but i have not been willing to take the plunge so despite SC3 ranking high on my favorite bands list i just had to wait it out and see if someday perhaps they would release it as an individual album. Well 18 October 2019 was that day and THE BOOK OF BERI'AH VOL 10 - MALKHUT was finally released and as the album cover art of the sefirot which represents the concepts from the Jewish esoteric knowledge of the Kabbalah, SC3 emerge from its slumber only to add weave Jewish sounds to its already eclectic musical palette without sacrificing any of the sounds that came before except for perhaps the lesser sounds of the more extreme metal sounds found on earlier albums. As far as i am aware, SC3 is one of the few bands to successfully find a truce between Arabic folk music and Jewish traditional klezmer and make it sound as natural as an organic centuries long musical style.

For this album, SECRET CHIEFS 3 consists of Trey Spruance (guitars, clavinet, kinnor, analog synth pads, theater organ, extra percussion, nevel, glockenspiel, sound fx), Eyvind Kang (violin, viola), Ches Smith (congas, vibes, shakers, dumbek), Matt Lebofsky (piano, elec. piano, hammond and farfisa organ, moog), Kenny Grohowski (drums), Shanir Blumenkranz (bass), Jason Schimmel (guitar) and Ryan Parrish (kaval) who weave an intricate display of progressive fusion sounds that clearly reside in the SC3 universe and the band continues the ever growing complexities that have continued to evolve ever so slightly on every album since the debut "First Grand Constitution and Bylaws" all the way back in 1996. So in that respect, one can pretty much expect a continuation form 2014's "Ishaqiyun" only with the addition of klezmer and Jewish traditional sounds tucked into the mix albeit with a retro review of earlier SC3 albums.

As always, SC3 scores in finding the perfect balance between timeless intricate melodies and tight knit grooves with bursts of progressive angularities and heavy rock bombast but for the most part the band wends and winds through an intricate fusion of Arabic and Jewish traditional sounds although the surf rock, electronica and other sounds are still present although providing a subordinate role. There are plenty of those parallel riffs that harken to previous albums but teased out into new directions. The album is perhaps the most traditional sounding from the band's pre-satellite band days with those precise keyboard stabs punctuated by Middle Eastern grooves, tasty guitar workouts, electronic atmospheres all dressed up in an epic spaghetti western soundtrack grandiosity. For those who are true fans of the SC3 and have been with them since the beginning, this will be a nice overview of the band's entire existence without too much new thrown in save the scant progressive rock anomalies such as the Goblin sounding keyboards of "Chitzonuyut" and the heavier emphasis on Jewish themes and rhythms.

Once again the SECRET CHIEFS 3 project has generated a mesmerizing or should i say "klezmerizing" musical score that evokes an epic traditional musical style of some esoteric mystery school tribe that dropped out of the world and continued underground for millennia before finally bringing its unique musical mysteries to the world's consciousness. This album like almost every other is flawlessly designed and will delight SC3 fans for its attention to detail, addictive melodic and rhythmic flow and transcendental evocations. The band shows no sign of decline and musically speaking has never sounded better. Perhaps if i had any gripe about MALKHUT is that it is not daring enough in its explorative nature. It seems to simmer peacefully in a safe zone that never adds any startling detours such as the band's earlier explorations into death metal and more extreme musical styles but given this was designed to work as a part of a much larger musical whole, it probably needed to exist in harmony with the intent of Zorn's musical vision amongst friends who also contributed entire album's worth of material. I have to say, very rarely do i hear music this good and SC3's amazing consistency is exactly why they reside in my top 10 bands of all time.

4.5 but too good not to round up

When the debut album by SECRET CHIEFS 3 came to light in 1996, the project which was an extension of creative mastermind Trey Spruance's fertile imagination seemed like a one-off project where the cross-pollinating effects of Western and Middle Eastern musical styles could duke it out under the banner of mutilated surf rock and drum and bass techno. The album pretty much successfully covered as much ground as possible within the somewhat less overarching reach of the Mr. Bungle projects. Making it clear that tracks like "Techno Allah" on the "Disco Volante" album were spawned in the deep recesses of Spruance's psyche, the album pretty much nurtured every possible variation of that track and then some. However, the project was not quite finished as a second "Grand Constitution" in the form of "Hurqalya" was forged in the same molten cauldron of surf rock, breakcore, Arab folk music, progressive rock and psychedelia which abandoned the free-for-all head scratching moments of the debut and steered the project into a somewhat more focused stylistic approach however Bungle was still going strong and nobody could have guessed that SC3 would generate more life.

The new millenium arrived and Mr. Bungle released its final album "California" and then promptly called it quits which left Spruance with the freedom to indulge his wildest fantasies in his many side projects. While Faxed Head had reached its logical conclusion rather quickly the SECRET CHIEFS 3 project however conjured up a wealth of new stylistic cross-pollinating elements to be explored and in the process of searching through the misty brumes of the musical sounds of the Silk Road, Spruance continued the project and declared it his main gig as the ashes of Bungle were finally laid to rest. BOOK M emerged three years after "Hurqalya" and took all the disparate elements of that album and executed them into even more demanding instrumental gymnastics with unthinkably precise and wickedly cool production techniques. The fusion techniques of the previous albums had been flawlessly woven together like the highest quality Persian rug and the results were the next chapter of the mystical thematic world that simulates a long lost culture secretly ruled by the invisible mystics vibrating in a dimension just outside of our perceivable frequencies. These sounds culminated into one of the SC3's most magical albums that continued the Ennio Morricone film score feel in Spaghetti Middle Eastern form teased out with subtler hints of surf rock, chamber pop, avant-prog and modern Western classical majesty.

Thematically BOOK M can be thought of as the soundtrack to three volumes of mystical texts: "Observance Of The World," "Engagement Of The Sword" and "Ritual Of The Cup." While the Middle Eastern sounds that range from traditional Arabic folk and Persian scales to even touches of Indonesian, Indian, Celtic folk and gypsy swing, the tracks meander through various layers of tones and timbres with off-kilter time signatures, drum and bass electronic outbursts, surf rock undercurrents and bouts of renegade violin solos (courtesy of Eyvind King), heavy metal guitar heft, funk grooviness, psytrance electronica hyperactivity and appearances by fellow ex-Bunglers Danny Heifetz on drums and various ethnic percussive instruments and Bär McKinnon on saxophone. The entire run of the album's near 55 minute run is like a well executed journey through the mystical lands that evoke sonic representations of the magical beings encountered through the various ritualistic practices that evoke the timelessness of the folk aspects of the music. It's almost as if the timelines have merged and the relaxed acoustic ancient world has united with the electronic frenzied quickening of the modern 21st century where it is impossible to distinguish the origins of any particular element of the music.

Less anarchic than the previous two albums, BOOK M seamlessly exudes a true sense of multi-genre fusion rarely achieved in such a perfected manner by recycling past themes and advancing them into new epic arenas. The album truly comes off as the soundtrack to a film that has never existed yet evokes the mystic avenues of the mind where the crossroads are populated by the entire lexicon of the musical histories of planet Earth. Spruance proved on BOOK M that not only did SECRET CHIEFS 3 still have life in the project but that it could be elevated to extremely advanced levels carried out through the rigorousness of perfecting the production techniques and the meandering march of modulating magnificence. The brilliance of this album results from the fact that every detail is perfectly carried out but by how easy it is to sit for the entirety of this album time after time and never once find the slightest flaw or trace of boredom. SECRET CHIEFS 3 is truly a niche sort of band that is music for nerds who have heard it all before and crave something totally inventive and completely existing outside the box of the established orthodoxies of the music industry. Not only did Spruance demonstrate that he was one of the masterminds of the entire Bungle experience but made it clear once and for all that out of the ensemble of genii that made up Bungle that he was one of the top dogs in the creative madness that took the world by storm and still resonates high on the freak-o-meter even by today's standards. Another masterpiece by SC3 here!

The debut album by SECRET CHIEFS 3 had been an all out battle over a stylistic approach with borrowings from previous Mr Bungle tracks, sneak peeks of future Bungle and a dash of Trey Spruance's wild ass freakery from his side project Faxed Head not to mention the plethora of influences that included but not limited to Arab traditional music, Bollywood, surf rock, electronica, avant- prog, psychedelia, jazz and well a big whopping mix of pure avant-garde. With all these genres duking it out possibly with no thought into a future of this side project, not only would SC3 become Spruance's main gig despite one final Mr Bungle album in the making, but it became a passion and on this sophomore album SECOND GRAND CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS: HURQALYA, the project coalesced into a more stable mix of different musical elements that would become the template for which future SC3 albums would revolve around.

With Mr Bungle on hold due to Mike Patton's commitments to Faith No More (with Trey Spruance contributing guitar work on 1995's "King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime"), Spruance sallied forth on the next phase of his true love which took the elements previously displayed on Mr Bungle's track "Techno Allah" from the "Disco Volante" album and turned the idea into a veritable band project. And while the debut album was basically four members of Mr Bungle exploring Bunglish ideas into more extreme territories, on SECOND GRAND CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS: HURQALYA Trevor Dunn didn't return and was replaced by William Winant who covered the massive sprawl of instruments that included kanjira, timpani, snare drum, cymbals, ankle bells, hammer dulcimer. Likewise Trey Spruance increased his duties to include guitar, mandolin, bass, organ, synth, keyboards, trumpet, baglama, zither, programming, tapes, chorus vocals and Danny Heifetz expanded his percussion to include drums, tambourine, shaker, finger cymbals, dumbec.

With all these new instruments HURQALYA has an exponentially richer sound spectrum than "Bylaws 1" and that's not all! Fellow Bungler Bär McKinnon appears as a flautist, Paul Dal Porto plays sitar, Eyvind Kang joins in on violin and erhu and there is a hauntingly beautiful vocal appearance by Laura Allen on the Arab pop meets Bollywood track "Mera Pyar Shalimar." The album is decidedly more Middle Eastern focused with instantly catchy Arab melodies but strangely juxtaposed with Indian instrumentation, surf rock, breakcore, psychedelia, drum and bass and even a touch of trumpet mariachi style all wrapped into an Ennio Morricone styled sort of spaghetti Western type of cinematic approach. SC3's second album in affect sounds like one of the first attempts to make a spaghetti Middle Eastern experience and in the process creates one of the most unique albums i've ever experienced even different from the band's other endeavors.

The album is begins and ends in an epic fashion. "The Rose Garden Of Mystery" provides a soft acoustic guitar arpeggiated melody that builds instrumental counterpoints while setting the mood for occult practices on the Silk Road. In between the tracks are centered around surf rock with electronic effects (the "Book T" tracks) while tracks like "Renunciation," "Jabalqa," "Mera Pyar Shalimar" and "Jabarsa" are clearly rooted in Arabic musical styles that take the melodic approaches of traditional Arab music, add some bellydance type of grooves and fortify it with strange sound effects, breakcore and progressive time signature complexities. The result is a compelling tapestry of pan-continental styles of music that had hitherto never found themselves so intricately woven together in such perfect splendor.

While the first nine tracks are fairly accessible, the final two are the most difficult but easily skipped for those who don't wish to take the meditative journey into the sandstorm laced noisy journey that takes place on "Beyond The Mountain Qaf" which eschews all musical traditions and unleashes the most experimental noise rock and Krautrock stylistic approaches completely with wind sounds, rain and other field recordings. The track morphs into the closing "Hurqala" which brings back an Arabic melodic and even climatic epic score. Like Lawrence of Arabia meets Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. The track continues with variations on the main theme but then drops out leaving several minutes of silence before making a reprise with a new variation as if a final desert theme finds closure to the mystic journey that was just experienced.

SECOND GRAND CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS: HURQALYA was not only my first experience with the SECRET CHIEFS 3 project but even to this day after untold hundreds of listens to this exquisite album still remains one of my all time favorite albums and in my book sits equally well with the following "Book M" and "Book Of Horizons." These three albums find SC3 in perfect form with all the elements carefully crafted. The most amazing thing about this album is not only the beautifully crafted composiitons that stew the slices of disparate genres into a world gumbo but the amazing production job that creates an even more dynamic experience with no detail left to chance. The timbres, tones, dynamics and cadences all correspond to a more intricate storyline that is unaccessible but mysteriously perceived. I cannot think of too many albums that are so brilliantly designed and this will most likely rank high on my list for a very long time. Perhaps my only complain is the several minutes of wind and silence that end the album before a brief little reprise of music but it's easy enough to push stop at any time so in no way affects my overall score. PERFECT! MASTERPIECE!

The world of Mr Bungle took the 90s by storm with a group of eclectic musicians reinventing experimental rock and metal with unthinkable fresh new paradigm shifts but in between albums they were busy with many other side projects although most of those would take place after the band broke up in 2001. Mike Patton was of course with Faith No More and Danny Heifetz moonlighted with Link Wray and Dieselhed. Trey Spruance on the other hand was the true wack job of the group with the over-the-top eccentricities of the avant-metal group Faxed Head as well as taking over the guitar spot in Faith No More for 1995's "King For A Day.. Fool For A Lifetime." After Mr Bungle's second album "Disco Volante" which came out the same year, there were no guarantees that the Bunglers would release another album and the members all went their own ways to find new projects to work on.

Before SECRET CHIEFS 3 would become Spruance's main gig, it was simply just another side project outside of the wacky world of Mr Bungle. The name SECRET CHIEFS was chosen because it referred to eclectic references to an occult spiritual hierarchy that was secretly operating the cosmos behind the scenes. Out of this moniker emerged an entire parallel universe with each album providing the soundtrack and eventually splintering off into satellite bands but on this debut album FIRST GRAND CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS, Truance joined forces with three other Bunglers, bassist Trevor Dunn, saxist Clinton Bär McKinnon and percussionist Danny Heifetz to create the most unhinged and eclectic of the SECRET CHIEFS 3 albums. The album cover art represents the Cycle of the Nychtermeron and can be seen as the gateway into the greater world of the occult displayed through symbology and titular references.

While with the second album SC3 would become Spruance's main project, at this stage he was just letting off steam and as a result this album is a wild eclectic mix of past Bungle, future Bungle, Spruance's other side project Faxed Head as well as the diverse sounds of ethnic music (predominantly Middle Eastern), surf rock and other electronica that would become the main mix of styles to come. Despite the project consisting of four Bunglers, the album still evokes an epic sound with a large number of instruments and musical styles. While SECRET CHIEFS 3 has become known mostly as an instrumental act, on FIRST GRAND CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS there are many parts with vocals only shared by Spruance and Dunn and then quite silly at that. Through the album's 20 tracks many of the SC3 sounds that would dominate future albums debut here as well as a number of weirdnesses that would never repeat themselves.

The short intro track "Ana'I Haqq" opens with the same sort of funeral organ sounds as heard on the "Disco Volante" track "Ma Meesha Mow Skwoz" which immediately brings the Bungle vibe into the forefront but instead of Mike Patton stepping in and taming the wild crew into vocal dominated bouts of stability, the album just drifts off into various often nebulous musical world. "Adept Chamber Of The Magian Tavern" prognosticates the electro-Middle Eastern fusion sounds that would define SC3 while "Inn Of 3 Doors" dishes out some expected cartoon music sounds before jumping onto the Silk Road with Indian and exotic Central Asian musical sounds. "Breeze Of Dawn, Death's Angel" dishes out some death metal bombast while "Assassin's Blade" takes the opposite approach with military drumming along with more musical mirages of the Middle East.

Throughout the album are a million catchy melodies but also are bouts of pure craziness adopted from Spruance's wild and uncategorizable band Faxed Head. Such antics are heard on "Bare-Faced Bazi" and "Killing Of Kings" which juxtapose somewhat easy listening with outbursts of insane vocal shoutings, complete musical breakdowns and sputtering insane electronic freakouts. Compared to more focused (which is saying a lot considering how eclectic all SC3 releases have been), FIRST GRAND CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS is all over the place with no clear winner in which stylistic approach dominates the album which makes this debut the more bizarre album within the greater extended Bungle universe. Highly melodic passages and utter chaotic noise often exist side by side however when melodies do pop up, more often than not are derived from Arab sources. Add heavy progressive rock elements, jazzy touches and psychedelic organ runs and album #1 by SC3 never delivers a dull moment. Not my favorite SC3 album but the wildest ride for sure and one that hits that avant-garde spot.

This album by Secret Chiefs 3 is actually done completely by one of the satellite bands that records under the SC3 name. The satellite band featured here is Traditionalists, who is the incarnation of the band that does songs in the style of movie soundtracks. That is what this album is, a soundtrack from a movie that doesn't exist. The name of the non-movie is 'Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimit Uomini', which translated from Italian to English is 'The Severed Right Hands of the Last Men'. The music is based on and inspired by existing Italian horror/suspense films called 'giallo horror films'. Soundtrack composers like Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai and others are sources of inspiration for this album.

The album is made up of 30 tracks, all of them with durations less than 3 minutes (except for two tracks that manage to barely crack the 3 minute mark, and the entire album run time is just under an hour. Some tracks are quite dramatic, spooky and cinematic as you would expect, and others, like 'Sophie's Theme' are very European sounding with mostly orchestral elements. There are wordless vocal elements scattered throughout, mostly elements of horror.

Trey Spruance, the one constant person in the SC3 collaborations, plays most of the instruments, but there are several other guests that pitch in playing additional keyboards, string instruments, percussion and so on. At times, the music is quite accessible as far as soundtrack music goes, but at other times it can get quite chaotic and intense in an avant-garde manner, sometimes shifting suddenly from one style to another, but remaining mostly orchestral throughout. From time to time, you get a more modern feeling, like on 'Agenda 21' that features an upbeat and jazzy bass line supporting dissonant chimes, swirling flutes and strange guitar power chords. There is also a sense of humor that shows up every once in a while in the music itself as is the case with 'Zombievision 2012' and also with the intentionally terrible rhythm loop in 'RFID Slaverider'.

The music is ever changing, but there are a few running themes that pop up in differing variations throughout the album, that helps to keep a line of coherent themes. For a soundtrack that mixes modern and orchestral elements, is does have a surprising amount of variety to keep things interesting. I find the entire thing to be quite interesting and never really lose my interest because it is full of nice surprises as far as musical elements go. The fact that there are so many short tracks really does not take away anything from the album as the tracks mostly flow into each other and become small parts of a greater whole. While going through the album, it helps to keep track of the individual section as the go by track by track, because it helps you keep your place in the entire sequence and it helps to break up the entire album into each individual thought and idea. I find it all even more enjoyable by doing this.

As with every other SC3 album, I find this one quite enjoyable even if it is a non-soundtrack. You can almost even see the scenes that are depicted in the music, and that is quite a feat to pull that off so believably. I can't help but consider this a masterpiece, like most of the SC3 music. The music is meticulously composed and played, every note is important. The amazing thing is how it all flows together so well, because you run into some really strange shifts through the music, but it all seems like everything fits into the whole picture so well. Once again, I find it difficult to give this album anything other than 5 stars, it is quite the masterpiece in my opinion.