SWIRLY TERMINATION

It's interesting to me how ratings and reviews of Swirly Termination are all over the map. There seem to be about as many 2 star ratings as 5 star ratings. I wonder, how big a part being a OT fan you are over all, plays in the final assessment of the album. OT is one of my favorite bands, certainly my favorite psych/space band. Like My Dying Bride, another band accused of making soundalike albums, I always find their sound so interesting and enjoyable. I think Swirly Termination has some excellent material, so I'd give it 3 1/2 stars, rounded to 4 because we have to.

The fact that the band was at the very least ambivalent about Swirly Termination being released to the public has been discussed at length in other reviews. I'll just say that the quality of the album is inconsistent. I think the second half is stronger than the first. My favorite tracks are probably "Pyoing", "Kick 98", and the beloved "Voy Mandala". Over all, the album does meander a little too often for my tastes, and the "swirly" synthesizers are too present.

However, Swirly Termination is a good representation of Ozric Tentacles' unique combination of elements: psychedelic synthesizers, complex (sometimes reggae-like) rhythms, Middle Eastern sounds, and Ed Wynne's incisive guitar playing. The relatively short playing time of Swirly Termination might suggest that it would be a good introduction for the uninitiated. I think this is a very good overall representation. I might pick Pyrmadion first, because I think the songs are just better written. However, there's a lot of good-to-excellent music to be found on Swirly Termination for prog fans and newbies.