VAMPYROS ROUSSOS

The COSMIC TRIP MACHINE is back again. Last year Will Z. and Majnun threw their debut 'Lord Space Devil' (LSD) across the genre stage on which they are constantly exploring the folk/raga/psych fields with much trickiness. Variety is the spice of life - both fellows are proving this motto once more on 'Vampyros Roussos' - that's for sure. The album is concipated as a rock opera - a soundtrack of an imaginary movie with other words. As for the inspirations a systematic backfall again into those years where the prog music was born - but obviously provided with other preferences now.

What makes it different ... first and foremost because they have drummer T-Bone contributing here, who does a great job too by the way. This means it's more rocking on the whole. While the opener Vampyres links to the predecessor album for the moment with a typical dreamy psychedelia start, it all surprisingly turns into a jazzy behaviour after some time. This song is really symptomatic for the whole production filled with well thought out twists and turns. Which immediately points to the next grooving Psychedelic Twist provided with playful drumming, multi-layered guitars and mysterious female narration.

And so the following songs take you away on a rollercoaster trip through the 60/70's, bouncing from one event to the other. Poppy charming beats like on Revelation Evil are competing with lots of heavy psych guitar solos and fusionesque bass lines. Oh dear - really damn rocking this time what I never expected - way more powerful because of the drum kit presence of course. It Feels Good even appears in a funky James Brown outfit. Heavy riffing and sawing guitars are corresponding with swirling synths on the space rock tunes White Lodge and Cerbere which temporarily seems to get out of control in between.

When it looks like that Deep Purple is on the wrong track here for a while - never mind - by way of variation you're shortly forwarded to India on a hallucinatory trip with sitar accompaniment. And being completely restless Will and Majnun later on switch to a horseback ride crossing the prairie with a mouth organ at their lips ... I hope you're slowly but surely obtaining a hazy notion how it works? Okay - I really try my very best ... anyhow ... you have to check this on your own to get the ideal impression. It's something you won't find every day - believe me!

For the second time they put forward 18 song snippets exactly - probably this number is something magical for them. The album sleeve offers ten clues which are supposed to help for assimilating the album - especially concerning the concept, the lyrics. Nice idea ... however ... generally I don't care much for lyrics (except they are in German). But I don't want to keep it secret - the (weird) story deals with young fellow Jimmy who fails to rob a bank, escapes from the police and eventually gets caught by a vampire ...

.... no not eventually of course - the adventure goes on. Even when you're not interested in the story behind, 'Vampyros Roussos' offers enough challenge when you only explore the music as such. COSMIC TRIP MACHINE have worked out an entertaining album once again - a rather eclectic approach with a wondrous blend of genres and styles. Listen as much as you are able to - I'm sure it will remain an enjoyable freaky event because you are always sent into a labyrinth of contrasting impressions - 4.5 stars.

This album was my first introduction to the music of Belgian Cosmic Trip Machine, so I have not heard their first record without drums, mentioned to be more acid folk oriented. The first impression was brought by the beautiful psychedelic cover art, and after entering the CD successfully to the player, I was allowed for wandering to the surreal heartland of these musicians inspiration. The album is divided to quite many tracks, which follow each other without pauses, forming a solid flow of music, which however has many vivid twists and changes. I admit that in some tracks I felt these changes happing too quickly, as I would have liked to hear longer explorations of the themes, deepening the meditative ecstasy I get from good long journeys with flow. However, this is a matter of personal taste I believe.

The record and the story starts with a mellow acoustic folk track emphasizing oriental hippie flavors, resembling slightly some songs from the albums of Emtidi and Bröselmaschine which I listened recently. Soon the band kicks some amplified grooves in, and the two following songs chart the groovy and casual lounging style association earlier Jimi Hendrix recordings. "Welcome to Roussos" is then a Jade Warrior oriented ethnic short idea, followed by "(Not) Very High" delightful oriental rock ballad, which sounded to me little like Kula Shaker going very experimental. Two next songs are then more heavier stoned rockers, leading to "White Lodge", a short tune resembling little the sound style established by Hawkwind. The flow of album lands back to more earthbound territories with two next tracks, giving glimpse of cool Motown oriented tones. Song "Forest / Lost Island" was quite interesting, first starting as kind of Dario Argento horror movie's forest sequence, which changes as a delightful sitar folk glade sequence. "Zorba Goes to Hell" in a quite pleasant boogie way, where "Cerbere" is waiting for him, presented as a heavier tunnel leading to cosmic chaotic aural sequences. The destination "Black Lodge" has some ancient Asian ethnic soundscapes, which morph as wild acid rock sabre dancing. Then finally after a hazy flash, a tender acoustic folk playing follows, visiting jazzy themes, and after a pretty oriental Indian raga chiming the album gets closed with wild psych heavy rocking.

I felt that the musicians have a deep knowledge in the stylistic spectrum associated with the classic psychedelic music genre, and there is very good sound quality in recording. I liked especially the evident virtues of the guitar player, and also bass grooves in the funkier parts. I would recommend this album and band for the fans of soulful and imaginative streetwise psychedelic music most sincerely. The only factors which made this little less interesting for me were the some stylistic choices, which are just cases of personal preferences, and I also thought there's maybe little too much content here for so short record. But on the other hand, it certainly is an intensive roller coaster ride of stimulations! So if an adventurous concept album in realms of psychedelic elements including also some humor seems an appealing choice, this album and group can certainly deliver it to you. I personally would be yet more interested to hear the first album of this band, which I understood was done as a duo, and focusing to the acid folk side of psychedelia, and grab it if it would appear to my reach in the local psychedelic record vendor's shop.