TECHNICIANS OF THE SACRED

Psychedelic roads for the electronic people.

As soon as I read a review of this Ozric Tentacles, 2015, "Technicians of the Sacred", referring to their use of electronic keyboards as their weapon of choice on this new release, well, it caught my attention.

O.T. is one of those always flexible and elastic bands that no matter what, always show their own musical language but always proposing new routes for it. Sometimes it works wonders others not, but nevertheless they dare to explore.

"Technicians of the Sacred" has, as told, a very close encounter with Prog/Electronics, as well as with Krautrock, Jazz/Fusion and Eclectic but also with more contemporary electronics or non-prog styles (Reggae, Trance, etc.)

It will not surprise me that many OT's or average prog audiophiles will miss the charm of this extreme fusion of electronics and styles with the less use of lead guitar in comparison to other releases.

Anyway, for those others I address, this record is a 2 cd explosion of freedom and creativity which expands in all directions with extreme craftmanship (as always), a sense of fun without being comic, and a restless hunger for other stylings and directions.

So expect a lot of influences which will rarely be associated with the O.T.s (Alan Parsons, Chick Corea, Neu!, Underworld and other unorthodox roots), as very refined contemporary electronics taken to the top without losing focus on the music composition or their own idiom and instrumentation.

****4 PA stars on the rise.

The cover sure looks encouraging, some guy going by the name of Natan "MantisMash" was responsible for the cover and it's very much an Ozric cover. This guy sure has Blim's spirit in the artwork, those similar psychedelic colors (lots of yellow, orange and blue). The title I'm certain came from a book published in 1968 by Jerome Rothenberg, which happens to be entitled Technicians of the Sacred: A Range of Poetries from Africa, America, Asia & Oceania, which is as the book describes: poetry from indigenous tribes from around the world. Meaning it's the kind of book you could imagine Ed Wynne would read and likely felt this would make a nice title for the new Ozric release. Turned out Ed stated the title had to do with Mayan astrology, he made no mention of the book, but I'd be surprised if he didn't get the title of "Techicians of the Sacred" from that book.

The Wynne family included a returning Paul Hankin as well as Hungarian drummer Balazs Szende, and let me tell you this one just blew me away. It's literally the best Ozric release I've heard in a very long time, and easily the best with Brandi. This album has a more grand and epic feel than Paper Monkeys, with a more spacy vibe, and in fact perhaps one of the spaciest Ozric albums I have ever heard! Paper Monkeys seemed more rock-oriented, this one tends more heavily on world music, lots of Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian gamelan) and Middle Eastern styles, and some reggae thrown in (as they sometimes do, but used to do more frequently in their early releases). Of course, you still get treated with synths and Ed's trademark guitar playing. Lots of reminders of the Ozric past, but on some of the songs they actually try something new, such as electronic percussion that sounds different ("Zingbong" has some of that percussion that sounded like Jean Michel Jarre used on "Equinoxe V" or "Oxygene IV"), new synth textures I've never heard on an Ozric album before (I just love that gliding synth on "Zingbong"), and a strange experimental piece with strange sounding violin on "The Unusual Village". There's also strange female tribal chants on "Butterfly Garden" and "Changa Masala" while the latter also includes a quote from "Kick Muck". "The High Pass" has this grand intro, but they really get rocking.

Either I'm losing my mind, or I'm some fanboy, but I really think this is their finest release since their glory days, in fact I rank it up there with their best material ever! I know Brandi is on here, and the stuff the Ozrics done with her on board has been frequently dismissed, but for me, the truly stands tall with the classic. And in hindsight, the stuff they've been doing since Spirals in Hyperspace has been a bit inconsistent (usually some ugly techno experiment), each of those releases still had great material. Plus I found Paper Monkeys surprisingly consistent, which I felt was a turn in the right direction. Technicians of the Sacred really exceeded all my expectations, this is truly a masterpiece, although many might not agree, it sure sounds like one to me! It's a masterpiece if it consistently reenters my CD player!

UK band OZRIC TENTACLES are among the living legends of progressive rock, although I'm not quite sure if they would consider themselves to merit being described in such terms. With a career that kicked off 30 years ago and a prolific total production over the years, this is a firmly established band with a sizable fanbase at this point, and if my memory is correct they are one those bands that have established an audience that cross a great extent of stylistic borders along the way. "Technicians of the Sacred" is their latest studio production, and was released in May 2015 through the Snapper Music imprint Madfish.

As glorious as the past of the Ozrics is, the last ten years or so have seen the band dwindling down a bit, at least as far as recording new material goes. Of the 26 studio and live albums to their name, only five of those have been released over the past decade, including this latest album of theirs. I've also gotten the impression that their latest few studio albums haven't been quite up to the quality of their earlier material, and that there might have been some slight concerns about the band having more or less emptied their well of inspiration and creativity. Four years have gone since Ozric Tentacles released a studio album now, and it was something of a surprise, at least for me, that their latest one was a double feature. After giving this one an inspection it's also fairly clear to my mind why it was released as a double album however, as my impression is that this isn't a case of a double album produced merely to be able to put out all material made rather than selecting the best ones for a single CD, but rather that this is a double feature with subtle differences that makes these two CDs slightly different from one another.

The six cuts chosen for the first CD all share some characteristic features: They are dominated by keyboard and synthesizer textures, liberally flavored with electronic effects and the guitars are toned down both as providers of plucked details, riffs, textures and soloing runs. The songs are very much Ozrics sounding, with all manners of futuristic sounds, surging keyboards and playful effects that invokes thoughts of science fiction just as much as fantasy fiction, and the distinct warm bass groove is of course a feature. But these compositions are all what I'd describe as rather elegant in nature, fairly smooth as seen in the context of this band's history, and just a tad more toned down throughout. Space rock, or fantasy rock if you like, of high quality and with a liberal array of keyboards, synthesizers and electronic effects in the driver seat.

I experience the second disc as a somewhat different creation. The guitar is more prominent, some of the sounds used are more visible, more in contrast with the environment if you like, and many of them feature more distinct world music inspired details, and then of the kind that comes with associations towards Asia and the Middle East first and foremost. The most excellent Epiphlioy the most distinct case in point, and one of the reasons for why this piece of a clear album highlight for me. A creation that takes me back to some of the classic, fairly early albums by the Ozrics that one. Just about as potent is Smiling Potion, one of those tracks that opens with the use of some distinctly odd sounds, explore them for a bit and then starts developing into quite the moving, vibrant monster tune. A future live favorite if I ever heard one. The differences between the two CDs here are fairly subtle, and there is of course a chance that my mind is playing tricks on me. Still, my impression is that this second disc features more use of exotic sounds, more use of and room for the guitar and a slightly less use of keyboards and synthesizer dominated arrangements. What isn't a matter of doubt is that this an Ozrics Tentacles production however, not just in name but also in game. The trademark sounds, effects and arrangements of the Ozrics is instantly recognizable, the band sticking with sounds, effects, themes and arrangements tested and proven by time, and use their experience to assemble all elements into compelling material with a fresh spirit, vibrancy and nerve that I've found somewhat lacking in this band for the last few years.

While I wouldn't rate "Technicians of the Sacred" as among the all time greatest albums by Ozric Tentacles at this point, that is a call that is much too early to give for a new album by such a long-lasting and prolific band anyway, what I can state with some degree of certainty is that for me personally, this is a strong album. If it will grow on me as time goes by or of it will lessen in impact when it's no longer fresh and new is something time will have to tell. But as of right here and right now this is a double album I feel I can safely recommend for old time fans and curious newcomers to the band alike.

This is an album that I liked immediately--for the familiarity of the sound that is so uniquely that of OZRIC TENTACLES--but that has taken me quite some time to get familiar with. That seems to be the problem with these modern artists who release 80-plus minute long albums (Dave Kerzer, Sanguine Hum, Barock Project, Nightwish, IOEarth, Sylvan, are a few of the others who have released long playing albums this year, so far.), it takes quite some effort to listen through and to thoroughly get to know them compared to a 45-minute long release. Anyway, the patience and time invested in getting to know Technicians of the Sacred has been well worth it. This has become my favorite Ozrics release since Jurassic Shift. While all the albums I've heard have been nice, none have really possessed that magic touch that compels me to return time and again. And, while the Ozrics sound, style, and magic is pretty generic (it is often difficult to distinguish individual tracks by title--this owning to the fact that they are an instrumental band), yet almost every song on Technicians has had a way to worm into my brain, to get me engaged and then to build, shift, add, twist and turn enough to keep me interested--and, often, smiling! These guys certainly have an unique way of creating sound combinations. I cannot think of anyone quite as eclectic and electronic as them and yet they are always grooving me with their bass and drum rhythm tracks. Always! Plus, their unusual combination of spacey, "Nature" electronic walls of sound with odd and unexpected world instruments never ceases to astound me. And these guys have been doing it for 30 years! BUT they have NEVER done it better than they have on this album. Hail Technicians of the Sacred! The stars have aligned in such a way that Ozric Tentacles have created a masterpiece (of their own genre of music)!

CD 1 (45:18) 1. "The High Pass" (8:23) competent and busy but inoffensive and definitely full of interesting sounds expertly woven together--plus great instrumental performances. It is only lacking a bit in the melody department: no hooks! (17.75/20)

2. "Butterfly Garden" (5:04) great atnosphere created between the synths and percussives but man! can Brandi Wynne seduce with her bass! The muted, softened-tone is nearly keyboard-like, but she covers ground that mesmerizes! Everytime I listen to this song I find myself practically tuning out everything but the bass (and vocal chants). Awesome shredding in the fourth minute, Ed! (9.5/10)

3. "Far Memory" (7:12) live drummer Balász Szende establishes an awesome drum line to open this before multiple synths, bass, and hand percussion join in. Brandi is again being so creative, so intuitive, with her own lines: it's awesome! Nice multiple-track guitar work in the third and fourth minutes snaking its way among the thick forest of synths. An odd spacious/quiet "bridge" around the four minute mark seems to offer the band a restart/reset after which the keys get a little more room to be creative/inventive (without choosing to be flashy). The maturity and patience in this music is remarkable (helped out greatly, I think, by Balász' steadfast time keeping)! I would not know how to improve this song! (15/15)

4. "Changa Masala" (6:05) The vocal and synth work here are what keep me engaged as the drum and bass patterns leave me a little disoriented and confused. The Mahavishnu Orchestra/Shakti-like duelling between baglama and synth in the fourth minute is very cool. but again it's the female vocals and amazing synth lines that I"m really enjoying. (9.25/10)

5. "Zingbong" (8:26) 1980s techno-pop programmed drum & bass sounds and beat sounding a lot like Japan or Yellow Magic Orchestra. Once it gets going--moving smoothly into fourth gear--it is a very enjoyable and scenic ride. Some great bass, guitar, and synth interplay around the six-minute mark. As a matter of fact, the display of high level instrumental proficiency (and creativity) is pretty incredible throughout this one. (18.75/20)

6. "Switchback" (10:13) a little slower paced and somewhat familiar sound palette of the opening are a little reminiscent of OT music from days gone by. I feel that Brandi is a little out of her element with this speed and style; perhaps a different sound or playing style would have been more appropriate/effective for this one. At the same time, the further into the song the listener hangs the more its bathing effect can be felt. The second half (or final third) may, in fact, be more cohesive than the first parts. (18/20)

CD 2 (43:51) 7. "Epiphlioy" (11:50) Silas' baglama opens this one like something from YOSSI SOSSI, JOHN FRUSCIANTE, or STEVE TIBBETTS. The rest of the band kicks in, creating a great Middle Eastern weave within which Balász and Brandi and the synth players kill it. Around 4:30 Ed's guitar play brings in a prog metal aspect that plays off the Middle Eastern instrumental sounds and melodies quite well: the contrast really works! Just a kick ass song with musicianship of the very highest caliber! Man! the synth solo in the eighth minute is incredible! And then the slow down patch after for the display of the heavily-distorted Middle Eastern male vocal again shows such maturity in their restraint! Amazing! More great sounds and solos to follow. The best "Middle Eastern" song the band has ever done! (25/25)

8. "The Unusual Village" (6:21) again mixing some rather unlikely elements is risky but ultimately pays off with some nice YVES POTIN-like music. Amazing what sounds and textures an electric guitar can produce these days! Ed even goes DAVID TORN in the fifth minute and then SHANKAR in the sixth! (9.125/10)

9. "Smiling Potion" (7:12) an amazing "Harder Better Faster Stronger" synth opening receives the guiding support of a slow, plodding, yet very-cerebral rhythm section. Amazing! The control and emotion being expressed here--in the first two minutes--before a solo instrument ever steps forward--is incredible! Then a very lysergic guitar enters and just blows your mind! Crowd noises in the space/pause in the middle of the song tease the audience with slow panning OT Erp-synth lines before the rest of the band rejoins. Keyboard and Silas' baglama begin another "conversation" in the fifth minute, backing off in the sixth for a battle of the percussionists! This is so different for OT! Awesome! (15/15)

10. "Rubbing Shoulders with The Absolute" (8:36) wonderfully rich and relaxing soundscape bordering on the New Age at its proggiest. Big mood and melody shift occurs at 3:30 with the introduction of a sharp reversed computer synth noise taking the lead, followed by some foreign language radio samples, but things are back to forward flow by 4:30. The music thickens in the seventh minute, kind of crescendoing for a bit before everybody drops way down on volume and business for a rather low-profile and sedating finish. Cool! (19/20)

11. "Zenlike Creature" (9:54) An all-time favorite OT song for me; kind of like the best of Jurassic Shift with all of the modern accoutrements and engineering advantages. EVERYBODY is at the top of their game for this one--though I simply must single out drummer Balász Szende for his amazing work. Ed, too, feels quite energized with his creative-yet-aggressive electric guitar work. A really well-crafted and perfectly engineered song! (20/20)

Total Time 89:09

I think what I like most about this album is how fresh, invigorating, and original all of the music and soundscapes feel. Also, these musicians know their high skill levels but seem to have the maturity to not have to show off at every minute of every song; restraint is a skill that this music shows quite well. Plus, drummer Balász Szende and bassist Brandi Wynne elevate the quality of the rhythm section to the band's highest level ever.

A/Five stars; a true masterpiece of progressive rock music. This is an album that is hard to find flaw with as it is all pretty engaging and highly creative (even witty) stuff. It's my highest rated OT album and definitely my favorite of theirs. Check it out for yourself. You may be surprised!

It's hard to believe that psychedelic space rockers the Ozric Tentacles are now thirty years and twenty studio discs (if you count those first six cassette releases) into their career! By the time of their terrific 1999 Album `Waterfall Cities', the band had begun evolving further than ever before in an electronic-driven direction, and it was a move that would affect their sound to this very day. But although the last few albums have hardly been poor (there seems to be some opinion that `The Hidden Step' from 2000 was their last truly great moment), there was a sense of repetition sinking into their music, perhaps even signs of a band just going through the motions a little, even though each album still had plenty of stand-out tracks throughout. But it's a welcome surprise to find that `Technicians of the Sacred' is their best release in many years, and this bold, confident and creatively inspired two disc musical statement has all the acoustic, electric, ethnic, world, ambient and psychedelic flavours expected of the band, as well as wholly embracing modern styles such as Goa and psy-trance to concoct a fascinating mix as always!

The title suggests that these two discs reflect the coming together of the technological modern and future age with the ancient, spiritual and meditative ways of old. Much of the first disc moves these cyber hippies the closest they've come to more purely electronic journeys, and there's definitely less histrionic guitar wailing than any other Ozrics album. Unsurprisingly, their soundworlds are constantly upbeat, spiritually blissful and still just a little schizophrenic!

As most Ozrics pieces end in a completely different place from where they begin, it's best to simply look at some standout moments instead of entire tracks. `The High Pass' is a pretty reliable Ozric opener that sounds exactly like you'd expect them to, all synth trickles and bubbling effects, pulsing beats and delirious electric guitar meltdowns. Tribal chants float around ripples of synths, a joyous trilling loop and slow-burning guitar in `Butterfly Garden', and `For Memory' holds blissful chiming guitar ruminations and gurgling beats. `Changala Masala' is a deep electronic psychedelic trance and world music race with slinking programmed bass and frantic guitar bursts (dig the manic throwback to their earlier track `Kick Muck' ever so briefly too!), after an almost oriental themed intro `Zingbong' morphs into one of those loopy reggae diversions that the band do so well, and `Switchback' delivers cascading and joyful synth melodies that could also get you dancing in between subtle moments of long ambient low-key stretches, and they even almost flirt with a kitschy J-Pop style in the opening!

Guitar is more prominent throughout the second disc, and in some ways represents the earlier era of the band more frequently. `Epiphiloy' harkens back to the dusty mystery and eastern bazaars of `Saucers' off `Strangeitude' where hypnotic acoustic guitar intertwines with gnarling synths, gongs, hand percussion, chimes and some biting heavier electric guitars to emerge as something of a modern classic from the Ozrics, and if the band can play it in a concert setting, it's sure to become a live favourite for many fans! Dream-like synth ambience glides through `The Unusual Village' with cutting little electric guitar spikes, and your mind grinds to halt with the lethargic and distorted groaning synths dropping mud-thick grooves on `Smiling Potion'. `Rubbing Shoulders with the Absolute' (now there's a title that electronic ambient musician Steve Roach likely wished he'd got to first!) has some lovely sedate and reflective moments due to glistening electric piano fingertips and washing Alpha Wave Movement-like synth caresses, and album closer `Zenlike Creatures' combines ethereal synth waves full of wonder and equally soaring and chilled guitars.

Even in the few less interesting moments, the album still sounds like addictive sonic ear candy all the way, and while it may not always hold their strongest or most memorable tunes, it's been a while since Ed Wynne and company have sounded not only so focused and determined to impress, but wanting to prove that they still have plenty of worthwhile music to offer and are more inspired than ever. `Technicians of the Sacred' is the Ozrics at their most vibrant, colourful and downright cool for some time, and it's great to have them back and finding their tentacled muse again!

Four stars - and bombard your senses by playing it louder for the best results! Who knows, it might even have you thinking it's one of the best and most addictive albums of the prog year!

'Technicians of the Sacred' - Ozric Tentacles (82/100)

For a band as longstanding as Ozric Tentacles, you would expect them to have had at least a handful of slip-ups over the years. And you would expect wrongly; though certain albums wax inspiration moreso than others, there's not one journey of theirs that isn't worth taking. Perhaps its because the Ozrics have managed to scope out a niche that assumes the most defining traits of space rock, all the while managing to sound completely unique while they're at it. I have said many times before that there's something purely addictive about Ozric Tentacles' sound. Their jams are filled with some of the best psychedelic ear candy around. When you pair that with their jaw-dropping musicianship, well, it's practically a match made in Shambhala.

Techncians of the Sacred is absolutely nothing new for Ozric Tentacles. It's intensely psychedelic-- almost overwhelmingly so. It teeters in the grey area where I'm unsure whether the songs are best described as loose compositions or focused jams. The tone is playful and alien. This is nothing Ozric Tentacles haven't done on albums prior, and in their case, that is exactly what I'd hope to hear on a new album. While some bands are rewarded by their own constant reinvention, this band is so deep within their own rabbit hole it would seem totally contrived if they tried to stir the pot, especially at this point in their career. While calling it a familiar experience probably isn't cause to be excited about Technicians of the Sacred by itself, the fact that they're still making new memorable material with those same strokes should act as testament to what a special band they really are.

Even amid the band's discography, Technicians of the Sacred holds a special place. It's easily their strongest album at least since Waterfall Cities in 1999, and though the band's past two albums-- 2009's The YumYum Tree and 2011's Paper Monkeys-- seemed to go a little too far with the electronic end at the expense of their energy, here they sound refreshed with a totally revived stamina. Considering it's an hour and a half long (their first 2Lp since Erpland in 1990) it's a small marvel they manage to hold a momentum half as well as they do here. Fans of the Ozrics should know well very what to expect. The tracks are generally built around tick grooves and a load of spacey effects to fill one's ears. Like a lot of their best work, you can tell these guys probably had a ton of fun piecing this album together. I hesitate to use the term 'loose' to describe their song structures, but suffice to say, they leave enough room for their atmosphere to breathe, no matter how fast or harrowing a given groove may be.

A lot of the most amazing parts of Technicians of the Sacred manifest themselves when the reins are tightened and the compositions take a more rigid form. While you can definitely tell some stretches were left up to magic and chance, Ozric Tentacles offer frequent reminders that this approach is never because they're trying to mask a lack of songwriting tact. The exotic "Epiphlioy" is easily the best example of Ed Wynne as an accomplished composer I have heard in a long time. The frantic acoustic guitar lick it's based around sounds intensely calculated, and the effect is only intensified when he plays around with and changes it up partways into the song. Other songs are memorable for other reasons. The best Ozric magic usually occurs when they find a great idea and latch onto it. So it would be with "Butterfly Garden" and quite a few others I've gladly remembered from the first listen onward.

It's been another impression I've had for some time that Ozric Tentacles really possess the chemistry and musicianship a band like Dream Theater wish they had. It's not just that they know how to dominate with their respective instruments. They know how to fuse their talents together. It is crazier still that Ozric Tentacles has developed into something of a family band in more recent years, with Ed Wynne's wife Brandi taking bass guitar and his son Silas manning the keyboard. While the main man is as impressive a guitarist as ever, it's always been the keyboards that have drawn me most to the band's sound. The same rings true on Technicians of the Sacred. With the kind of gorgeous sonic textures they emit in the music, I'm sure they could have still made enjoyable music with only marginal attention to depth or composition. It is all to Ozric Tentacles' credit that they've gone the extra mile and created an instrumental space rock album with depth to reward repeated listens.

It seems like a trivial criticism to make, but one of the same things that makes Technicians of the Sacred stand out in the band's career is the thing that may ultimately hold it back. While I don't think anything on this album is weak, the second half of the second disc definitely seems to slow down. Compared to the way the album started, "Smiling Potion" and "Rubbing Shoulders with the Absolute" feel kind of snoozy. The issue of the album's audacious length isn't made any better by the fact that Ozric Tentacles just kind of hang out the same wavelength throughout the album. Whether they're going soft, loud, fast or slow, the atmosphere is always one of quirky tranquility. Then again, would Technicians of the Sacred be such an enticing trip if the psychedelic atmosphere made room for sour vibes? I think not.

"Technicians of the Sacred" is truly an apt term for where the Ozric Tentacles sound ends up on this 2015 album. By now the rough about the edges aspects of the group have been left far behind - as much a thing of the past as the free festivals at which they honed their craft - and in its place stands crisp, precise studio intricacy. Once again, this project essentially comes down to the Wynnes plus a few friends, with Ed very much in the creative lead, and once again a fusion of electronic psybient and Gong-influenced space rock is the order of the day, but there's just a little bit extra oomph this time around compared to the immediately preceding albums. Instantly gripping, this is the album to persuade you that the Ozrics were still doing something compelling in the 2010s.