LATIN MASS

This is OS MUNDI's ambitious debut released in 1970 where they sought to convert a Catholic Mass into a dark and heavy psychedelic work with rough production. And don't forget the Latin lyrics, and I like that the vocalist has some character to his voice. It took a few spins but this is an excellent Krautrock record but I still prefer the more jazzy second album "43 Minuten". Besides the usual instruments we also get flute, sax, bongos and cello. The sax and cello seems to get buried in the sound but I'm not complaining.

"Ouverture" hits the ground running with the organ out front. Great sound here when it settles into a groove. A calm 1 1/2 minutes in then some guitar expressions come and go. Nice. I like the way this unfolds and changes yet keeps the same vibe. A dark mood arrives after 3 minutes then back to a brighter mood with guitar after 3 1/2 minutes. It blends into "Kyrie" where vocals join in quickly. This is really good. The vocals are manipulated at times as it becomes experimental. Organ, a beat and more as we get this fairly pleasant sound before 2 minutes.

"Gloria" opens with organ as a beat joins in and more as it builds to a full sound. Vocals too. It settles back around 2 minutes but not for long as it picks back up. A rumbling drum solo after 3 minutes goes on to the end. A bit much. "Credo" is a top three tune and my favourite. A full sound hits us right away with vocals. Catchy stuff with some killer bass lines and organ runs. It turns experimental after a minute and then starts to self-destruct as it were with discordant piano and more. Then this amazing organ melody with bass and drums kicks in. So good! Vocals join in. Amazing sound here. Classic krautrock right here people! Check out the guitar 5 1/2 minutes in as he starts to solo. So much going besides this though. Just a great track.

"Credo II" is a top three and we get some grungy sounding guitar with organ, bass, drums then vocals. It lightens 2 1/2 minutes as the vocals also settle down. I like this. Back to the previous theme before 3 1/2 minutes. "Sanctus" is my final top three song and the longest at over 9 minutes. A vocal statement as it were before the guitar starts to solo with organ, bass and more. A calm with vocals a minute in. A relaxed guitar solo 2 minutes in after the vocals step aside. The flute replaces the guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. Sounds like they are improvising a minute later. It settles back as sounds come and go to the end. Interesting stuff.

The previous song blends into "Agnus Dei" where the arrival of the pounding drums signals a change. We get FLOYD- like vocals that pretty much shout the lyrics briefly then we get an almost dead calm. Distorted and insane guitar follows. Vocals are back then it kicks into gear. The organ stands out here and I like how themes are repeated. The guitar is crying out late.

My cd is a re-issue from 2004 on Mason Records but the liner notes are in German unfortunately. Even the pictures inside disappoint because they are so tiny. Great album though.