PUNGENT EFFULGENT

After a couple of limited edition cassette releases, the Ozric's career finally takes off for good with this very strong debut album. It's a well-known criticism that the band never deviated much from their basic formulas, and indeed, everything the Ozrics would ever do is already firmly in place here. But the band is inspired and enthusiastic throughout and the album flows without a flaw.

So what do we get? A instrumental fusion of jazz rock, space-rock, middle-eastern scales and rhythms, upbeat tempos, dub, groovy bass licks, gorgeous synth tapestries, delicious guitar work and a few scattered ethnic influences. That about sums it up. The references to Gong, Hawkwind and maybe Tangerine Dream as well are obvious, but they don't match the creative power of those originals yet.

Ozric Tentacles are a fine band with an extensive discography of which I would recommend most of the 90's albums. The debut is a good start, but later albums would regularly improve the sound that they laid down here. 3.5 stars.