THE HIDDEN STEP

Working in a touch more trance and psybient influences whilst still sticking to the usual Ozrics format, The Hidden Step finds the Tentacles continuing the process of gradually evolving their sound. Don't let the shift in the art style on the cover fool you - this is very much business as usual for the group, though if you're into them that's probably a plus. One could have accused the band of continually remaking the same album - but if you compare this to, say, Erpland it quickly becomes apparent that over the 1990s they undertook a slow, gradual process of developing their sound further.

Between this and Swirly Termination - an abandoned project released without the band's consent by their old label - this probably has the edge when it comes to the two Ozrics studio album releases of 2000.