OPAL

Hailing from Germany during the rise of Kosmische Musik, better known as 'Krautrock' even today, Embryo took their own path in the direction of Jazz Fusion, though a not-uncommon 'departure' from the scene we can likewise see in groups such as Out of Focus and Kraan. With this note, I will add, Krautrock is far more singular in its focus on spacy soundscapes bolstered by pulsating rhythms (generally), when compared to, say, Grunge (probably the most obvious example of a so-called genre, splintered into at least three main stylistic camps) [See my trial footnote below]. Excited to finally be digging into another classic deutsche Gruppe!

Opal begins with the title track, "Opal" of course, a not-too-surprising muddy start. Drummer-vocalist Christian Burchard bashes the kit amidst a bleeding drone from Ralph Fischer's fuzzy bass and what sounds like the wild slashing of a viol (I have no idea what it is; the mystery of this phantom string instrument is today's theme haha). It's a killer opener; one helluva statement. The Avant-Garage sound brings to mind early, early The Who and The Kinks, and Syd Barrett's (and Saucerful-era) Pink Floyd. What I thought was that same distant viol--it can't be Edgar Hofmann's reeds, can it?--sounds off on the next, "You Don't Know What's Happening", a cool though dark dirge. The open snare married with rolling toms brings about an exotic feel, built up most convincingly by the soft trill of the guitar from John Kelly.

Up next is "Revolution", and Embryo brings the beeves. Rapid-fire rhythm section showing bits of imperfection may charm here. We finally hear the first real glimpse of Hoffman's sax, a happy occasion. I will say, too, Burchard's drumming here is most impressive, split up across speakers, and fortified, I assume, by auxiliary percussion aplenty. Great jam, still plenty 'of the time', yet I think looking forward to some of the more punky Art Rock of the mid-70s. The song closes out with a real fine guitar solo as the band fades to black. The most distinguishably jazzy number, apparently carrying on in the same key as "Revolution", is "Glockenspiel", a low-yet-moderately-played Pysch-Jazz with pulsing bass and a continuation of sax soloing. Bell-like strikes from the guitar, truly an interesting element to hear, period, counterpoints the saxophone nicely. "Got No Time" is a truly low-and-slow interlude of sorts, lasting just a minute and a half.

We return to something all the more familiar with the warm thumping of "Call", another sporting more tasty sax soloing to start. This is certainly classic Kosmische! Approaching the middle, the guitar takes over the lead spot, performing just-out-of-the-box lines, which certainly pulled me in closer by my ear. The organ--I assume then the Monticello credited to non-member Robert Detree--increases in underlying supremacy as we return to the theme and the track comes to a close. Something I thought of earlier, I believe on "You Don't Know What's Happening", in addition to a sort of Beatnik vibe thanks to spoken monologues, "End of Soul" features almost folksy somethings here and there (again, uncredited strings? It's a bit confusing honestly), to me reading more as like Pentangle, and less like the much darker Comus. This track is a great showcase of the rhythm section, especially the bass. Great performance from the guitar, too. Finally, we get the near-8-minute "People from out the Space", which I can't imagine even in 1970 was an accidental mistranslation, but who knows? And indeed, as the title implies, this is the spaciest of the bunch, right out the gate. The rolling drum figures are so of the time (praise be), and the saxophone in this context especially feels preceding to Gong, like "Fohat Digs Holes in Space" from Camembert Electrique a year later (1971). I'll call it: with its near-comparably-strong opener, Opal's bookend closer is most essential of the bunch. Fantastical Space Rock for your earholes!

So overall, a killer debut from a well-beloved German band, and I once again say, I can't wait to hear more.

[Sorry if this is self-importance speaking, but the three camps of Grunge are 1) a gritty Post-Hardcore with slight early Alternative influence (e.g. Mudhoney, Green River, early Nirvana); 2) a more overtly heavy sound owing to Thrash Metal specifically (e.g. Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Melvins); and 3) a likely later, established Grunge with overt Alt influence (e.g. latter-day Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, early Foo Fighters, STP). I guess I've wanted to say this for some time haha.]