VAMPYROS ROUSSOS

This album was my first introduction to the music of Belgian Cosmic Trip Machine, so I have not heard their first record without drums, mentioned to be more acid folk oriented. The first impression was brought by the beautiful psychedelic cover art, and after entering the CD successfully to the player, I was allowed for wandering to the surreal heartland of these musicians inspiration. The album is divided to quite many tracks, which follow each other without pauses, forming a solid flow of music, which however has many vivid twists and changes. I admit that in some tracks I felt these changes happing too quickly, as I would have liked to hear longer explorations of the themes, deepening the meditative ecstasy I get from good long journeys with flow. However, this is a matter of personal taste I believe.

The record and the story starts with a mellow acoustic folk track emphasizing oriental hippie flavors, resembling slightly some songs from the albums of Emtidi and Bröselmaschine which I listened recently. Soon the band kicks some amplified grooves in, and the two following songs chart the groovy and casual lounging style association earlier Jimi Hendrix recordings. "Welcome to Roussos" is then a Jade Warrior oriented ethnic short idea, followed by "(Not) Very High" delightful oriental rock ballad, which sounded to me little like Kula Shaker going very experimental. Two next songs are then more heavier stoned rockers, leading to "White Lodge", a short tune resembling little the sound style established by Hawkwind. The flow of album lands back to more earthbound territories with two next tracks, giving glimpse of cool Motown oriented tones. Song "Forest / Lost Island" was quite interesting, first starting as kind of Dario Argento horror movie's forest sequence, which changes as a delightful sitar folk glade sequence. "Zorba Goes to Hell" in a quite pleasant boogie way, where "Cerbere" is waiting for him, presented as a heavier tunnel leading to cosmic chaotic aural sequences. The destination "Black Lodge" has some ancient Asian ethnic soundscapes, which morph as wild acid rock sabre dancing. Then finally after a hazy flash, a tender acoustic folk playing follows, visiting jazzy themes, and after a pretty oriental Indian raga chiming the album gets closed with wild psych heavy rocking.

I felt that the musicians have a deep knowledge in the stylistic spectrum associated with the classic psychedelic music genre, and there is very good sound quality in recording. I liked especially the evident virtues of the guitar player, and also bass grooves in the funkier parts. I would recommend this album and band for the fans of soulful and imaginative streetwise psychedelic music most sincerely. The only factors which made this little less interesting for me were the some stylistic choices, which are just cases of personal preferences, and I also thought there's maybe little too much content here for so short record. But on the other hand, it certainly is an intensive roller coaster ride of stimulations! So if an adventurous concept album in realms of psychedelic elements including also some humor seems an appealing choice, this album and group can certainly deliver it to you. I personally would be yet more interested to hear the first album of this band, which I understood was done as a duo, and focusing to the acid folk side of psychedelia, and grab it if it would appear to my reach in the local psychedelic record vendor's shop.