I consider myself fortunate to have seen Berlin heavy psych purveyors Samsara Blues Experiment live the two times that I have, as both of their full-lengths to date – 2010’s Long Distance Trip (review here) and 2011’s Revelation and Mystery (review here) have shown the band becoming increasingly distinct within the European sphere. The second album in particular demonstrated a maturity in the four-piece’s approach that found them able to blend open jams and straightforward songcraft, tracks like “Hangin’ on the Wire” and “Into the Black” proving memorable as much for their hooks as for the wandering instrumental arrangements and feeling at any moment, the band might fly completely off the rails. Both of those songs, as it happens, find inclusion on the new, limited Rockpalast live recording – released on guitarist/vocalist/sitarist Christian Peters’ own Electric Magic Records – which was caught on tape while filming in October 2012 for the long-running German rock program of the same name. Alongside such jam-heavy pieces as “For the Lost Souls” and “Center of the Sun” from Long Distance Trip, a balance is struck throughout Rockpalast that finds Samsara Blues Experiment able to unite the varying sides of their approach, Peters and fellow guitarist Hans Eiselt, bassist Richard Behrens and drummer Thomas Vedder shifting with suitable ease from one side of the sound to the other without missing a step along the way, holding onto a wandering mentality even as they hit on some of their most structured parts and never quite letting go of the idea of the song as they play naturally off the chemistry they’ve built on stage over the last several years. In that way, Rockpalast captures Samsara Blues Experiment at their best, and though because it’s pulling from both albums and because it totals just under 80 minutes long, it’s probably going to be a richer listening experience for those familiar with the band than the previously uninitiated, it’s never been quite so easy to get lost in Samsara Blues Experiment’s hypnotic exploration as it is on the 17:51 version of “Double Freedom” included here.

That song – the amorphous nature of which is revealed in the fact that it was 13 minutes on their 2009 demo (review here) and 22 on Long Distance Trip – wasn’t included in the original broadcast of the show, but it closes the live set here as the eighth song and precedes and acoustic bonus track, a sitar-laden studio reworking of “Singata Mystic Queen,” which is shorter than the one that opens the set at 5:45, but still no less immersive than Samsara Blues Experiment has ever been, i.e., plenty. Peters’ voice comes very much to the fore on the live recording, and where one might expect that to provide an undue grounding effect on the material, there’s enough echo on him and his position is varied enough around the two guitars, bass and drums, that it’s not a distraction to the overall flow from one song, or indeed one part, into the next. Doubtless Samsara Blues Experiment’s consistent focus on the instrumental aspects of their sound deserves partial credit for that – for those who’ve heard them, they can make a driving verse riff like that of “Singata Mystic Queen” just as memorable as the more potent chorus of a song like “Hangin’ on the Wire,” which follows – but I think it’s also due to the fact that Rockpalast essentially mirrors and melds the flows of Long Distance Trip and Revelation and Mystery in how the set is put together. They open, as noted, with “Singata Mystic Queen,” which also opened the first album, and answer it immediately with “Hangin’ on the Wire,” the second track from the second album. “Army of Ignorance” and “For the Lost Souls,” the second and third cuts from the first album, follow in succession, and “Into the Black” follows them, the third cut from the second album. Already we see that the foursome are progressing down both tracklists of their studio outings, and they continue the pattern with “Center of the Sun” (album one, track four), “Outside Insight Blues” (album two, track five) and “Double Freedom” (album one, track six), closing with their most extensive piece to date before shifting into the acoustic bonus.

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Originally released in 2003, Swedish heavy rockers House of Aquarius‘ lone full-length, The World through Bloodred Eyes, is given new life on LP thanks to Germany’s Electric Magic Records. The Norrköping four-piece — from which vocalist Mikael Popovic and guitarist Thomas Eriksson went on to found Year of the Goat – fit well alongside Mammoth Volume and Dead Man in the category of underrated Swedish riffers, with a sound dense and bluesy an album that runs even a decade later between groove-laden and viciously catchy. Popovic‘s vocals are a standout element, stonerly without much posturing, and the rhythm section of bassist Lare Hultman and drummer Jens Gustavsson fill out an organic low end without pulling the focus away from Eriksson‘s prevalent cyclical modus. Whatever the members have gone on to do since, the 48 minutes of The World through Bloodred Eyes shows them as having been considerably adept at a more straightforward stoner rock style, and while the album might not have garnered as much acclaim as the output of some of their countrymen over the years — be it Dozer or Witchcraft – the fact remains that House of Aquarius at least belong in the discussion. Thus does the Electric Magic reissue live up to the standard: Does this album deserve another look? One doesn’t have to be even fully through “Lord of Vermin,” the first of the LP’s nine tracks, to understand why the answer is yes. A softer lead guitar line at the halfway point calls back to early Suplecs smooth fuzz even as House of Aquarius build to individualized grit and transition easily between their parts, resulting in an immediately palpable flow that stays strong as one cut progresses to the next.

Also notable is the fact that for being a decade old, The World through Bloodred Eyes sounds no more dated now than it was supposed to then. I suspect that’s a discovery that will remain prevalent for some time with reissues such as this — that records put to tape with a classically-influenced production didn’t sound of their day then so they don’t necessarily harken to it now — but it works to House of Aquarius‘ favor, and as the swampy wah of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Grandma and the KKK” toys with a Southern heavy influence and Popovic puts on a touch of accent, there’s nothing in the tonality or presentation that makes me think The World through Bloodred Eyes couldn’t have been recorded a few months back instead of a decade ago. The two-cycle build of “Fear No Evil,” starting soft, getting heavy and repeating, does little to contradict this assertion, and while one can hear shades of Graveyard‘s first record in some of the quieter guitar progression if one strains to do so, neither are House of Aquarius so fully given to a retro aesthetic as to sacrifice tonal thickness. Hultman‘s bass is rich and warm, but can come on as weighted as one could reasonably ask, and along with Eriksson‘s chug in the second half of “Fear No Evil,” it’s the bass providing the foundation for Popovic‘s soulful exclamations. “Azteroid Zombiez” is memorable mostly for its faster thrust and backing vocals in the chorus, but it provides a change from the bluesy feel, which resumes partway with “Cosmic Weed,” as lines like “Lick my lizard” and “Slap me silly” assure the listener that House of Aquarius aren’t about to take themselves too seriously, and in case none of that was enough to wake you up, they end with an alarm clock going off, jolting the blood as the riff of the longer “Unholy” revives stonerly burl with a winding but easy-to-follow instrumental hook.

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Doubly stoked for this news about a new Samsara Blues Experiment live Rockpalast Crossroads CD, and here’s why: First, I continue to dig the fuzz-laden heavy psych the Berlin four-piece emit, and having seen them live last year at Desertfest and at Roadburn before that, I can tell you they bring it live. Second, the disc — which is to be released on SBE guitarist/vocalist Christian Peters‘ own Electric Magic Records — is also set to include an acoustic version of “Singata Mystic Queen,” a blissfully psychedelic jam that I’m curious to hear how they’ve reworked.

So there you go. I believe I’ve stated my case fully and clearly. In summation, these guys rule. Here’s word they sent over about the release and a link to watch the performance in its entirety prior to the April release:

New CD: SBE at Rockpalast

As some of you already witnessed Samsara Blues Experiment teaching folks at WDR Rockpalast a lesson of what the Blues can be beside those shiny icons blurring them muddy waters these days. Electric Magic Records will release the concert on CD garnished with an acoustic version of “Singata Mystic Queen” which has recently been recorded at Big Snuff Studio Berlin. The whole package will be adorned by amazing new livepictures by Thomas Lang. The release of this CD is set for April 2013 and will be limited to 500 pieces.

Alternatively you can watch the whole gig as well on the website of WDR Rockpalast.

www.samsarabluesexperiment.com
www.electricmagic.de

Initially vinyl-only, and initially self-titled, the debut full-length from Berlin-based classic heavy rockers Heat arrives on CD under the name Old Sparky via Electric Magic Records, the new imprint headed by Christian Peters of Samsara Blues Experiment. Mostly retro, born of jams, Heat’s ties to their Berlin compatriots run more than their label ties – they also share bassist Richard Behrens, who recorded, mixed and mastered the six tracks of Old Sparky at Big Snuff Studio. The album, which runs a full but ultimately manageable 45 minutes, is well allied to the current European heavy scene, though despite their proto-metal leanings, the guitars of Ingo Börner and Marco Rischer also have a tendency to meander when they choose to do so, particularly during the opening and closing tracks of the album, which are also the two longest. “Daymare,” which starts the record, and “Ending Aging,” which caps it, veer from the straightforwardness of structure that emerges on in-between cuts “Warhead,” “Hamelin,” “Illusion” and “Old Sparky,” all of which run between five and six minutes long. Far from samey, however, each individual piece shows a personality of its own while also staying true to the laid back heavy vibe of Old Sparky, which remains consistent throughout in a manner both accomplished for a debut and speaking to Heat’s overarching potential for future growth. Börner and Rischer’s guitars are complemented by Behrens’ inventive low end work, the coinciding drumming of Marcus Töpfer and the layered vocals of Patrick Fülling, which prove a defining element throughout the tracks. On “Daymare” and elsewhere, Fülling slips into a  post-Ozzy cadence that reminds me a bit of some of Steve Murphy from Kings Destroy’s approach, but obviously the accent is different and Fülling doesn’t rely on the same delivery method the whole time. On the faster thrust of “Warhead,” he draws out the title in memorable fashion while the guitars proffer ‘70s bikerisms behind, gradually tripping their way into a psychedelic wah bridge held down by Behrens’ bass and Töpfer’s quality if somewhat understated fills.

Earliest Judas Priest comes to mind as a comparison point, as Heat seem to be embarking on a project dedicated to finding that exact moment when heavy rock became heavy metal. The production – thick in a modern sense but still live-sounding and natural on the reeling stops and grooving push of “Hamelin” – bears that out. It’s an admirable mission in a historical sense and it’s enough to put Old Sparky not quite in league with the many, many post-Graveyard 1973-worshipers coming out of Europe these days. Those elements are there, perhaps most of all on “Ending Aging,” which shirks off the sub-metal of “Hamelin” and “Warhead” in favor of a more strictly blues-minded drive, but Heat’s ability to shake up the mood while retaining sonic consistency works to their benefit. Tonally warm and seeming most comfortable when locked into a mid-tempo riff, Börner and Rischer nonetheless are able to steer the rest of the band in any direction they choose – there’s nothing about Old Sparky one could reasonably call experimental, but it’s not lacking creativity either – and that makes the album exciting as the instant familiarity of “Hamelin” gives way to the rush of “Illusion,” on which the two guitars have some of their best interplay of the album. A shuffle underlines formidable drum crash and a strong hook from Fülling, and with the post-chorus leads and transitional chug between verse lines, shades of Pentagram emerge as filtered through 30-plus years of smoke-filled distortion. “Illusion” winds up a highlight in no small part for its Sabbath-style blues preceding the closer’s aesthetic coup, even if it walks that line between being derivative and hard to place specifically within the sphere of ‘70s heavy and ‘70s-insired heavy, and “Old Sparky” provides the most Graveyard-esque stretch, though its 5:43 runtime is by no means limited just to that influence. I note how long the song is because it speaks to an interesting facet of the album in that but for the first and last tracks, the four between run in order from shortest to longest, “Warhead” being five minutes flat and “Old Sparky” the aforementioned 5:43. Likewise, “Daymare” is 8:11 and “Ending Aging” 15:42, also shortest to longest (though obviously on a different scale). Whether or not Heat intended them to run that way because of their length, I don’t know, but it’s curious nonetheless, and if they did do it on purpose, it speaks of a commitment to intricacy in their presentation. I’ll be interested to see if they do something similar with their next album.

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Berlin-based classic heavy rockers Heat will be celebrating the release of their debut album — also called Heat in a seeming effort to confound anyone who might think about searching for the band on the interwebs (I’ve provided links at bottom for navigational ease) — by embarking on a tour through their native Germany beginning tomorrow with a slot on the penultimate date of the Up in Smoke IV tour with Monkey3, Grandloom and Glowsun (info here). Not a bad way to start out.

The album can be streamed on the player below, hoisted from Heat‘s Bandcamp page, and will be available at the shows on this tour pressed to vinyl on the new Electric Magic Records, helmed by Christian Peters of Samsara Blues Experiment. Dude knows his psych.

Dig it:

HEAT over Germany 2012

28.09.2012 // Dresden – Groove Station (Up in Smoke)
30.09.2012 // Halle – Hühnermanhatten
01.10.2012 // tba
02.10.2012 // Kiel – Schaubude
03.10.2012 // Kassel – Das Haus
04.10.2012 // Köln – Tsunami Club
05.10.2012 // Siegen – Vortex (w/ Horisont, My Sleeping Karma)
06.10.2012 // Cottbus – Blue Moon Festival (w/ Horisont, Asteroid, etc.)
16.10.2012 // Berlin – Cassiopeia (w/ Voivod)
16.11.2012 // Dresden – Born Wild Festival
25.11.2012 // Berlin – Comet Club (w/ Siena Root)
07.12.2012 // Leipzig- Black Label Pub
08.12.2012 // Aschaffenburg – Unsagbar
15.12.2012 // Jena – Black Night

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