... OBELYSKKH "Hymn to Pan" (Album Review)

OBELYSKKH, the four piece psychedelic doom outfit from Fürth/Germany released their 3rd album (and 2nd through Exile On Mainstream Records) “Hymn To Pan” (2013).

 The opener and title track sets the mood and scene for the album. An intro with tweeting birds and the blowing of horns take you out to nature, into the realm and responsibility of Pan - god of the wild, shepherds & flocks and all natural things in general, lover of music and dancing, wine and lust, the proponent of the modern motto of sex & drugs & rock ‘n’ roll in the ancient greek mythology, so to speak.

So the song slowly unfolds its various excesses. There is a sense of lushness all over and it is carried through all six songs of the album. Be it the strong, compelling melodies, the violent heavy riffs, the psychedelic vibe, ritualistic chants and rhythms or even the beautiful quiet piano parts, everything breathes abundance.

And this sense of lushness and abundance gets even enhanced and multiplied, because these four guys who are OBELYSKKH max out their dynamic range and use it effectively by either creating contrasts or slow build ups of energy.

All the features of their excellent songwriting skills they already showed in their previous work, most notably on the predecessor “White Lightnin”, and caused me to pour my lavish praise upon them, they refined (or pushed in another direction) on “Hymn To Pan”. Their timing, the interwoven structures, the arcs of suspense or whatever, everything has matured a lot, although there’s just one year between the two releases.

But yet, despite, all the intricate and multi-layered compositions “Hymn To Pan” is very earthy and natural sounding.The combination of strong enchanting melodies, the repetitive hypnotic rhythms and thundering riffs meet the mystic and ambiguous imagery of Pan - god of shepherds & flocks and nature perfectly well.

“Hymn To Pan” is an hour of intense, powerful and enjoyable listening, a beautiful gem of an album.

words by Ulla Roschat

https://www.facebook.com/TheObelyskkhRitual

... OBELYSKKH "White Lightning'"

White Lightnin’ is the second release (2012) of the 4 piece stoner doom band OBELYSKKH from Nürnberg/Germany. It consists of 7 tracks with a total playing time of about 64 minutes.

If I had to describe this album in one sentence I’d say it is a heavy space trip into Doom, but the vehicle is a camel train rather than a space ship.

I’m going to write some more sentences though…

With the opener Enochian Keys the caravan lifts off into a trippy psychedelic atmosphere carried by oriental sounds. It is totally clear very soon though, that this won’t be an easy trip. You’ll have to deal with a great amount of different atmospheres and soundscapes, from a trippy calmness over a mantra like trance-inducing repetitiveness, spacey post rock to the dirty, sludgy, low end skull crushing heaviness. And all this is crammed with loving references and various influences.

This sounds like too much of everything? Like an incoherent chaos? Quite the contrary is the case. With a supertight songwriting taking unpredictable paths and turns, an excellent instrumental work (I include the vocals here as an additional instrument) and musicians playing off each other so well that it’s almost creepy, OBELYSKKH take you on a sonic journey with a carefully planned route, with stops in different places, where repetitiveness is not boring, but a welcomed relaxation of the senses and a perfect preparation for the surging up of the massive heavy sludge assault, and where the prolonging slow-down leads right to the point where it almost hurts – almost!! Release at the right moment is extremely delicious!

OBELYSKKH create different arcs of tension that sustain the track, build bridges between them or span even across the whole album. The tracks merge and yet they each keep their own atmospheric focus.

And finally a careful and sensitive production rounds out the album very well.

This is not an easy trip at all, as I said before. It demands concentration and endurance, but it’s much worth the effort. The combination of the challenging intricacy and the beastly raw heaviness is highly enjoyable and remains thrilling even beyond the 666th (about) listen.

words by Ulla Roschat

https://www.facebook.com/TheObelyskkhRitual
http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/