Friday 28 April 2017

Samsara Blues Experiment - One With The Universe (Album Review)


Release date: April 10th 2017. Label: Electric Magic / World In Sound. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

One With The Universe – Tracklisting

1.Vipassana 10:43
2.Sad Guru Returns 07:55
3.Glorious Daze 06:01
4.One With The Universe 15:02
5.Eastern Sun & Western Moon 07:37

Members:

Christian Peters – Vocals/Guitar
Hans Eiselt – Bass
Thomas Vedder – Drums

Review

Samsara Blues Experiment (SBE) returns with their fourth album - One With The Universe. Expect an album immersed in psychedelic progressive riffs with the band including a more seventies stylized sound. SBE have decided to return to their earlier albums for inspiration and merge it with trippy eastern psychedelic sounds. It's quite a heavy affair with SBE drifting effortlessly between familiar Stoner Metal riffs and the more experimental droned out noises.

SBE have always experimented with their music on each album they've released since their debut album. Though One With The Universe is perhaps their most enjoyable since Last Distance Calling. Well it's my favourite album of theirs since that album. As SBE seem to have a found a new purpose after the last couple of albums.

Opening track - Vipassana - is one of the heaviest songs that SBE have released to date though the band still add moments of mellow played post-rock vibes. The vocals from Chris are different as well. They have a more reflective mood to them especially when matched against the superb lyrics.

Second track - Sad Guru Returns - opens with a slow-paced riff with a haunting voiceover about the current state of the planet. This album is purely an instrumental track as SBE return to their earlier sounds. This is an interesting and progressive style of music we haven't heard from SBE in a long time. It's more of a psychedelic stoner metal song and it's good to hear SBE create noisy heavy moments to lose yourself in.

Third track - Glorious Daze - has a more tantric/eastern feel with slowly played instruments creating a soothing atmosphere. This song does take time to fully get going as it's more of a slow-paced and philosophical affair. Though the guys inject a more classic psych rock style that becomes quite gloomy at times.

The fourth track - One With The Universe - is perhaps the standout on the album. Fifteen minutes of intense trippy sounds that has a slight Monster Magnet feel at times. This is the type of sound where SBE always excel at. The song takes it time in bringing the heavier sounds though before then you will experience moments of experimental style post-rock, doom and psych sounds. It's all keeping with the progressive feel and nature of the album. SBE even mange to find the time to include moments of progressive jazz based instrumental work.

The fifth song - Eastern Sun & Western Moon - is one final slice of sixties/seventies guitar driven music as SBE create another thought-provoking song about the environment. If you're not to bothered about the overall themes of the album then you can just enjoy the stunning music on show.

One With The Universe is SBE's most diverse album to date and one that solidifies SBE's reputation within the Psych/Stoner Rock scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo.