Obskuria is a psychedelic band project featuring Peruvian, American and German musicians from example from bands La Ira de Dios and Draconwyck. Their heavy, blues-oriented psychedelic rock has been improvised or composed very fast in the studio and the album does have a nice, early 70’s styled jam feel that also has some darker doom edge and stoner rock in it. The guitar sound is wonderfully heavy while the organ brings in some garage rock moods. This is their second album and unfortunately I have never heard the first one.
The album starts off with the pretty short, heavy and gloomy instrumental ”A-Bun-Dance” and then we’ve got a heavy blues piece “Somewhere”. The album features two different singers, and this one is done by the female chanson/jazz/opera singer Murielle Stadelmann. “Why?” is heavy 70’s styled hard rock jamming in one key and the vocals are by Matthias Schäule who’s been singing in hard rock bands since 1972. The bit surprising cover number of the album is Slayer’s “Black Magic” and they have worked it into a garage rock version with female vocals. Exciting! “Under the Gallows” is psychedelic and hypnotic jamming and “Slow Stone” a bit more peaceful and atmospheric piece. The quite mystical track “Memories of Mysteries” has some kraut feel to it, while “Screaming like a Whirlwind” is 70’s styled heavy boogie also including a more experimental part. Lastly, we hear the album’s longest track (12:41) “Burning Sea of Green” that begins as a small-scale, experimental cosmic jam that sort of reminds me of the early space trips of Pink Floyd. It includes some poetry narrated by Murielle and it takes like seven minutes before the track grows and it only rocks harder during the last few minutes. I really like this one! The guitar playing styles of Tom Brehm who’s been in rock bands since 1965 and Miguel Angel Burga complement each other in a great way and this is a killer package of mostly improvised acid rock that most of the times has enough ideas. Both the CD and the vinyl (100 of which are green) come with a poster.
Obskuria is a psychedelic band project featuring Peruvian, American and German musicians from example from bands La Ira de Dios and Draconwyck. Their heavy, blues-oriented psychedelic rock has been improvised or composed very fast in the studio and the album does have a nice, early 70’s styled jam feel that also has some darker doom edge and stoner rock in it. The guitar sound is wonderfully heavy while the organ brings in some garage rock moods. This is their second album and unfortunately I have never heard the first one.
