OBELYSKKH (Mount Nysa) LP
Who still remembers The Walruz? That band was more or less the precursors of OBELYSKHH, even if there are significant musical differences between both groups - but more about that later. 'Mount Nysa' is the debut record of OBELYSKHH that has been released in 2011 by the now defunctional German label Droehnhaus Records. In line with the album title, 'Mount Nysa' is a gargantuan affair of epic proportions with a hypnotic quality to it. It is obvious that these guys love Sleep and Sons Of Otis, but there is more to discover here.
Contrary to The Walruz, the songs are equipped with a lot of lysergic effects and with 'Superluminal Galaktik Journey', OBELYSKKH enter space rock territory. Moreover, 'Mount Nysa' is accompanied by a bluesy vibe combined with a jam-like aesthetic. Anyone who has ever seen OBELYSKHH live will be aware that they make much use of that jamming aesthetics on stage. As a direct comparison, this album is rather tame but that is not meant as a negative criticism. The clear vocals provide a high contrast to the chunky, massive riffs and give the songs a special touch. There's is also an instrumental track named 'Wolf-like Dreams Of Early Childhood', which also has its appeal, but I prefer the songs with vocals because they are more lively for my taste.
Speaking of liveliness, OBELYSKKH vary the tempo and mood within the included five tracks, so that 'Mount Nysa' never becomes monotonous and stale. Even the band's minimalism is no hindrance and it shows that less is sometimes more. Therefore, OBELYSKKH reminds me of The Walruz, even though 'Mount Nysa' is definitely much heavier and more psychedelic. Anyway, there's not much else to say here, but this is a very promising debut. It's fat, crunchy and trippy as hell. This goes along with the wonderful cover artwork of Rogatti.
(KK)