High Watt Electrocutions - "The Bermuda Triangle" Review

Artist/ Band: High Watt Electrocutions
Title: The Bermuda Triangle
Label: Introspection Records
Year of Release: 2010
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

I first thought this would be more pastoral due to just the title and I was correct. It continues with mainly the guitar but has some beautiful keyboard parts as well. . I’ve only heard one other release by High Watt Electrocution called Night Songs (the debut) and it was a good bit more aggressive with more heavy and treated guitar (everything from fuzz to loops ) voice, and musique concrete Lots of collage compositions. Where Night Songs even has a somewhat Jim Morrison vocal track or two (one really spacey tune), and at times, it sounds like a more industrial Eyeless In Gaza; The Bermuda Triangle keeps the psychedelic guitars and atmosphere, and mellows out just a bit. This is actually their 3rd CD and I find it to be both pleasing and retrospective. I pick up influences of Pink Floyd, Slow Dive, Durutti Column, but I also hear some heavy rock and mucho trip music of both 60's and 70's along with some space rock from Germany and France. No vocals on this one, but a tad of voice at end for that fits perfectly. A haunting folky psychedelic piece that really echo’s early Pink Floyd’s mellow moments.

This is one continuous piece, but is still nicely divided and moves from different moods and textures. What you get is what sounds like several songs just moving from one to another. The tempo is moving around 72 BMP much of the time, but this allows room for the music to develop from one idea to the next. Drum machines, and some glissando lead are used towards the end to remind me of Steve Hillage. The very end comes in with that more aggressive early blues based guitar solo, with very nice keyboards, and possibly what Hendrix might be doing today.

I look forward to the next High Watt Electrocutions release and personally hope Ryan Electrocution continues in this direction. It’s a very enjoyable, interesting, and just plain nice music experience of 38:48 of one’s time.

Reviewed by Lee Henderson on January 8th, 2011

Tracks:

01. The Bermuda Triangle (38:48)