Review Summary: Maintaining the momentum created by its predecessor.
Ozric Tentacles have enjoyed quite the creative comeback in 2023, as
Lotus Unfolding felt like their strongest record overall since
The Hidden Step. From a band that stepped into its fourth decade of activity, that was definitely an achievement. Then again, quality control was always a priority in their discography, having released no poor full-lengths so far. Now, Ed Wynne & Co. are back with
Harmonic Mind, another rollercoaster ride in the psychedelic trance/progressive rock blend they perfected over the years. Right from the beginning, “Guardstones” lets the sequencers and synthesizer leads loose, creating a lush sonic canvas, further enriched by busy yet groovy bass lines. Meanwhile, the second half of the track morphs into an interesting, Eastern European-style ethno music segment. It definitely works and transitions smoothly to “Space Platform” and its epic guitar solos amid the mesmerizing electronic elements. Then, the first short break from these hyperactive numbers comes with the title track, whose ambient introduction benefits from a more relaxed vibe. Nevertheless, after a few minutes, it suddenly grows into another banger as the deep bass takes the lead.
Intricate melodies and busy layers of synths, which frequently run together with the guitar parts, describe the second half of
Harmonic Mind as well. “Tillamook” is perhaps the one that harkens most to their ‘90s era in the way the sonic pads wrap themselves around the electronic bass lines and classic sound effects of the time. Moreover, closing cut, “Sumipad” perfectly lands this space odyssey via atmospheric, psytrance-influenced arpeggios and a more settled low-end rhythm. At 43 minutes in length, the dense instrumentals make good use of every second of that amount of time. It often seemed like time slowed down while the songs unfolded. As usual, the music is truly immersive, yet the amount of sequencers might be exhausting for casual listeners, especially those not used to the band’s trademarks. Still, this factor does not detract from the album’s quality and replay value. Ozric Tentacles have crafted a worthy successor to
Lotus Unfolding, becoming a perfect counterpart to that LP, easily capable to maintain that momentum.
