Well, it's finally here - the self-titled follow-up to my favorite album of last year, COLOUR HAZE's 2-CD masterpiece, "Los Sounds De Krauts." Germany's COLOUR HAZE is the band with that unique and exceptional sound that makes the slew of disposable "me too" artists in the stoner rock scene sound so jaded. For those of you who haven't heard this band, hang your head in shame (for a few minutes), then move forward and purchase some of their cds or vinyl slabs immediately. The sound is a culmination of practically everything cool you'll find in blues-based heavy rock from the late 60s and early 70s. But Stefan Koglek and crew have much larger visions than simply echoing the stylings of great bands from the past. The jazzy tones and acoustic arrangements that surround, penetrate, and swirl through COLOUR HAZE's elegant wall of fuzz quickly demonstrate that this band has crafted a sound that is beyond forward-thinking.

To follow up such a killer double CD release is a daunting task to say the least. I spent some time racking my brain to think about past 2LP studio works from great artists and how the follow-ups were received. In most cases, as with prog bands like YES and ELP, the double-lp sets were often mixed bags of stratospheric highs and dull, dismissable lows. Frankly, I would never put any of these self-indulgent works near "Los Sounds De Krauts". Really, the only bands I could come up with that followed up incredible double albums successfully were the true greats like HENDRIX (changing gears to the BAND OF GYPSYS release after "Electric Ladyland" and CREAM (following up "Wheels of Fire" with "Goodbye" as the band imploded.) Plus, ZAPPA had no problem releasing double and triple albums worth of material, barring record company disputes. Now, I can hear all of you bristling and shifting in your seat as I mention such masters. Note that I'm not directly comparing COLOUR HAZE to HENDRIX or CREAM (although the idea of creating "musical Zen" runs through "Los Sounds..." as abundantly as "Electric Ladyland", creativity-wise.) This new album from COLOUR HAZE is absolutely amazing in that the band has moved forward, has kept the same basic style, and (I'm pretty sure) has no plans of imploding in the near future. And while the purpose of this review is not to compare them to anyone directly, the analysis really did get me thinking about COLOUR HAZE's potential.

There are no signs of a creative well running dry with this release. The first song "Mountain" is structured with one of those stirring "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen..." kind of rousing intros that start in low, then build and build until the room is consumed in a deafening roar of tube amp splendour. I'm sure that Stefan's lyrics are quite profound and well-written, but I was too busy banging my head to really give them due attention. The captivating funky blues of "Did êl it" suggests a vibe harkening back to Greek psych-lords SOCRATES DRANK THE CONIUM. My favorite track on the album would be the short acoustic ballad "Solitude" (not the SABBATH song), which draws the listener into a warm envelope of soft acoustic melody set against Koglek's beefy vocals. And for those who want that classic COLOUR HAZE epic, the 22+ minute "Peace, Brothers and Sisters" is sure to please with plenty of psych/blues/jazz ups and downs, and a ton of cool leads from Koglek.

All in all, this isn't just a band giving a modern spin to the music of HAWKWIND or DSCHINN. This band's works are an experience that I'd highly recommend to any fan of blues-based rock. Go to the Elektrohasch site link below and find out more about this exciting group of musicians.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.colourhaze.de/

RELATED ITEMS: Picks of the litter 2003.