COLOUR HAZE might very well be Munich, Germany's best kept secret. In actuality, they've been rockin' for over 15 years, evolving from straight-forward SABBATH rock into an eclectic, classy and surprisingly catchy doom jam band. This new disc "Tempel" puts Deutschland neck and neck with Sweden for the title of "Country Whose Bands Can Do It All".

As one might expect, "Tempel" is a full-length album in ever sense of the word, and is meant to be dived into head first and traveled all the way through. Once inside, its well thought out hooks leave this one sounding more methodical than any offering of the genre in recent memory. The opening of the CD, though, is a bit misleading with the first three minutes of "Aquamaria" sounding more like a circle of hippies than a rock band. Don't be fooled though, because once this sucker gets going, it grows more fuzz than the inhabitants of Sesame Street. Some of the lengthier songs like the title track slowly but surely build up to a fuzzy climax, while others such as the organ heavy "Mind" are short and sweet. Either way, the intense and not-so-intense are perfectly married here. The vocals from guitarist/band leader Stefan Koglek are virtually nonexistent, but with the ominous groove of the riffs, there ain't nothing missing.

Granted, this doom jam thing pops up a lot on this site, with some worthy names like ELECTRIC MAGMA and DURGA TEMPLE already reviewed by Yours Truly. However, COLOUR HAZE has proven with "Tempel" that they're more than just a cut above the average, and anyone who even remotely digs that scene would do themselves a severe injustice by not checking these guys out. And be sure to check out their website-it's designed like an amp, complete with "volume knob" scrollbars. Rock on!

-Cardona

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

RELATED ITEMS: COLOUR HAZE - S/T review, Picks of the litter 2003.