One with the Universe

Samsara Blues Experiment are a German stoner/doom outfit who also incorporate elements of rock, blues, and Indian raga. They are known for their mystical lyrics and extended songs that flow like a beautiful river running through a windy hillside. One with the Universe is their fourth album and their first in four years, marking the longest period between albums in Samsara Blues Experiment’s career so far.

Sonically, Samsara Blues Experiment contain influences from many different styles, making them a tad difficult to pin down. Imagine if Orange Goblin and Pink Floyd went to an Indian bar, got wasted under the influence of local music and their lovechild was really into mysticism. That lovechild would be Samsara Blues Experiment. Their diverse sound is established right away on this album with the brilliant almost 11 minute opener “Vipassana.” The track starts with smooth guitar melodies infused with their unique Indian flare before launching into rifftastic stoner/doom that would make Orange Goblin jealous, complete with excellent drumming. The song flows back and forth between these two equally wonderful modes, adding slo-burn bass as it goes along.

Although the successive tracks are shorter, they take the same exploratory approach with fuzzed out, funky grooves that will have you nodding your head in seconds. They maintain the stoner/doom core throughout but they add atmospheric guitar melodies and solos that are often quite bluesy. When they feel like riffing, it is real heavy and the drumming really accents it with great cymbal work and killer rolls. The awesome Indian flare really adds a unique dimension to their sound as well, making it that much more interesting to the listener.

The vocals on this album are pretty cool as part of the overall sound but they are not the focus. It is actually quite refreshing to hear a band that places greater emphasis on the instrumentation than the vocals. When the vocals do come in, they sound a bit like Ben Ward (Orange Goblin) but not quite as powerful. The mystical lyrics are awesome too but the overall feel of this album and Samsara Blues Experiment in general is that of a jam band with vocals. This is especially true of the 16+ minute title track which is a glorious exploration in pushing the limits of stoner/doom songwriting.

Honestly though, the biggest standout on One with the Universe is the absolutely stellar drumming. Whether it is creative percussion, tasteful cymbal work or straight ahead driving rhythms that just kick ass, Thomas Vedder always knows just what trick to pull out of his bag for maximum impact. His drumming adds a ton of variety and punch to both “Sad Guru Returns” and “Glorious Daze” (which also features sweet Hammond B-3 organ), accented beautifully by the band’s trademark Indian flare of what sounds like sitar. The production is fuzzy enough to highlight the stoner/doom core of Samsara Blues Experiment’s sound but clear enough for the listener to hear all the other immensely cool flourishes this album has to offer. At the end of the day, this is a fantastic album with plenty to offer an engaged listener looking for something fresh.

- originally written for The Metal Observer

Gosh, nearly five years have passed since I reviewed Samsara Blues Experiment's first album and found it a bit restrained and cautious for music of its genre. Certainly a lot's happened with these guys since then releasing three albums in succession and now their fifth "One with the Universe" in May this year. This recent release is a very confident and free-flowing work, flying wherever its fancy goes, and going full throttle as it does, not caring one bit what strange detours it goes down because every path taken is an opportunity for mind and consciousness expansion and adventure. Though the album is divided into five long tracks, each seems more like a progression from one state of mind and being to another, perhaps (or not) related one, and the album is best heard as one continuous work.

As soon as I start playing this recording, I feel I'm being drawn through a portal (of beach waves perhaps) into a universe that very few people are privileged to see into: a universe of astonishing richness in sound and the images, experiences and feelings they evoke. We start with "Vipassana", a great opening track of immense majesty, the catchiest hooks and bass grooves, thunder percussion and ballsy singing that puts several layers of icing on this particular yummy cake. "Sad Guru Returns" continues with the grandeur and rock pop hooks, adding another layer of drama, emotion and sonic richness in spite of the lack of lyrics; it dishes out the melancholy and heavy rock psychedelia by the crane load.

In many parts the album harks back to a Golden Age of retro-'70s psychedelia in its use of organ and sitar, and passages of blues-influenced heavy melodic rock. As the album progresses, these influences become more obvious, the instrumental music is longer and the more openly pop aspects are toned down. By this point the lyrics don't really matter much and, to be honest, they are nothing out of the ordinary: for all the transcendental mysticism SBE invoke, what they're probably after is connection with their opposite numbers of a more carnal sort. Of course the lyrics can be interpreted on a number of levels, spiritual as well as physical, and the final track indicates unity with the promise of new creation on all levels. But if you know SBE very well, you're not here for the lyrics, you're here for the music and when these guys hit their stride, as on the early tracks and later on the title track, they're soaring high above the atmosphere. At the same time, the band still has one foot in the present as much of the music has a strong hardcore element which gives it a tough edge.

The album can be heavy going in some of its lesser tracks and could have been edited for length: there's a lot of meandering that seems unfocused and could have been tighter and tougher. While the singing is good on the early tracks, the style doesn't vary or progress much at all. A really heroic style of singing would have suited those songs that are more retro and less pop in their approach. Apart from all this, this album is very ambitious and expansive, and is sure to fill most listeners with feelings of exhilaration, adventure and a sense of contact with the farthest stars and at the same time the closest inner cosmos within themselves. Transcendence can be like that.