Colour Haze
Colour Haze

Cream were three. The Experience with Jimi (GodGuitar) Hendrix were three. Crosby, Stills & Nash were three. Slipknot are 15. My band, at our first concert, played in 3. After all, there were 3 of us! And they told us it wasn't good enough, that we needed a keyboard to “pump up” the sound, that there was “emptiness.” Honestly, we sucked, but that phrase “you needed a keyboard” never went down well with me! I never liked it! Colour Haze are 3. So they are clearly inferior to Slipknot (you figure out if they're inferior in number or substance ;)). They're three big Germans who eat krauts and guzzle beer. But most importantly, they're three, and I get wildly excited when I listen to a trio! Even if one plays the doorbell, one plays the horn, and he (the leader) the trumpet. (terrible... and old. But it fit so well?).

Here, things are different. BBC! Bass Drums Guitar! Simplicity to the nth degree. The quintessence of rock in the broadest sense of the term. What can I say, I'm reluctant to use the word masterpiece for an album. For me, masterpieces can be counted on my fingertips. But this album is amazing. The distorted sound of tube Marshalls moves me with every listen. The endless guitar solos of Koglek get lost among the cymbals being abused by Merwald. I can hardly believe that these gems of typical '70s psychedelic-prog-rock are produced by these young Germans in the 21st century (schizoid man?). I think their homes are invaded by Kyuss, King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix, and friends. If I have to imagine Koglek’s house, I picture the bathroom, with a giant poster of the cover of “In The Court Of The Crimson King” on the door. The songs are all similar (in genre but not in substance) with lyrics stripped to the bone and instruments intertwining with ferocity and grace for minutes on end. Even more than 22 for “peace, brothers and sisters,” a furious strum of guitars immersed in acid delivering a psychedelic jam for listeners to savor with angry calm while sitting on their couch. (What does “angry calm” mean? Listen to understand!).

Mountain, Love, Flowers. I find it difficult to select a track to recommend for a first listen. They are all so dense and steeped in distorted passion that it's hard to separate them from one another. But the beauty (or rather the splendor) is precisely this: this album is an Album, not a series of songs. It’s a journey, nasty, twisted, shouted, unruly, perfectly described with three instruments. To heck with those who would have added a “keyboard to pump it up.” “3.” Has anyone by chance said before me that it's the perfect number? Maybe they weren't right, but they certainly came very close to reality with the “color haze.” A must-have or at least to be listened to at least 3 times! 333 is even better!