Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand
Joyride

Albin Julius continues undeterred to release new albums of Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand, his new incarnation after the epic and controversial martial-industrial past. Compared to the old times, the music has certainly changed a lot: the love for psychedelia has taken over, even though, in reality, it has always smoldered beneath the ashes, as he himself admitted. It's enough to look at the aesthetics of the new covers to realize how much his imagery has changed: the same goes for this new Joyride where we find magic mushrooms and strange creatures surrounding a decidedly vintage iconography. Musically, the album does not differ much from what we heard in Cosmic Trigger or The End Of The Beginning. We thus find the usual lysergic settings not very far from the space-rock trips of the Hawkwind: Albin Julius is, on the occasion, always flanked by the trusted and talented Jorge B. and Martynna.

After the slow initial track “Drive Me Far,” in the following and gritty “Sea Of Love” we have an exemplary model of the new Blutharsch sound: a nice pulsing bass, effect-laden psychedelic guitars, and percussion over which Marthynna's alluring voice stands out: it really feels like traveling back in time to the late '60s, which brings to mind an analogy with the '80s psychedelic revival movement. A demonstration of how musical trends live in cycles! The mood of the album doesn't change and always remains within a realm of dark psychedelia: perhaps the only link to the past persists in a certain tendency towards dark atmospheres as in “Falling Out Of Time.” Beautiful and epic “Cold Freedom” where the strings of guest Matt Howden can also be heard: a track where I also heard echoes of the early Amon Düül II! “Mighty Might” slightly recalls the old things with its rhythmic drive and the symphonic thrusts of the violin. “Resume” is instead liquid and abstract, while “Innocent” manages to be really dark with pitch-black guitars in the spotlight. With “Reach The Stars” the atmospheres return to a sunnier and '60s vibe: at certain moments it seems like I'm listening to the Seeds! “Not Quite Evil” continues to scratch with a very acid guitar. “Immolate My Dreams” closes the album in a dark manner, close to certain post-punk atmospheres.

Joyride is, ultimately, a high piece of the new path of Blutharsch: it's not a bad work but needs to be approached with the right spirit, lest one feel a bit bored without having to necessarily heed the cover notes which suggest listening to the album “When Chemically Unbalanced!” Judging by the enthusiasm with which Albin Julius persists in moving forward, the audience seems to have followed him, and if inevitably some of his old fans have withdrawn, he has undoubtedly gained new ones.