The UK label Shack in the Barley Productions is dedicated to producing highly sought-after records. On May 31, 2023, they released on cassette only the album “A Treatise on Ceremonial Magic” by the Psych-Prog band Dodo resurrection II, containing four long-form tracks. Unfortunately, there are few details about the band, including the line-up cannot be found. The style of the album right from the first notes of the opener “Elegiac Invocation” takes us back in time to the early 70s. Interwoven organ and acid guitars, deep, portentous bass lines and a rhythmic percussion, combining Acid Folk, Psychedelia and Prog. The sound is imbued with an Occult atmophere, which combined with an Experimental touch makes the band’s sound original and distinctly personal. The first track features an extended instrumental section with organ and guitar as protagonists, over a repeated rhythm section creating a hypnotic sound. The following track “Nostradamus’ Requiem” features more upbeat and positive sounds and melodies. The imprinting follows the style of the previous one with a minimal rhythm section in which the bass lines stand out. Organ and electric guitar develop melodies and solo inserts, adding tempo changes and more alternating solos than the previous one. The album’s longest track “Rosicrucian Grimoires (Paris, 1620)” returns to the opnener’s more Occult atmospheres. An acidic electric guitar characterises the introductory part, and then with a change turns into Psychedelia with markedly Experimental traits. The percussion creates a hypnotic rhythm in the background, the bass runs deep lines that give body to the track, while guitar and keyboards alternate in the solo inserts and melodies. A track that explores the more extreme sides of Psychedelia, with forays into Experimental Prog and Acid Folk. Bass and organ open “A Burial of Dodo Bones,” the album’s fourth and final track, keeping the atmosphere in a dark and occult context. The distorted guitar inserts are scratchy, intertwining well with the notes and organ work. A track that concludes this work well, penetrating and enveloping at the same time. An album very reminiscent of the Psychedelic sounds at the turn of the 60s and 70s with an acidic imprint and forays into Experimentation. Organ and distorted guitar drive the sound, over a rhythm section with deep bass lines and percussion. An enveloping sound with Occult overtones, the band skilfully brings the sounds of the past into a modern context.
Tracklist
01. Elegiac Invocation (08:14)
02. Nostradamus’ Requiem (09:37)
03. Rosicrucian Grimoires (Paris, 1620) (09:44)
04. A Burial of Dodo Bones (08:38)
not bad
they can be found in mp3 format on the Bandcamp page
since in addition to the infamous “Nostradamus” there is also another tape named “Dodo Resurrection II” “shitbar165” released in a limited edition dating back to 2018, whoever owns it could publish it in mp3 format for all lovers of the genre.