Defining the sound of the Germans My Sleeping Karma with a single genre is never easy, as their music ranges and combines different characters and styles. Between Psychedelia, Heavy Rock and Post-Rock with a marked personal touch, even in this new release “Atma,” the first for Napalm Records the sonic evolution continues. 6 tracks of long duration in which the band develops a refined and enveloping sound. The opener “Maya Shakti” immediately plunges us into the album’s atmosphere with intertwining guitar arpeggios and synths, a deep, load-bearing bass line and solid, elaborate drumming. The sounds are enveloping and take us on this trip that combines traits of Heavy Rock with Psychedelia, evolving and layering the sounds. The band skilfully alternates harder passages with more delicate openings, in which the excellent guitar work and the synths that add delicacy stand out. A musical crescendo that culminates in the final part in a rich sound ensemble with more Heavy traits. Guitar arpeggios open “Prema,” slowly adding drumming and a killer bassline that gives body to the track. The intensity increases as the minutes tick by and the track evolves, working on and subtly modifying the central theme of the piece. The band skilfully plays with the intensity of the track, moving from more lysergic and psychedelic moments to others with distortion and more heavy sounds. With “Mukti,” the band changes musical direction slightly, managing to mix Post-Rock and Kraut with greater use of synths and electronic sounds. A track that continuously evolves by modulating the sounds and transforming in the finale with a heavy sound, ending in a musical crescendo where the band places its style in a more Kraut context. Continuing the musical discourse undertaken in the previous “Avatara” is another excellent blend of Post-Rock and Kraut with Psychedelic hints and the band’s marked personal touch. The first part features harder guitar riffs, solid drumming and load-bearing bass lines, in the middle section it transforms with a more Psychedelic character and excellent guitar and synth interlacing. Enriched by tempo changes, the band moves from more heavy parts to more delicate and enveloping ones, leading us on this mystical trip. “Pralaya” shows a heavier and sometimes darker side to the band’s sound, alternating with passages somewhere between Space Rock and Post-Rock. Very interesting are the tempo changes, the oriental guitar inserts and the synths that weave in and out of the melodies, while the rhythm section is always pulled between tempo changes and accelerations. An engaging track from start to finish, where the band ranges between genres and styles with their own personal style. The album ends with “Ananda” characterised by a long, soft, enveloping intro and intensity that increases as the minutes go by. Harder and more successful riffs characterise the evolution of the track, solid drumming and the usual powerful bass lines, while the synth adds an enveloping touch to the sound. In the middle part, the track is more delicate and markedly psychedelic, only to increase in intensity again in the second part, ending in a unique musical crescendo. This sixth album by the band shows how skilful they are at evolving and always exploring new musical territories, mixing different genres with their own personal style. Between Psychedelia and Post-Roc, heavy stretches and forays into Kraut, just to name a few, make this a very varied listen full of quality ideas. A recommended listen, which contains within it numerous cues, and at every listen always has some new nuance to offer and discover.
Tracklist
01. Maya Shakti (09:13)
02. Prema (07:55)
03. Mukti (06:43)
04. Avatara (09:37)
05. Pralaya (06:57)
06. Ananda (08:17)
Lineup
Matte / Bass
Seppi / Guitar
Steffen / Drums
Norman / Soundboard