Datashock

This latest from German weirdos Datashock must be what it feels like to double drop the blue pill. From the first couple of notes of ‘Intro/Lasagne Phalanx’ it’s pretty clear that the extended collective of prog folkies are vying to drag our unconsciousness through the rabbit hole before exacting all manner of mental tortures. It’s probably worth it though; with the gritty, bass heavy backdrop of classic Amon Duul II (I’m talking Yeti here, none of those later-period bootlegs) and the ragged free psych charm of Datashock’s American counterparts Sunburned Hand of the man they retain an unnatural charm throughout ‘Pyramiden Von Giessen’. It somehow makes sense to me that the record should emerge on Hamburg imprint Dekorder (home of Black To Comm), I can hear parallels with Marc Richter’s own frazzled compositions, and the more you let yourself drift into this sprawling work, the more abstract and surreal it becomes. Like an oil painting, it requires a change of focus – once you see/hear it, you won’t be able to let go. (Boomkat)