Arzachel – ARZACHEL***

Garden Of Earthly Delights/Azatoth/Queen St Gang/Leg/Clean Innocent Fun/Metempsychosis

Self titled sole album from the British psychedelic group Arzachel. The members would later find greater recognition from their association with the Canterbury progressive music scene.

“Arzachel were a pretty cool band, who shouldn’t be as hidden in the dark as they are at the moment. On this album, I hear Emerson Lake and Palmer like keyboard playing, and even early Deep Purple like blues rock. To me that is enough to declare this album one you really need to hear. Just give it a chance and you'll see its brilliance sneak up on you. When you least expect it.”

“It is unbelievable that none of the musicians on this album had reached twenty years old when they made this record in the late sixties. These are the musicians that later formed, or were members of, groups like Egg, Khan, Gong, Hatfield & The North, National Health, that is, the cream of the Canterbury brand of prog rock. This record stands as an underrated masterpiece of progressive and psychedelic rock, containing some of the most brilliant trippy and instrumental passages in that style.”

“Hard to believe this searing psychedelic rock classic was actually recorded by teenagers. However they were the leading lights of the then developing Canterbury progressive rock scene; a very young Steve Hillage got his start in this band. Full of screaming guitar and over the top keyboards, the album plays more as a spontaneous live set than a studio performance. This, their sole album, is brain frying acid rock and must be considered one of the very first examples of space rock.”

“Taking cues from Pink Floyd and the Canterbury progressive rock scene they'd become attached to, this is a spacey, swirling psychedelic gem.”

“This is a mostly psychedelic rock release with some hints of early progressive rock and Canterbury scene music. Also the heavy psych influences are very clear. Only six songs here but the last two pieces are very long. Clean Innocent Fun and Metempsychosis are just incredible. Those are the biggest highlights but the shorter songs aren't any weaker either. Leg is maybe my favourite of these – a great heavy psych song. Arzachel's lone studio disc is a wonderful totality. If you enjoy psychedelic rock then you must listen to this album.”