I had super high hopes for this record. I had heard rumours the band was proto-Sabbath heaviness. The album cover lead me to believe this- a twisted painting worthy of a Burzum record. Right out of the gate, I was confused. I am hearing more Tull and Yes than anything else. The record opens with a three part epic called "the battle" which was a battle to get through. The last song on side one kicks in with a funkier groove and some decent flute work. It might make the cut for a comp tape.
Side 2 opens with a super slacker prog track called "the sun" that you could picture Pavement playing. That is not a good sign if you were looking for some early 70s heaviness. King of Hearts is up next and might be my favorite track on here. This one also reminds me of pavement until it busts into some uptempo standard prog moves.
Get Back did a great job with the packaging on this gatefold LP. I haven't reviewed too many records that I straight out didn't like and I don't think I'll make a habit of it, but I was really surprised how far this record was from my expectation.Not my kind of music.