Church of Hed: Brandenburg Heights

With space rock veterans Quarkspace now basically non-existent, this leaves drummer/synth wizard Paul Williams with plenty of time on his hands to dive even deeper into his Church of Hed project, and here in 2016 we have another new release, titled Brandenburg Heights. Comprised of just two epic tracks, Brandenburg Heights is 40 minutes of space rock, electronica, psychedelia, prog, jazz-fusion, and ambient flavors, with Williams once again contributing all the music. Here's a list of the musical equipment used for the album:

Moog Sub 37, Waldorf Streichfett, Yamaha MM8, Korg Volca Bass, Korg Volca Keys, Korg Monotribe, Korg Z1, Korg Prophecy, Waldorf MicroQ, Kawai K5000W, Roland MVS-1, Teenage Electronics PO-12, Roland TD-8, Boss Dr. Sample, Hardware Devices and Effects

As with some of his past releases, Paul has dedicated the music on this latest album to some of his fallen heroes, namely Paul Kantner and Gilli Smyth, but he also thanks the great Klaus Schulze for inspiration as well, the German musician/composer's influence clearly felt throughout these two lengthy tracks. Fluttering synth patterns, piano, and drum loops litter the first part, the melodies soaring but eventually giving way to brooding menace as the ominous synths take the listener into space rock heaven. Part two kicks off with some prog/jazz styled piano and synth noodling before the creepy Pink Floyd/Tangerine Dream explorations take over, Williams use of Moog and various Korg keyboards creating dramatic swells of unsettling terror. Eventually the brooding pace picks up as stabbing synth lines dart in and out of the mix, culminating in a full blown space rock finale that brings to mind Hawkwind, Eloy, Pink Floyd, Schulze, and Tangerine Dream.

Brandenburg Heights is a fascinating listen from start to finish, Paul Williams' ability to create seamlessly shifting moods quite effective over the course of 40+ minutes of instrumental music. Fans of synth dominated music would be well advised to seek this out!

See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!

Track Listing
1) Brandenburg Heights, Part 1 (20:45)
2) Brandenburg Heights, Part 2 (19:48)

Added: December 18th 2016
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2172
Language: english

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