666

I don't usually buy records on a whim, but this one I had to. The story behind it, the exoticism of a bunch of Greeks making an album that was to rival Americans, Englishmen and Germans all enticed me. So listening to this album on my record player, reading the lyrics on the back, and looking at the artwork is a real experience.

Oh, the album is great. They really nailed the confused feeling of the apocalypse: It's everywhere, but firmly at one place, paradoxically. The spoken words feel like a false messiah walking us through the whole ordeal, and the musicianship of it is surprisingly coherent and well put through, an achievement for such a heavy, sprawling double album.

All The Seats Were Occupied is the precursor to all the electronic albums Vangelis would do later with immaculate synth wanking and Greek folk, and songs like Hic et Nunc, The Four Horsemen and Aegian Sea combine the progressive and the accessible, creating tunes that can stand on their own. The rest is a perfectly intertwined mess of songs that take religion, mythology, and folklore, amps it up, and delivers.

Worth mentioning is the existence of the Greek mix, which adds 5 more minutes dispersed across a few songs, most notably The Battle of the Locusts, which gets another minute of guitar shredding. Check it if you can.

One of those albums that gives me chills, especially the apocalyptic spoken word parts. The visionary nature of this psych rock is first rate goodies. This album is so disjointed I'd not really call it a concept album but rather an album with a lot of different things going on built around a concept. I love the variety of musical influences and explorations on display here. Even the baum-chicky-baum corniness of "The Beast" somehow, weirdly, fits right in. Not at all the way I'd envision a musical presentation of the Revelation according to St. John. The track entitled "∞" is where it's at for me, though, the highlight of the album. What can I say? I like orgasms, especially religious orgasms.