 ReviewsThese are reviews of Khazad Doom's ENCORE! CD from all over the planet, mainly www DJ's and other prog rock sites. Have a look. Reviewer: Ivor Trueman Delerium Records United Kingdom Personnel: JACK EADON lead gtr, vcls, perc A STEVE 'CROW' HILKIN perc, vcls A TOM SIEVERS bs, vcls A STEVE 'AL' YATES vcls, keyb'ds A ALBUM: 1.(A) LEVEL 61/2 (LPL 892) 1970 NB. (1) originally limited to 180 copies. The album was later pirated in the late eighties and issued on CD in the nineties by the band as Encore! with eight bonus tracks. From Morton Grove, Illinois, this band took its name from the mountain, "Khazad Dûm" in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy. A progressive rather than psychedelic or garage album, it's quite an interesting listen if you can get the reissue CD but don't fork out megabucks for an original. The finer moments include Nothing To Fear, quite a commercial song with appealing vocals and lots of atmosphere; In This World, a melodic harmony soft rock song and Excerpt From The Hunters, The Prelude, a long progressive piece with lots of keyboards. The group had their roots in an act called The Laymen, who formed back in 1964 and graduated from surf through soul to mild psychedelia. In late '69 they changed name to Khazad Doom, which with it's Tolkein reference, reflected their penchant for concept-laden song-writing. Their Level 6 1/2 album, which was recorded in Chicago and Gary, Indiana, was named after the seven internal levels of Tolkein's "Khazad Dûm" mountain, but modified slightly, to show that "there was still room for them to grow...". Gigging at local teen clubs around Illinois, they also were featured in the Chicago "Walk For Hunger", where 15,000 people gathered in a parking lot in Skokie, Illinois one Saturday morning to walk 20 miles on behalf of the hungry. The Encore CD retrospective, includes two tracks by The Laymen, recorded in '68, their Level 6 1/2 album, and five tracks recorded in 1971, shortly before a band disagreement caused them to split. One of these 1971 cuts, Stanley's Visit To Kerkle Morff, is a twelve minute epic, telling in three acts how Stanley invents and builds a flying machine, flys to Kerkle Morff, and eventually becomes King. With a catchy beat and original narrative, the track is a reminiscent of Caravan's In The Land Of Grey And Pink. In fact the band used to help audiences understand the intricasies of the piece by handing out pamplets explaining the storyline. The Encore CD also features a track by Jack Eadon from 1978, and all the bonus material is in a similar vein to the original release. Reviewer: Asterism Vol. 1, No. 3 As a time capsule of garage-band progressive rock from the early seventies this disc is priceless. Khazad Doom, who adapted their name from a location in Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy, was a short-lived group that achieved cult status in Eastern Europe. The 13 tracks, culled from two albums and a few unreleased demos, show an act steeped in mythological and fantastical tradition. The three-movement "The Hunters," which represents the first portions of a never-completed seven-song cycle, offers echoes of the soundscapes popularized by The Doors at the time, while "Stanley's Visit To Kerkle- Morff" is a tremendous tale that features a strange kingdom, a weird flying contraption and a moralistic ending perfect for the era in which it was written. Khazad Doom was simply four kids having fun, and this collection lovingly and reverently captures the spirit of their contemplative creations. Reviewer: Jason "The Hero" Ellerbee & Scott Hamrick Dreams Wide Awake (www.unf.edu/~jeller/dreams.html) From out of the depths of obscurity comes Khazad Doom with, Encore! This CD contains the entireity of this late '60s/early '70s Illinois band's output, including both of their very rare albums and three even rarer bonus tracks. The first album, Level 6 1/2, opens with "The Hunters," a three-part suite over 20 minutes in length. "Prelude," the first section of "The Hunters" finds the band verging on early progressive rock, complete with long organ and fuzz guitar solos. The rest of the album, however, shows the band treading on more commercial ground and operating in a simpler, sunny-sounding folk-rock format with an accent on rock instrumentation. Most of the music is characterized by melodramatic melodies and choir-boy vocals. Khazad Doom's self-titled second album is more interesting, especially the album's 12-minute track, "Stanley's visit to Kerkle Morff." This psychedellic fairy tale suite exhibits a strong Sargeant Pepper-era Beatles influence. This is the CD's most interesting and enjoyable track. It benefits from clever production and a stronger pop ethic than the material on the first album. The music here is livelier and less self-concious than in "The Hunters." The whimsical Beatles influence pops up again in "Paper Bus." Most of the music on this CD hints at psychedelia, but never gets quite as out-there as the progenitors of the genre like Pink Floyd or The Beatles. However, collectors of late '60s rarities may well find some entertaining music here which may just rekindle memories of the summer of love. Reviewer: Steve Hegede Zoltan's Progressive Rock Webpage (www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Arena/1282/index.html) Encore! is the official reissue of Khazad Doom's original recordings. Khazad Doom made a name for themselves in Morton Grove, Illinois, during the early 70's with their unique style of progressive rock music, metaphorical lyrics, and stage presence. Their music was driven by pumping bass lines, dynamic Hammond swells, and multi-dimensional guitar work. On top of that, three of the four musicians contributed to beautiful 3-part vocal harmonies, and counterpoint. After Jack Eadon found out about the release of boot-legged versions of Level 6 1/2, he decided to release a remastered version of most of the band's recording(many recordings didn't survive storage) on CD. The first section of Encore! begins with two songs from an early version of Khazad Doom called The Laymen. These two songs are simplistic compared to what would be recorded by the band just a couple of years later. But their inclusion here is only meant to show the origins of Khazad Doom. The second section of the CD shows a maturing band, with strong material from their first album Level 6 1/2. The album's highlight is a 23-minute trilogy called "The Hunters". Most of the music has a noticeable psychedelic-influence while also displaying early characteristics of a style of music later called "progressive rock"(developing themes, multiple parts, and a concept). Organist Steve "Al" Yates shines here with some tasty organ chops. "Narcissus" is the next song after the trilogy, and it's filled with some very beautiful 3-part vocal harmonies, and counterpoint. "In This World", considered to be Steve Yate's best composition ever, features violins which adds a symphonic, and serene, quality to the music. "Nothing But Fear" is a masterpiece of early progressive rock. The song has a symphonic, carnival, atmosphere to it with dramatic build-ups of piano, multiple guitars, and marching snare drum patterns. Level 6 1/2 is considered a classic , and the music more than proves that point. A year later, Khazad Doom recorded their self-titled album. Unfortunately, this album was never released until now. If it was, the band could have received even more recognition as a maturing progressive rock band. The highlight here is the 12-minute piece entitled "Stanley's Visit To Kerkle Morff", which is also the longest piece on the album. Beatles-influenced vocals and melodies charm the listener, as the epic weaves in and out of its various sections, and "Stanley" travels to a surreal world. The band took 6-months to record the epic by ping-ponging between two reel-to-reels more than 20 times! There is alot going on here, and will offer the listener many surprises over time. 4 shorter songs, similar in style to "Level 6 1/2" era go on to finish-off the self-titled album. Overall, "Encore!" is a very satisfying package that will satisfy fans of early 70's progressive rock. |
