Smoke For Everybody

This is a compilation I made for the SludgeSwamp. Unfortunately it is removed over there. Too bad, but here it is anyway! All of the tracks did appear earlier at this blog. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

1 Threshold - Talbot (1:54)
2 Cayenne - Talbot (7:09)
3 The Endless Void - Hypnos 69 (7:47)
4 The Man. The Sun. The Desert - The Grand Astoria (13:07)
5 Mother , Some Day I'm Going To Be An Astronaut - The Movements (Space Edition) (7:53)
6 Justice - Suma (9:31)
7 Sleeping Pill - Telestrion (8:53)
8 Kingdom - Naam (16:24)

Smoke For Everybody (2010)

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Belgian Atmospheric.

Earlier before I posted the great album Intrigue Of Perception by the awesome band Hypnos 69. Timeline traveller is their first album. This album is the beginning of the development that Hypnos 69 has made. Timeline Traveller is an album full of Atmospheric Psychedelic Space Rock with a piece of Stoner and these guys knew how to play in those days. These five songs are all great. I think you might like this if you're a regular visitor of this blog. Enjoy!

Here’s a recipe for you:

Take some stellar guitar work, a tight and creative rhythm section that refuses to fade into the background, and some cool, spacey synths, Rhodes piano, organ, and effects. Blend them together in the style of classic Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. Ensure, however, that all ingredients are fresh. Season liberally with Hawkwind. Add a dash of Led Zeppelin and a pinch of King Crimson. If something is missing, throw in some theremin. Bring to a boil, and serve steaming hot.

The result will be a tasty Belgian dish known as Hypnos 69, and listeners can try out this delicious sonic stew on the band’s debut album, Timeline Traveller. As is suggested in my little recipe above, the band does tend to wear their influences on their sleeves, but they refuse to tread over old ground. The classic heavy 70’s sound may be there, but the songs are fresh and original. The opening title track alone is worth the price of admission, as guitarist Steve Houtmeyers lays down some seriously smoking riffs. Halfway through its 8-minute length, it slips into a spacey jam with great percussion that builds steadily to a blazing finale. The nearly 6-minute Voodoo Dancer is perhaps the most conventional rocker on the album, but Houtmeyers’ searing, bluesy guitar work will have aspiring air guitarists freaking out in their living rooms. The piece ends with a cool Hawkwindish space rock finale.

While three of the five tracks have vocals, singing is not what this band is really about. All three members are multi-instrumentalists, superb players that focus on complex arrangements and scorching instrumental magic. The almost 8-minute, entirely instrumental N.O. Mustang is perhaps the mellowest piece on the album, but showcases the excellent interplay between Tom Vanlaer’s throbbing bass playing and Dave Houtmeyers’ inspired drumming, while Steve churns out some echoing guitar that shifts from bluesy to jazz influenced, to weirdly psychedelic. The 9 ½-minute two part instrumental A Neverending Enigma shows off the band’s prog rock tendencies the most. There’s some very tasty bass work in the first part, Sometimes I Wander, with its complex arrangements that echo a bit of Frank Zappa. The second part, Upwards and Unexpected, is a moody Rhodes driven jam that builds slowly but surely to a fine, rocking climax.

The album closes with Like Waves on the Wind. After a smart intro of powerful guitar and organ, it lopes along in a bluesy manner before dissolving into a haunting refrain, like floating on some alien ocean. Again, the piece builds slowly, shifting and changing, building to a heavy climax before returning to the original theme that started the piece, finishing off at 9-minutes in length.

If you like any of the band’s influences I mentioned above, you can’t go wrong with Hypnos 69. This is one of the best albums I’ve heard in 2002, and highly recommended.
(By Jeff Fitzgerald at Aural Innovations)

Hypnos 69 - Timeline Traveller (2002)

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MySpace

A Great Band From Belgium

Hypnos 69 is a Belgian Stoner Rock band with several influences. I've seen them last year and they perform very well. The musicians play at a high level and I like that saxophone.
The first time I heard The Intrigue Of Perception was on the way home from Roadburn 2007. And after those two days of great music this album really blew my socks off. The album starts easy with The Endless Void and while listening the album gets better and better. My personal highlight is Twisting The Knife.

"A thick and swirly combination stoner rock, psychedelia and 70s guitar rock with a little bit of old Pink Floyd mixed throughout. The Intrigue of Perception is a high-calibre mix of Colour Haze, Euroboys, Spoiler and Grand Funk Railroad, to name but just a few ingredients."
(From AllThatIsHeavy)

Hypnos 69 - The Intrigue Of Perception (2004)

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Beside Hypnos 69

The founder member of Hypnos 69, Steve Houtmeyers started a new project in 2006 called Dolmen Tree. This band is more rocking than Hypnos 69. This demo is available on their website.

It wasn’t easy for a band like Dolmen Tree to step out of the shadow of Hypnos 69. Steve Houtmeyers’ (guitarist/vocalist/founder of Hypnos 69/Dolmen Tree) first intention with Dolmen Tree was to have a surrogate band when tensions in Hypnos 69 began to impede the natural flow in the band. During the six month break Hypnos 69 took in 2006, Steve decided to work out some ideas with Dave Houtmeyers (drums Hypnos 69/Dolmen Tree) and Robie Stiers (bass). Dolmen Tree recorded during a session in October 2007 6 tracks as a try out. These tracks are available as a download on the bands MySpace page. The trio also performed shows opening for Yearlong Disaster and Siena Root.

Although the band had a good start, things didn’t really shape up and the band was put on temporarily hold; main reason was probably Hypnos 69s “Eclectic Tour” in October-November 2007. In February 2008 new life was injected by adding vocalist Jo Vissers (Apocryph) to the line up. The band started rehearsing again, putting a real effort in the song writing. Jo decided in May 2008 the job wasn’t satisfying for him and left the band. Steve picked up the vocals once again, this time certain to make something of this band. Since Hypnos 69 isn’t rehearsing new material anymore and just playing some festivals this summer, a great opportunity occurred to show the public what a great rock band this can be.

Together with a recording studio and self-released records, the band has planned some shows in 2008. The release of the debut album ‘The Orion Destiny’ is scheduled for March 2009.

(From Myspace)

Dolmen Tree - Megaliths For Infinity (2007 Demo)

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Website & MySpace