CHAOS REALM

WICKED MINDS - "Witchflower" CD/DVD '06 (Black Widow, Ita) - There's something to be said for eras in time being represented more by a vibe than by a particular style of music. Black Widow Records in Italy has a real feel for this, because most of the stuff they release is by current bands who, although completely different from each other soundwise, still encapsulate the wonderfully exploratory time of the '70's. A case in point is WICKED MINDS. This release is their 2nd and I mean to tell you, it's sumptuous stuff. Long tracks names like "A Child & A Mirror," "The Court Of The Satyr" & "Black Capricorn Fire" conjure up visions of beared figures in robes gathered in a Beltain ritual and the music holds up the bill. While a lot of the procedings here feed off the lush Hammond organ (& other keyboard work) of Paolo "Apollo" Negri, the warm, heavy guitar by Lucio Calegari is right up front as well, as are J.C. Cinel's powerful vocals. I really like this guy's singing a lot, as it reminds me of the vocals in another heavy '70's style band, Lucifer Was. This is a long disc but it never wears out it's welcome with the structured & what seem to be improvisational parts of the songs flowing together nicely. The 2nd DVD disc features some striking performances of many songs from the band's first album as well as some bonus audio tracks and makes this a package well-worth buying for anyone into good music, not just those with a few pairs of bell-bottom jeans in their closet.