V/A - Helicon In Trance

[Ormion]

HELICON IN TRANCE

THE UNDERGROUND SOUNDS OF ATHENS

 

 

TRACKLIST:

Mind Antivirus - Setup.Exe

N.O.M. - Helicon

Phovos And Deimos - Crisp Meadow

Double Trouble - Dance Upper Pressure

Dark Elf - X

Cymazz - Mind Control Room

Narcosis - The Doll Master

Septagram - Gone Fishin'

5ips1s - Pall Bearer

 

 

Style: Dark Psy

Artwork: Sugahtank

Mastering: The Chief

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/956335

Samples: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=7020

 

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This is the first release of the Greek label Helicon Sound System, focusing directly into dark psychedelic.

All the artists of this compilation are Greek and most of them have been appeared in several Moonsun records releases.

 

MIND ANTIVIRUS-Setup.exe

Just when you think that a compilation like that would open with a dark blaster, this track surprises you with its fresh style. It’s basically a downtempo track that flirts with the dark genre, but also has some dub and IDM elements. The intro is funky and warms your heart, while the rest of it sounds like a broken experimental track. It has some repepetive melodies and a bass kind of annoying, but works great with all the abnormality of this track. It’s difficult to categorize it and it works great as the opening tune, but it’s not my cup of tea. 5/10

 

N.O.M.-Helicon

Now we enter the real dark territory with N.O.M. aka Nature Of Mind. The bass hits you right in the face, although I would call it more hypnotic than powerful. It’s loud and almost covers the whole track and being basically a 1-note baslsine doesn’t help.

But after a while something happens. The bass keeps the same, but some beautiful fairie sounds make you smile and keep you interested before the melodies hit you. Melodies? Oh yes, melodies! I would easily call it a dark melodic track. Don’t expect complex uplifiting stuff. No, after all the track never misses its dark purpose. It’s hypnotic and trippy, not powerful, not in your face psychedelia. And guess what. At the end the bassline seems to work. It flows smoothly with the track. This is a great track, different and unique. 9/10

 

PHOVOS AND DEIMOS-CRISP MEADOW

This is a project of Narcosis and N.O.M. They have collaborated before in the Narcosis album with a very good tune. From the first seconds it's obviously that it's much more powerful and intense than the first two tracks, but still keeps a hypnotic tempo. If you can’t stand the 1-note bassline this one won’t work for you. The sound is crystal clear and the creepy effects are trippy enough to satisfy you for the lack of big surprises. I would call it typical. 6/10

 

DOUBLE TROUBLE-Dance Upper Pressure

Double Trouble is a project of Dark Elf and Apnea. Ok, the time has come for the first stomper. Straight to 150 bpm this track is not really different from the n-th dark psy track ou there, but still has its moments. There are some forest melodies scattered around and many ‘out of your headphones’ effects. If you like intense dark psychedelia this one is made for you and you will forgive it its flaws. Nice. 7/10

 

DARK ELF-X

This is an artist that all his tracks for some unknown synaesthetic reason ‘sound’ purple in my ears. Dark purple actually. This one is a real atmospheric track and has a great forest feeling. From the ‘airy’ first part to the last part with an incomplete melody, this one is tasty. You can hear the work of this artist. No randomness, everything sounds in place. Very good. 7.5/10

 

CYMAZZ-Mind Control Room

This guy goes straight to the top of the ‘braincells killing’ artists. It’s not that he uses as many in-your-face psychedelia he can, but the acidness of his sounds. Acidness in its true meaning. Noises that really enter your brain and fry your cells. Acid drops in your mind. It’s a great piece of the art of psychedelia. Sounds Russian, but even more crazy. We need more like this. 8.5/10

 

NARCOSIS-The Doll Master

Here we have one talented artist with already an album released in Moonsun records. (Check it out, it’s really good). Narcosis is known for his reverb-dark-acid noises that uses in his track. This track couldn’t be different, but he never crosses the line. Unfortunately. The last minutes are great with a great dose of noisy paranoia, but many tracks in his album offer more. It’s not revolutionary, but works. Forest feeling in it too. 7.5/10

 

SEPTAGRAM-Gone Fishin'

Septagram are Dark Elf and Darkshire. This is dark! For sure! Pads and reverb effects always work, check this track if you don’t believe me. But that’s not enough. So they add a spooky melody for the second part. It’s haunted and works great with the rest of the track, giving to it a dreamy effect. I like this track. It has almost all that you need from this kind of music. It lacks pure inspiration, but it pays you back with some good chills. 8/10

 

5IPS1S-Pall Bearer

Before anything, go listen the 5ips1s track in the Narcosis album. You haven’t heard before more brain frying music! 5ips1s is the creation of two strange minds. Narcosis and Cymazz, This is badass energetic psychedelia. It’s fast, maybe too fast for many listeners, but certainly not ridiculously gabba-style. This one is also the most dance-y track of the compilation. While the rest of the tracks are based in hypnotic rhytmns and atmospheric patterns this is straight to the bone psy. Call me crazy, but I will call this track as the new Rave. Ok, Rave On Acid! Not for the lighthearted! 9.5/10

 

OVERALL

This compilation is really good. Simple as that. Many tracks are miles away from the stereotypical dark psy madness and the few that sound like that are certainly above the average. Judging by some previous tracks you can definitely see a great leap forward to more mature and professional producing for these artists. They have mastered their techniques and they are messing with our minds more. Oh, and we need a 5ips1s album. Recommended. 7.55/10

 

Why purchase: Not the typical dark psy. N.O.M. and 5ips1s are fantastic!

 

Why skip: You don’t like anything that starts with dark and ends with psy.