Those of you who have been following this site for a while obviously know of my love for all things that help us reminisce about the glorious sounds of the 1970s. Black Widow roster act Psycho Praxis hail from Italy and Echoes From the Deep is their very fine debut album. Images of vintage Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Atomic Rooster, Quella Vecchia Locanda, Biglietto Per L'inferno, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, and Osanna abound on this hard rocking prog affair.
Plenty of heavy guitar riffs, tasty Hammond organ, flute, and powerful vocals highlight standout tracks such as "Privileged Station", "Hoodlums", and "Noon". If you love Tull albums like Benefit and Aqualung, as well as classic Purple such as Machine Head and Fireball, with of course the flavor of the Italian bands, then this will be a welcome surprise. The swirling Hammond combating the flute & hard rock guitar on many of these songs is just magical, and the vocals, sung in English, have a slight Italian accent to give them a real charm. All the songs run from 5-9 minutes in length, so there is plenty of room for musical fireworks as well as passages of brooding atmosphere. The melancholy "P.S.M." also brings to mind classic Genesis, King Crimson, and Van Der Graaf Generator...just excellent.
Not a bad song in the bunch, and if someone told me this was actually recorded in 1973, I'd believe them in a second. Psycho Praxis have hit a complete home run here, and I can't wait to hear what they come up with next. Vintage heavy prog fans take immediate notice and check this one out!
Track Listing
1. Privileged Station (8:07)
2. P.S.M. (8:17)
3. Hoodlums (7:45)
4. Black Crow (9:09)
5. Awareness (5:56)
6. Noon (7:19)
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