Angherr Shisspa

Neo-zeuhl from Yoshida's more explicitly Magma-worshipping band. Highly repetitive angular melodies, over-the-top chanted vocals, and the usual frantic drumming. The addition of reeds (mostly soprano sax) and a female singer, and the omission of the slightly wanky metal guitar, make this album more Canterbury-oriented than previous KH albums; the tracks are also more varied, making the (still quite frequent) intense bits more effective. All lyrics consist, as usual, of various nonsense syllables. Don't play if you have a low tolerance for bombast (but this isn't bombastic like ELP, but rather like Magma, which is a respectable form of bombast!).
Much better recorded than Nivraym.

Best: 8, 4, 5, 7

1: Keyboard riff alternating with full-band sections and subsets of the group playing in duos or trios, either more angular parts, or slower, long melodies dominated by reeds and vocals.
2: Off-kilter main riff played first on some kind of tuned percussion (synthesized), other instruments come in in stages. Relatively light on the full-chorus vocals, though there is a vocalized drum solo along the lines of National Health's Phlakatôn. Ends with a jazzy soprano sax solo, before the main riff repeats.
3: Short intense spurt after a gradual opening. Chaotic middle.
4: voice & keys opening, fairly mellow—like an incomprehensible Kunstlied. The keyboards shift into a repeated riff and the drums and reeds enter, then some (very Magma-like) recitative. Very effective middle section with unrelenting drum clatter under the massed vocals. Silent for a bit, then clarinet/keys duet, slower when vocals enter, then ends on a properly bombastic note.
5: Light melody alternating between female vox/sax and male vox/bass/drums, eventually coming together in one, the parts two parts together then alternating with short distorted sections with brief soloing.
6: Hand percussion, thumb piano, cliché “island chanting” which gradually gets out of control as the bass and drums take over. This is much less in the zeuhl vein than the other tracks, generally crazier and more formless.
7: Intense angular all-together sections (including the opening) alternate with Canterbury sax-flavored, mellower sections with Magmoid Sprechstimme bits. Extended mostly instrumental soft middle, ends with a reprise of the explosive opening.
8: Churning zeuhl bass, lots of rhythmic changeups—the summation of the method.