The Smell of Incense were one of many new bands to have emerged in the early 90s on the exciting Colours label out of Norway - a label that was kaput shortly thereafter. Their debut All Mimsy Were the Borogoves is a mixture of folk rock, cover songs, psychedelic, and plenty of soft lens mellotron. It's a fine album, but inconsistent, and seemed to leave a lot of good ideas on the kitchen table. Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber is the followup, and it's here that those lost ideas were gathered up and have now come to fruition. They've moved from psychedelic folk to full-on progressive rock, and bring forth many great ideas. Oftentimes I'm reminded of the fertile early 70s UK scene as found on the Neon and Transatlantic labels. Bumble B's feminine vocals are more confident, the guitars are melodic, and.... it's mellotron a-go-go. At any one time - and often at the same time - you'll hear string, flute, and choral tapes battling it out. And when they introduce EDM 10 minutes into the recording, it's the perfect response to the otherwise analog heaven they have created. Their genius? It's the only place you'll hear that - so not a gimmick, but a surprise. Many albums from the 90s have lost their luster, as they didn't possess the depth of their predecessors, relying on cliches and technology. Through the Gates of Deeper Slumber is the opposite, and it continues to grow in my mind as a classic of its kind. Not one to miss - certainly one of the best progressive rock albums from the late 90s.
12/12/20 (new entry)
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