Review:

on 2008-09-29 rev flying v Said:

Colour Haze is a psychedelic jazzy stoner rock band hailing from Germany. This album, All, is their forth effort and only their second album which is worth listening to. I fell in love with their debut self-titled album mostly because their soundscapes were incomparable. However, as they began to release more albums, the band seemed to be doing more of the same thing. With each album they put out, I got more and more confused that a band like this, one so experimental and ahead of their time, could be a one trick pony. Then the day came when they released All, and I listened to it with some hesitation. But ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised.

Colour Haze is finally experimenting with their sound. Their self titled album focused on heavy riffs, a heavy sound, heavy compositions, and long songs. All is an album which shows a teacher learning from himself. This album takes the finer qualities of their self titled outing and refines them, making a softer sound. Indeed, this is one of Colour Hazes softer albums, but that does not mean that it has lost any of its heaviness. Stefan Koglek has mastered simple singing without coming off as bored. He occasionally pushes his limits and lands in falsetto territory. This took some getting used to, but no Colour Haze album is immediately accessible. In fact, this album might have taken some getting used to for fans of their whole catalog because the band has done something new and expanded their instrumentation. The addition of organs, sitars, keyboards, and acoustic guitars move this band from making heavy music a-la Kyuss, to making a much fuller sound a-la early Deep Purple.

This is a good album on a night reserved for relaxing. Maybe you should light some candles or some incense to get the mood just right. If you have lava lamps in close reach, flick those suckers on, too. Be prepared, because this music will envelope you, and its best if you just let it happen.
Rating: 8/10