Review: Sylvester Anfang II - S/T

First of all apologies for reviewing an LP that was originally released 5 years ago! There is a reason for this: a friend of mine who is well into his psych/krautrock had never heard of these guys so I figured it's time I 'revisited' this amazing LP.

Sylvester Anfang II evolved from Silvester Anfang (bit of an Amon Duul / Amon Dull II thing going on)who were a Flemish 'funeral folk' collective, although that label does not do justice to the trippy variant of freak-folk they made (Their facebook page describes them thusly: "Satanic ritualist Free Folk with some Krautrock influences from Belgium"). The morphing into Sylvester Anfang II produced an even more spacey beast, with less emphasis on folk and much, much more on psychedelic freakouts and kosmische jams.

The album kicks of with 'Satan Likt Mijn Hielen' which is a abstract ritualistic intro - spoken word over some noisey guitar and completed with electronic effects, feedback and drones, but just when you've got your head around it the track transmogrifies into 'Na Regen Komt Sondvlred' which is a full-on psych / space rock jam, all wah-wahs and fuzz, a true trippy psych-out.

The undoubted centrepiece of the LP is the two part 'The Devil Always Shits In The Same Graves'. Pt 1 is a dark, woozy number. The guitars sound as though they have been lifted directly from a spaghetti western, all twang and reverb and yet the melodies take on an eastern vibe. Pt 2 is much more drone and noise based whilst still retaining the integral shape of pt 1.

The two parts of 'The Devil Always Shits In The Same Graves' bookend a further four tracks: 'Het Zilte Nat' is an exercise in 70's experimental krautrock - discordant synths over an almost imperceivable, heartbeat like rhythm.'Burkelbos' is the longest track on the album, the backdrop is a motorik rhythm over some cool organ work and some muted, ritualistic vocals - imagine The Doors if they were european and taken even more drugs. 'Boom Van De Eerste Menstruatie ' (not being well versed in Flemish I can only imagine what the title translates as). This is another track with an eastern feel, the guitars sounding almost sitar-like and some hazy psychedelic drones. The chanting vocals give it a blissed-out feel; hypnotic and hypnagogic. 'Ossezaaddans' takes us back to the sixties again, or rather, Sylvester Anfang II's version of the sixties - more sitar sounding guitars over some tribal percussion and muted vocals.

I'm so glad I re-discovered this LP in the dusty reaches of my collection - it is a dark and brooding LP with some sinister occult undertones, but a must for lovers of psychedelic/kraut/space-rock jams and trippy drones and effects.

The LP is still available on CD and download from the Aurora Borealis Bandcamp page. Do yourself a favour and check it out.