Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Secret Chiefs 3 - First Grand Constitution and Bylaws
 | This remastered release from Eureka's Secret Chiefs 3 contains some most unusual mergers of surf guitar and anarchist mayhem. There are a couple of remarkable uses of surf guitar here. Not for the faint at heart or the surf purist, but an occasionally interesting side trip into surf nightmare land. |
Picks: Ana'l Raqq, Adept Chamber Of The Magian Cavern - Alter Of The Master Chief, Inn Of 3 Doors, Breeze Of Dawn, Death's Angel, Assassin's Blade, Bare-faced Bazi, Crossroads Through Crosshairs, Borderland, Borderland, Killing Of Kings, Celestial Ship Of The Corsairs, Emir Of The Bees, Migration / Countersurveillance / The Mazdacan Protocol / Our Man Abu'l-Khattab / Return / Pointed and Weighty Arguments, Zulkifar, The Qa'im Deliberates, Drunk At The Gates, Resurrection Day Soundtrack, Hot Pursuit In Eagles' Nest, From Night The Morning Draught Of Wine, Crosswinds, Borderland, White As They Come
Track by Track Review
Ana'l Raqq Organ (Instrumental)
Spooky and warbly keys haunt like the phantom lurking in the corner. 22 seconds of introduction.
Adept Chamber Of The Magian Cavern - Alter Of The Master Chief Hybrid Surf (Instrumental)
Surf guitar, metal samples, synth weirdness, and great angularity. Hybrid surf with an amazing blend of sounds. Swirly and dangerous surf for your nightmare.
Inn Of 3 Doors Angular Tweakery (Instrumental)
Tribal in the Melrose Avenue sense, dangerous in the Death Ride 69 sense, and angular to a fault.
Breeze Of Dawn, Death's Angel Death Metal (Instrumental)
The death metal torture chamber ensemble bumps and grinds... can you say ugly?
Faux Flamenco (Instrumental)
"Assassin's Blade" is a pretender to the flamenco throne. Piano leads and pompous drama abound. I didn't want to like it, but I found myself enthralled in it's inventive vision and sound. No surf, but very interesting.
Bare-faced Bazi Voiced Weirdness (Instrumental)
Ugly voice ravings and dark sounds. Not for an afternoon in the sun.
Crossroads Through Crosshairs Sideshow Metal (Instrumental)
Pretty and slushy in an artificial kinda way, "Crossroads Through Crosshairs" is a little bit sideshow and a little bit torture chamber. It seemed contrived to me.
Borderland Pretentious Sample (Instrumental)
Pretentious playing with samples and costumes. Intellectual, not emotional at all.
Borderland Pretentious Sample (Instrumental)
Pretentious playing with samples and costumes. Intellectual, not emotional at all.
Killing Of Kings Dark Cloud Rock (Vocal)
Gloomy lyrics 'but the death f rock 'n' roll, with ultra heavy guitar and softness. Also weirdness and intentionally ugly effects. "Killing Of Kings" makes happiness a thing of the past.
Celestial Ship Of The Corsairs Space (Instrumental)
Like a Pink Floyd version of Hawkwind rising, "Celestial Ship Of The Corsairs" is a journey from the quiet space to the graveyard of orbit.
Emir Of The Bees Industrial Desert (Instrumental)
Echoed and frumpy percussion eventually yield to a Middle Eastern riff. Psychedelic, swirly, percussive, and occasionally scary. Industrial desert music.
Migration / Countersurveillance / The Mazdacan Protocol / Our Man Abu'l-Khattab / Return / Pointed and Weighty Arguments Ugly (Instrumental)
A sequence of brief interludes of ugliness.
Hybrid Surf (Instrumental)
In a carnival way, "Zulkifar" is a journey with a Beduoin caravan. Surf guitar organ, and sand.
The Qa'im Deliberates Warehouse Ghost (Instrumental)
Like a soundtrack from a hidden mic in a place nothing ever happens, ghost of nonevents occasionally interrupt the placing of boxes in storage.
Drunk At The Gates Stupor (Instrumental)
Funeral organ, guitar pluckage, breaking stuff, cuts and bruises, and a general lack of judgment.
Resurrection Day Soundtrack, Hot Pursuit In Eagles' Nest Chase Scene (Instrumental)
Aside from a damn long title, "Resurrection Day Soundtrack, Hot Pursuit In Eagles' Nest" moves through several scenes wit Hawkwind / Death Ride 69 pomp and psycho swirl. More than just weird.
From Night The Morning Draught Of Wine Filler (Instrumental)
Soft moody backdrop sounds and skipping record effects.
Crosswinds Organ (Instrumental)
Churchy keys in a progression...
Borderland Pretentious Sample (Instrumental)
Pretentious playing with samples and costumes. Intellectual, not emotional at all.
White As They Come Industrial (Instrumental)
"White As They Come" is a long sequence of samples and rhythm. More tweak than coolness.