“There's a salty tang in the air of early British Progressive rock, some King Crimson perhaps, some Spring. The organ and strings, and the at times slightly sinister mood, remind me a little of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown…” – Daniel Dellamorte, music historian The members of Hollow Earth are rumored to be in a secret cult, self-styled gatekeepers of Shambhallah. Their chapter was ostensibly founded by Nicholas Roerich in Naggar, in the Himalayas, in the 1930s, and they are ‘perpetually championing the truth against those who believe in a flat—and to a lesser extent also those who believe in a solid—Earth,’ according to the third edition of the Encyclopedia of Global Cults and Religions. Their sectarian leanings are only circumstantially evident in the music on this disc—the Deep Purple (1969-72 era) influences make a stronger mark, in combination with some distinctly Canterbury styled moves. Obviously this sort of alchemy works, so in fifty years’ time this may very well be looked back upon as a full-blown progressive rock masterpiece with its solid psychedelic underpinnings. Several years in the making, it is easily the most ambitious release from K2 to date.
Splatter vinyl.
