V/A - Wicked Goblins and Crazy Pixies

(Release date: 29 Aug 2005)

taken from http://forum.isratrance.com, written by Death Posture, 2005

Carpe noctum!

Although Trishula Records from Germany is not even one year old, they’ve already placed themselves as one of the leading outfits releasing the darker sides of psytrance… The quality level has been high since the beginning and this has fast become a benchmark label… This is the fifth release following the brilliant debut album Evil Inside by Psyfactor – and judging by the track list and the BPM count I’m guessing we’re in for quite a ride here… Get ready to get butt-fucked by a goblin and blown by a pixie… Let’s begin the party – Trishula style!

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Claw – Disturbed Galaxy [148 BPM]
Kemic-Al is from Malta – and Claw is from Cyprus… Do you see a pattern here? I do – evil lurks in those Mediterranean islands… Anyway this guy (Charalambos Pieris) really impressed me with his track on the Alien FM compilation released by Dropout Productions earlier this year… That was a very well-produced, dynamic track… And so is this! The bassline sounds a bit blunt at first, but you quickly forget about that with all the madness that goes on in this track… Magical, eerie melodies surrounded by squelching acid-lines and twisted night-time trickery… Take that horn-FX for instance – it’s scary as hell… This guy knows his shit! A brilliant track!

#02: Electrypnose – Oscillate [148 BPM]
Ahh – good old Vince le Barde… This productive Swiss magician has fast become one of my fav’e producers within this style of psytrance… His debut album Brain Stretching released on ResonantEarth.com is still hot as hell and most of his recent compilation tracks are brilliant… This is hard-hitting, relentless psytrance… Pounding away at an incredible pace with enough energy to supply a small Swiss village with power… As always with this guy, we’re exposed to a very unique style – seemingly introvert and a little minimal. But listen closer and you’ll find many nifty little surprises… Yeah, this is trippy as hell – those oscillating acid-bits are just what the doctor ordered! ;o)

#03: Dejan – Dennis Kill The Dentist [150 BPM]
“Cheesy crust special with extra cheese and crusty cheese on the side!” Blimey – that’s a lot of cheese! But rest assured, there’s nothing cheesy about this track! Dejan Mihailovic is a French producer and I’ve liked his stuff so far… Very dark, yet still psychedelic… Haven’t we all secretly dreamt about killing our dentist? I know I have – and all indications show that Dennis feels the same way… As with older Dejan tracks, this is extremely dark and incredibly fast… This baby is blasting away at 150 beats per minute – causing absolute mayhem… There’s a demented melodic lead here that you’ll either love or hate… Personally I hate it, but the good news is that it’s not there for long… The acid-bits however tickle me just right – also the atmospheric pads in the background are very well-executed… Oh, and the oddball kiddie samples are hilarious… A nice track regardless of the flaws…

#04: The Many Faces vs. Electrypnose – Testicule Killer [150 BPM]
The Many Faces are Dejan again + his fellow countryman Karim Gressier – they are joined by Vince le Barde who also made a previous appearance on this compilation… Looks like a match made in heaven? On this track we’re exposed to the hard-hitting style of the French baguette – and Vince has brought the tasty Swiss chocolate… Yeah – this is another full-blown night-time track, though I feel it somehow lacks a well-defined sense of direction… Don’t get me wrong, but maybe three guys working on one track is one too many? I don’t know! There certainly are good elements in this track - I would just like to have seen them being carried all the way out… A good track, but not a stand-out for me…

#05: Polyphonia – Babel Tower [148 BPM]
Polyphonia is Romolo Cherie from Greece and AFAIK this is his debut release… The intro is pretty cool here with the changes in pace and the sudden explosion of energy… The track itself is of a more monotonous nature – and though it’s not entirely minimal, there is a long stretch in the first half of the track that tends to be a little boring… But luckily it picks up for the second half of the track… But still, this is just a little too numb for my taste… Also I’m not too thrilled about the demented, whining noise that is present throughout the track… A decent track that I tend to skip…

#06: The Many Faces – Kill Bill Gate [150 BPM]
“Come back and see me. I’m always here. And everywhere!” Here’s another track by the French duo consisting of Karim Gressier and Dejan Mihailovic… The title is beyond me – obviously it’s a play on words on Kill Bill/Bill Gates, but why leave out the S? Are you guys afraid of evil Micro$oft henchmen? Anyway, this is another extremely bad-ass track – riddled with acid-lines and spooky FX designed to freak you out… Just listen to the voice-samples which are well-fitting… The bass goes a bit blunt for a while, but the surroundings more than make up for that… This is some dark, trippy shit… I like it!

#07: Mubali – Information Insemination [148 BPM]
Information Inforshmation... Greg Farley had a track on Trishula’s Mushy Mystery compilation which was a little too unfocussed for my taste – and this starts out kinda wobbly too… It’s ultra-hard, almost industrial in appearance – with gritty, distorted beats… The feather-light robotic bleeps and blobs are a striking contrast though, but somehow I still feel that the first half of this track lacks psychedelia… The trip-factor is important for me, but Greg saves the day with the last half here – which is much trippier… Synth-galore and acid-overdrive! This one will kick up some dust on the dance floors for sure… Especially the second half which is just brilliant!

#08: Metallaxis – Noise Reduction (Polyphonia Rmx) [148 BPM]
“Am I dreaming? Is this palace real or just a hallucination?” Metallaxis from Greece is a relatively blank page to me – I know this guy (?) had a track on the Nabi compilation Psychiatric Hospital Ahead , but I haven’t heard that one… Anyway, this is remixed by fellow Greek producer Polyphonia whom we encountered earlier… And damn, these guys are talented – this track is very, very psychedelic… Very forest-like and shroom-friendly – A cross between the style you’d expect from Parvati and Schlabbaduerst… I bet the goblins and pixies are going at it now… A stellar track!

#09: Savage Scream – Rotting Side [148 BPM]
Savage Scream is Mizuki Nishimata from Japan and he likes it hardcore and extremely fast… This is actually one of his slower tracks… Anyway, this is still very dark and introvert… Horror-trance to be played during the darkest hours of the night… But – despite it being grim, this track also has a good portion of experimentation… I really like the lengthy break-down which will cause absolute havoc on a darkened dancefloor… People will start screaming in horror when the bassline finally returns! …Spooky shit! And a great track!

#10: Syntrax – Reanimator [147 BPM]
Aviran Deree is a newbie producer from Israel – and he gets to finish the show here… And wow – check out the classy classical intro… Highly original stuff here! The track itself is full-power no-questions-asked hyper-trance – galloping away like there’s no tomorrow… I dig the sharp, stabbing noises – it feels like they go straight into your heart… And there’s enough acid here to entertain a grumpy old trancer like me… It’s a regular squelch-fest – holy shit it’s awesome! What a gargantuan track – I couldn’t think of a better way to end this compilation…

Trishula has pulled it off again! The gore-heads from Germany has released another hardcore motherfucker of a compilation – this is just as ill disposed as Ignis Fatuus and Mushy Mystery were… Relentless, sinister, murky-as-hell hyper-trance to be played during the darkest hours of the night – and definitely not for people with heart-troubles… Consider that a warning!

As always with Trishula the quality level is impressive. There are no bad tracks here and there are only a couple of tracks that doesn’t tickle my nuts the way they are supposed to… The artwork isn’t really my cup of chai, but it’s a step in the right direction from the Psyfactor cover… Oh, and I noticed how the spine of the jewel case incorrectly reads ‘ Crazy Gnomes & Wicked Pixies ’… Ahh well, it’s an honest mistake… Gnome ~ Goblin… I guess they are somewhat similar – and frankly, who gives a shit!? The music is the important thing here – and the music is great! Maybe not as much as home-listening – this needs to be played on big-ass PA… Fans of the spooky Trishula style will most definitely enjoy this compilation – as will fans of dark psytrance in general… Enjoy!

Favourites: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8(!), 9, 10(!)

DeathPosture

Review by Psytones from Sonic-Energy

01. Claw – Disturbed Galaxy

The opening sequence arrives with my first encounter of Claw from Cyprus and the experience is very positive. Rolling kicks, delicious harmonic squeaks and a spectral voice whisper like a shaman announcing some last minute warning. What sounds to me like large ancient war horns, retain a spooky atmosphere of solemnity. It's hard and fast with a very tight structure. A good starter to crack open a compilation.

02. Electrypnose - Oscillate

Oscillate is a psy-chaotic effects fusion pre-arranged in some strange musical coherence, mutating themes enough as to never bore the ear. Half way through the twisted melody arrives, just before the purpose is lost carrying the track forward. Samples sequenced in perfect accompaniment echo in all the right harmonics. A juicy treat.

03. Dejan – Dennis Kill The Dentist

Dejan graces the compilation this time with Trishula and like good French wine, it seems to be getting better with the passing of time. To make the dining experience even more sumptuous a “Cheesy crust special with extra cheese and crusty cheese on the side” sample adorns the mid-break. A midnight snack infused with metallic-like sweeps and total Discordia on the higher ranges. Haunted house pads bring coherence to the madness unfolding, which remains on the bleeding edge of musical cohesion; but that is exactly what this project knows how to do so well. Overall not the best track I have heard from them and the baby samples are a slight annoyance, but thankfully they are lightly spread over the mix.

04. The Many Faces vs. Electrypnose – Testicule Killer

Talk about a kick in the balls. Dejan once again reappears in the roster with one of his many faces (Krim gressier) alongside Electrypnose. To be honest, the “testicular killer” samples on delays don't really echo with me. Throughout the tune you can see how both projects have retained their individual sound, mixing in the pot a strange cocktail of highly acidic content. At times it seems to me a bit droning, was it not for the riff-like synth sliced here and there.

05. Polyphonia – Babel Tower

Romolo Cherie, another stranger to my ears makes his debut with a monster track. A dark, twisted tune to play alongside The Nommos or Abnormal Project. The output is a dizzying dementia of treated voice-like sounds smudged to such extend, this one should be renamed to ‘The Fall of the Tower of Babel '. A little sense of logical progression would have been welcomed, but that's clearly not the aim Romolo is going for.

06. The Many Faces – Kill Bill Gate

We return with the many faces exploring more sonic discordance and effects reminding a bit of Kashyyyk, with a few touches of Jellyheadz, added the blips in a total sense overload. The kid samples addressed to his mom about some alien evolution are barely understandable but, highly welcomed amidst the sampling chaos. Crazy as hell and especially meaty at some points.

07. Mubali – Information Insemination

Information insemination is a hefty download. Perhaps a bit too unrestrained for my virgin ears, after having been savagely raped by discordant bleeps and effects madness. This is not even attempting a tuneful approach, is just a relentless pound and squelching knack, coming out on the higher ranges at the speed of T3 connection. I don't have a problem with sonic devastation, but my guess is a few extra layers of samples to complement the cacophony would have suited the insemination. A lot of feet stomping potential after the break on the 7th minute with liquid synth's and chopped, but lightly spread diffusing sounds.

08. Metallaxis – Noise Reduction (Polyphonia Rmx)

I am not really sure how the original version of Metallaxis sounds, but this time they didn't leave a many slots in the drum machine unused, sounds to me like an infamous triple kick, mixing in well -with say- Psyfactor. The melody here is wobbly, coming in sweeps like the engine of a plane taking altitude without ever really coming back down.

09. Savage Scream – Rotting Side

Do you have a rotting side? Me either, thank god! Savage Screams showing there is more Japanese psy with a darker edge than what 6 dimension soundz has been releasing. The Rotting Side shows a morphing kick throughout, but not much action on the higher ranges, or perhaps bit too much randomness for my taste. A surprisingly straight forward melody does filter by the end, about the same time that good ol' fashioned bass line comes in.

10. Syntrax - Reanimator

Oh my goodness, I don't know who Syntrax is but listen to the kicks. It sounds like a rock drummer had taken a couple of those African drums, after railing his third line and man does he have rhythm. This is most definitely a late night ‘Reanimator' to shake even the infidels out of line. A bit more break-beat action as it was heard in the beginning, would have mixed in well, the intent of the track is clearly full steam ahead. The synth's pass through different filters constantly, imitating a dance-floor whistler around the third minute, while the whole thing just blows in your face with more effects insanity. The kicks are so deep though there is just not much space for anything else in the frequency ranges. Sonic power it its purest form.

All and all :

Talk about a bumpy ride. This CD is an action-packed insane-o-rama of epic proportions to push the boundaries of intensity even further than expected. A few hits a few misses but, a good sampler nevertheless with a number of treats to really sink your teeth in what hat has already been proclaimed as the Trishula sound.

Favourites:

1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10

Review by Cymoon, http://psytrance.cz/

Last month Trishula records released their third compilation called "Crazy goblins and wicked pixies" and here we have a review on it.

The compilation starts off with a track from CLAW, one-man project from Cyprus, "Disturbed Galaxies", a mellow track with romantic melodies, setting your mind in a nice mood. Perfect opening track for a night trance compilation.

The next one to follow is "Oscillate" track from ELECTRYPNOSE, a swiss project. A decent groovy beginning with a fullon touch, slowly builded into a atmospheric melody and bells play followed by sweet synths.

And finally we are getting to the maddness brought by DEJAN from France. "Dennis kills the dentist" he says. Dejan always brings us twisted tracks and so it is. Mindblowing twisted track full of energy and wicked samples.

The next one comes from THE MANY FACES and ELECTRYPNOSE and it is called "Testicule killer". Strong since the beginning with its wild bassline. The flow goes up and down, up and down, acidic sounds and deep melodies, it never ends and never reach a point.

If you like something realy dark, that you feel the emptiness of the universe "Babel tower" from POLYPHONIA is something for you. Very monotonous, very dark, tripping sounds and melodies and overall muddy atmosphere.

We follow the very dark feeling in "Kill bill gate" track from THE MANY FACES. A bit more groovy this time but it holds the atmosphere of a void grabbing your soul through layered acid sounds and effects.

MUBALI strikes back with his heavy industrial track "Information insemination" filled with a lot of raw acid synthlines and designed effects leading to a monster psychedelic end.

And lets get back to the very deep & dark atmosphere in "Noise reduction" from METALLAXIS remixed by POLYPHONIA. Very psychedelic, very dark, very drivin, you'll be lost in your soul with this one, but the cold melodies might save you before you get completely mad.

SAVAGE SCREAM appeared on the previous compilation with a real hardcore track, but this new one called "Rotting side" is a bit slower, not that hard and more sofisticated with a long break down changing mood from a drivin dark trance to almost dark chill atmosphere in the end.

SYNTRAX closes down the compilation with his track "Reanimator". Hard track, almost with russian feeling in it, fast bass, industrial drums, sharp acid lines. Mad dark chaos from this unknown guy from Israel.

Sooo, Trishula records seems to be established among the many new labels with its third compilation, which is the best for me in the line of their releases. No single bad track for me, everything sounds well produced, no "dark" cheese here and so you have to choose what suits you the most from all the monster dark tracks they choosed for "Crazy goblins and wicked pixies". Thats the way to go and I am looking forward to hearing more from these german/holland acid heads.