My review of "The God Perfume" CDr by Al Gromer Khan

[richardgurtler]

Al Gromer Khan "The God Perfume" CDr

Famous German instrumentalist, sitarist, composer and novelist Al Gromer Khan has released "The God Perfume" CDr during November 2017 through his Rasa Music label. The album comes in a 4-panel digipak, featuring on the cover art a painting by the Maestro himself.

The opener "God Perfume X" immediately sets oriental fragrance with piquantly serpentine sitar patterns and soothingly cadenced percussions, while cushions of ethereal chants are guarding above. Intangible voices sneak here and there. Pristinely titillating texture! "Bulbul" masterfully blends stringed exotica with calm organic subtleties. But the center stage is inconspicuously invaded by laid-back high-tech electronica, as much elusive as authentic, occasionally permeated by transient tribal fragments. Aural splendor, although rather shorter! "Beat Of The Ancients" keeps on ear-tickling, distant jazzy flavors commingle with sitar tapestries and translucently rattling halcyon glimpses soothe listener's ear and soul. Gossamery embracing ride!!! "Zu Meiner Seele Ehren" reveals with female chants, but soon nebulously infused sitar minimalism sneaks to the foreground with vaguely intense downtempos glimmering above. "A Way In The World", at 9:26 the longest track on the album, opens with remote choirs, but it's again the pellucid sitar moving to the core, then quickly metamorphosing into much quieter, celestially enveloping realms. "Procession For The Great Black Goddess" follows the contemplative path of its predecessor, before diving into uniquely colored sceneries, where sharper stringed vistas are continuously juxtaposed with mesmerizingly relaxed rhythm passages and calmly gliding meditative meridians. Balmily immersing! "Turandot" is as much lyrical and curlicue as transporting and serene. Shorter "Toledo" is propelled by filigree arrangements, meticulously bridging delightfully transcultural instrumentations. Pure magic!!! Brief "Odeon" attracts with its cinematic feel, enchantingly narrative and ambrosially expansive. Another beauty! "Blues For A Muted Sitar", the title speaks for itself on this piece, Al Gromer Khan's stringed virtuosity exquisitely merges with persistently opiating pace and distant quietudes. "Chaikhana" precisely blends sublime beauty of stringed brilliance with spaciously engrossing stratums, gracefully drifting choirs and glancing diaphanous traceries. Weeping bowed strings of "Wayco" navigate this album into its conclusion, when magnificently interacting with tranquilly floating blankets and dissonant fractions.

55-minute "The God Perfume" is a truly luminous jewel and after "Chakra Noir" album (April 2016) another milestone in Al Gromer Khan's extensively applauded discography. His electro-acoustic wizardry is always filled with infinite spirit, finesse and uniqueness. A thrilling listening experience not to be missed!!! Unfortunately, the aural perfection, including superb sound quality, is not justified by unstable duplicated CDr edition, so I hope in the future Al Gromer Khan will return again to a glass mastered format. "The God Perfume" album really deserves such format!!! The options nowadays are really wide at quite reasonable prices. And last but not least, in the meantime another three albums by Al Gromer Khan are available, "Sky Worship" (May 2018), "Durga Avenue" (November 2018) and the newest one entitled "In High Places", released during April 2019.

Richard Gürtler (May 11, 2019, Bratislava, Slovakia)