Review by Donato Zoppo
The soundtrack of a trip in our conscience, a classic vision of an hallucinated Venice and of a runaway man, “St. Valentine’s Porno Bar” is the great return of Hypnoise. We left the Venetian Trio with a good debut album of “heavy Crimson rock” but not totally convincing; after 5 years Hypnoise come back with an album predicted to be one of the top albums of the year. One more reason for the band’s satisfaction, the album has been picked up for release by Ronan Chris Murphy’s brand new Veneto West Records; we can appreciate Mr. Murphy’s production as he gave the album an even stronger more international feel compared to the first album, “Opium”.
At the “Porno Bar” a sequence of images, visions and damned nightmares pass before our eyes in an excellent mix of lights and shades. The trio plays a particular mix of hard-prog-psychedelia, a powerful “musical flow” that turns pale the sixties “raptus” of latest Julie’s Haircut, less bizarre of Darxtar, more Western of Giobia. From “Prologue” ‘till “The Ocean” the album is an irresistible immersion in the analog sound, a warmth in contrast with the places chosen for the recordings, a 17th century Villa in the Veneto region. This is a concept album based on the figure of Ceasar, getting away from a fake and untrue society, to find a more human and natural dimension.
“Crimson influences” had passed by, Hypnoise of 2006 “perfumes” of heavy psychedelic, totally free from any coercion, freely flows with a really involving instrumental intensity. For example, in “Sexual Entertainer”, the best moments of the record and the mysterious “Lee Super Dark” (featuring Mr. Murphy). It’s a nearly majestic record, with epic moments in “Like a Free Bird”, a soul-rock track with the charming Cheryl Porter’s voice. Echoes of Henry Rollins, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and also of myths like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin (see God’s Garden). The trio loves to play with contrasts; a Gospel choir and “red-hot guitars” on “Black napkin on tomato soup”, tiny shades and acid-blues explosion on “Upon a golden hill”. “Love in the bathroom” and “My own world” are two examples of updated boogie rock with psychedelic influences, the changeable “The end of reason” has a dark Hendrix mood.
The ending of “The Ocean” is a long “mantra rock”, breathing, evanescent, evocative, a dignified ending of a trip in ourself. Psychedelic epic and even an update of acid rock in “St. Valentine’s key”, a goal made good with cleverness.
