Just last night when I was browsing Reddit, I came across a post of a live recording of Embryo. After looking into the band a bit, I knew they were a group that I wanted to listen to. Embryo is German jazz-rock band hat was founded in 1969, and the group is still active to this day. This album, Opal (1970), is the group’s debut album, which is apparently their most krautrock album based on a review of the album on ProgArchives.com. The Discogs listing for the album is for jazz-rock, psychedelic rock, and prog rock, which, in combination with the krautrock review of the album, has me pretty stoked to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Opal” gets started right away with some distorted, bass-heavy guitar work, and a dynamic beat that immediately gives me the impression of a prog rock sound from the early 1970s and even late 1960s. Oh wow, the bass line is super dynamic in the track. The vocals have a really interested bass-less tone that sort of adds a layer of mystique to the sound. I really dig what sound to be some organs in the background of the track as well. The band gets into a super groovy jam that gets me on the edge of my seat. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “You Don’t Know What’s Happening” starts out with some very tentative sounds from the guitars and jangling percussion, as though they’re slowly building up to something. Oh wow, the instrumentation is super interesting, and almost walks the line between krautrock and raga with the bongos in the drums and the droning bass tones. Holy smokes, the vocals get grooving alongside the lead guitar with a quality reminiscent of the hard rock styles of Led Zeppelin. Oh wow, this jam is super groovy. The conglomeration of instruments has the sort of droning psychedelic quality that reminds me of raga, while the bass guitar and droning bass tones are what I typically associate with krautrock from groups like Faust. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. For a moment I was also reminded a bit of the darker psychedelic rock stylings of The Doors circa 1967. Wow, great track.
“Revolution” gets grooving right away with a tight bass line and a quick beat that immediately start building up tension, and soon the electric guitar comes with some super sweet licks that seem to attempt to alleviate some of the tension. Holy smokes, a super smooth saxophone has come into the soundscape, and is followed shortly by some really groovy sounding bongos. Wow, I’m really digging this track. Oh wow, the jams build up and break through to a movement where the instrumentation seems to both let loose while continually building tension in a style very reminiscent of jazz, insofar as I’m vaguely reminded of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew (1970). Oh wow, another section is comprised mostly of bongos and drums, while the saxophone seems to relax a bit with the notes it adds to the soundscape. Holy smokes, the electric guitar and bass guitar seem to let loose after the saxophone exits, just as the song begins to fade away. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Glockenspiel” has a really jazzy and dynamic bass line and a jazzy, dynamic swing in the drums, while the saxophone seems to wander out into psychedelic territory. Holy smokes, the electric guitar and bass guitar seem to be gradually building up more and more tension that the saxophone attempts to deal with. The overall sound of this track seems to walk the line between krautrock and jazz, which is something I don’t think I’d previously thought of until hearing this album. Oh wow, the track mellows out a little bit as the playing seems to have wandered out into space. I’m reminded a lot of the psychedelic rock/psychedelic jazz rock stylings of Mythic Sunship, which is a modern psychedelic exploratory group from Denmark. Wow, great track.
“Got No Time” begins with some sort of interesting, psychedelic, inviting drones alongside some light tapping of what sound to be the frame of a drum kit. The bass guitar and the saxophone add some gentle accentuations to the track, as the soundscape sounds like you’re on a slow climb up to the very top of a roller coaster hill. Great track.
“Call” begins with a strong combination of groovy sounds from the sax, and electric guitar, and the bass guitar adds some accentuations to the smooth melody while the drums keep a dynamic and sturdy beat on the opposite side of the soundscape. Oh wow, the first movement of the electric guitar has a sound that reminds me of more distorted auto-harp from the psychedelic rock band Cold Sun, while the second movement has a pleasant sweetness to the melody that’s more in the style of a typical lead guitar in hard rock from the early 1970s. I really dig the accentuations from the saxophone and the dynamic bass line in this one. Great track.
“End of Soul” has a really groovy feel coming off of the heels of the previous track, as the melody sounds quite similar but a bit discordant at first. Oh wow, the track gets into a super smooth, somewhat jazz-inflected movement that reminds me a bit of psychedelic rock circa 1967, while vocals come in to narrate the song for a moment. Holy smokes, the guitar in this track has such a cool, mellow, and groovy feel that kind of reminds me of Robby Krieger of The Doors. Oh wow, the drums have a really sweet beat with tons of energy that reminds me of hard and prog rock groups from the early 1970s. Oh wow, the instrumentation mellows out and the narration comes back in, which kind of remind me of the Eric Burdon & The Animals album that I listened to a while ago, Winds Of Change (1967). Oh wow, the track really winds up some tension as the track comes to an end. Great tune.
Oh wow, “People from out the Space” starts out with a medley of spacey effects that remind me a bit of the spacey experimental sounds of Gong, as well as the krautrock stylings of Faust. Holy smokes, a big bass line comes into the track, and is shortly followed by some deep saxophone and a driven, dynamic beat, which set a very heavy and exploratory tone for the track. Oh wow, the bass-heavy electric guitar combined with the big bass line have a sort of crunchy sound for a moment as they play on top of one another. Oh wow, the electric guitar has turned into more of a melodic style with licks reminiscent of prog rock groups from the early 1970s. Oh wow, the saxophone comes back for a moment and introduces some super sweet spacey sound effects. Holy smokes, as the sound effects end, the saxophone seems to resolve to a super sweet, jazz-inflected the seems to begin to direct the rest of the instruments in the jam. I’m really digging this track so far. Oh wow, the instrumentation kind of mellows down a bit as the bass guitar seems to wander into darker territory as the tune nears its end. Some really interesting spacey effects are added as the band seems to come together and seemingly land the track. Wow, great exploratory jam and a great way to end the album.
Holy smokes, I’m glad I checked out this album tonight. I was reminded a fair deal of psychedelic prog rock groups like Pussy or Family, the krautrock stylings of Faust, the psychedelic jazz rock/exploratory stylings of Mythic Sunship, and even the darker psychedelic rock sounds from late-1960s bands such as Cold Sun or even The Doors. The genre descriptions from both Prog Archives and Discogs seemed pretty accurate for this one. If you’re into psychedelic prog rock, krautrock, or even exploratory psychedelic rock and jazz rock, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A