Om - "God is good"
There are a few bass and drums outfits kicking around. Most tend to be either on the spastic, sensory-overload end of the spectrum or tarpit-slow sludge. Om naturally tends toward the latter as a descendant of the mighty Sleep (bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros is the common link), who boiled down Sabbath-inspired riff rock to its absurd conclusion. While these primitive tendencies are still present, Om’s palette is richer. If Sleep was a bearskin rug, Om is a prayer mat.
With the recent addition of rhythmically nimble Emil Amos (who also plays with the world-psych outfit Grails), Om appears to be venturing somewhat beyond the zen-simple approach of earlier recordings: Variations on a Theme, Pilgrimage and A Conference of the Birds. Amos replaces the gloriously heavy-handed Sleep alum Chris Hakius. This was cause for considerable skepticism about the future of the band by those who would prefer that Om stick to the proven formula of hypnotic mighty riffs and pretty much fill-free metronomic rhythms.
The first track, the 19-minute "Thebes", starts out restrained with adornments from decidedly non-rock instruments (perhaps Amos borrowed them from Grails’ rehearsal space). When the bass begins to snarl well into the track we get a taste of "classic" Om, a monolithic riff and powerful hypnotic drumming along with Cisneros’ chant-like vocals that sound like a morning call to prayer by a hypnotized golem. The vocals may be an obstacle for some, but I’m not really sure that anything else, short of enlisting an actual robed cleric or Daniel Higgs, would work for this.
The second track, "Meditation is the Practice of Death", is indeed a meditative head nodder with jazzy drum fills, flute and an echoplex mini freak-out, as well as an uncharacteristically catchy variation in the riff. The final diptych, "Cremation Ghat I & II", is where Om ventures deeper into new territory. "Cremation Ghat I" starts with rapid-fire rimshots and a downright busy, up-tempo bass line, the track doesn’t vary much from this formula, but it’s quite satisfying and serves to break up the overall tempo of the album like a brief stop at a hectic oasis market during a long desert journey. "Cremation Ghat II" slows things back down and resumes the drone.
Lyrically, with a name like Om, you have to expect spiritual themes and incense-shrouded weirdness, and God is Good delivers in the form of invocations of pilgrims in strange lands such as Thebes’ "Damascus road traveler." The overall effect of God is Good is very much that of traversing a vast foreign landscape on the road to find some sort of enlightenment. This is great listening for those times when you need a mental vacation from modern Western society.
