Secret Chiefs 3 - Book of Horizons (2004)

Book of Horizons is the first release in an elaborate trilogy and meta-composition by Secret Chiefs 3. It's huger than anything the band has ever done: beyond psychedelia, beyond experimentalism, and beyond classification. The Secret Chiefs 3 enhance their usual multiple personalities and divide into seven individual and distinct bands, enabling the overall musical content to be distilled into pure vessels. One band incorporates multi-ethnic instrumentation and seasoned, soulful playing (by Eyvind Kang and Shahzad Ismaily), while the rocking, supra-sensory surf band (with full orchestra) bloodies up the waters. John Merriman (Cephalic Carnage) and Unhuman keep the ultra-death metal grind band well within the pummel zone of utter mayhem. This CD includes hordes of musicians and instrumentation - real, not sampled - including saz, rabab, mridangam, dhol, esraj, sarangi, orchestral percussion, male and female choir, violin, viola, cello and contrabass, harp, bowed saw, santur, ghatam, clavinet, organs, electro-acoustic treatments, guitar, bass, drums, and tons and tons more.