Ozric Tentacles - Become the Other (2020 Ed Wynne Remaster) (2020)

On the followup to Arborescence, stalwarts Joie Hinton and Merv Pepler fly the coop to go play hard techno in Eat Static, replaced here by synth player Christopher "Seaweed" Lenox-Smith and barely-out-of-his-teens percussive whirlwind Conrad "Rads" Prince. You wouldn't know it as Become The Other doesn't alter the attack much at all, yet seethes and simmers with energy and some of mastermind and lead guitarist/synthist Ed Wynne's most potent guitar work. Purists may argue, but this might be the strongest Ozric Tentacles lineup ever put to tape. Ensconced lovingly in longtime artistic foil Blim's colorful LSD geometries, its a welcome return to the more shred-dominated, edgy vibe on Jurassic Shift, that felt a bit watered down on the prior LP.

Classic, driving opener "Cat DNA" brings a swirling, driving energy not unlike "Velmwend" from the band's very first cassette release. Jungle soundscape "Abu Belathi" melds into the staccato synths of "Ghenenghi" both of which suggest an Erpland kind of vibe, especially the mixture of hand percussives, staccato synth and deft acoustic guitar. But there are new tricks peppered here and there, notably Zia's wicked, slithering bass work on the intense "Neurochasm." Through the trancey "Wob Glass" the traveler arrives to the title track, something of a ballad which shows meister Wynne decorating the drift with solos of eloquence, restraint and taste. "Vibuithi" again takes a hint from Erpland, rolling through intricate middle-eastern-influenced acoustic work, building up with sinister intent until it takes a hard left into possibly one of the most jaw-dropping delay-drenched surf guitar solos Ed's ever put to tape, the kind of solo that simply explodes heads at 50 yards. More gentle dub track "Plurnstyle" brings the proceeding to a close with another healthy dose of Zia's fine bass playing and Ed's dancey acoustic guitar.

While this reviewer's opinion is that this is a much stronger album than Arborescence, the Ozrics didn't enjoy as much success with this one, being hard to find in the states initially and presaging the move from longtime label Dovetail. Arguably that the scene that spawned them, and maybe even the sound of the band itself (not substantially altered across their entire career) had run its course with the record-buying UK public, as the string improbable chart successes they had in the UK dried up here. That said, no self-respecting fan of this band should be without this album. Even if you are just dipping your toe in, and especially any axe slingers looking to see what the fuss is about over Wynne, this might be all you will ever need.