Khazad Doom —Level 6, 1-2- Encore! 1968-78 (USA, Progressive Rock)

Khazad Doom —Level 6, 1-2- Encore! 1968-78 (USA, Progressive Rock)

The band, originally called "The Laymen," formed in Morton Grove, Illinois. The musicians took the name "Khazad Doom" from the mountain in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Their debut album, "Level 6 1/2," was released in 1970 in a limited edition of 180 copies. Much later, a disc called "Encore!" was released, which, in addition to the songs from the debut, included eight bonus tracks (including two themes written by the musicians under the name "The Laymen" in 1968, and five tracks recorded in 1971). The band disbanded in March 1972.

Rather mellow and melodramatic US psych with lots of organ. Has an endearingly naive quality to it, but something about it sounds a little.. I hate to say "immature", because the immaturity element is an important part of that whole psychedelic thing (ie : and what we often refer to as "1960's innocence"..). Maybe it's those earnest male vocals, which I'm not too fond of.. or maybe it's the sound of that reissue on Void, which sounds almost surreally clear (probably too much so, as I suspect they considerably cleaned up the sound for that reish..).
It's weird, as I'm usually a "good customer" for that sort of thing, and not hard to please, but this left me a bit cold, save for the odd gripping moment..Esotericlibrary Dec 21 2023

Level 6 1/2 was originally a very limited private pressing which was limited to 200 (or less) copies. It's one of the rarest albums when it comes to US psychedelia and some original copies have been sold for over 1500 euros price. There is a vinyl reissue by Void records so there is a bit cheaper option available as well.

The style of this album is very organ driven and I gotta say that I enjoy it pretty much. The band mixes the elements of psychedelic rock and early progressive rock and the quality of the material is quite solid from the start to the finish. "Narcissus" might be my personal favourite but the other songs are all more or less good as well. As a totality this nice record gets 3,5 stars from me which means it does it's job well.CooperBolan May 04 2018

Tracks:

As "The Laymen" (1968):


01. Cherry Town - 0:00

02. Love Which We Share Among Us – 3:12


"Level 6 1/2" (1970 LP):


The Hunters - including (03-05):


03. The Prelude - 5:26

04. In The Den - 17:46

05. The Golden Yellow Meadow - 22:20

06. Narcissus - 29:18


07. In This World - 34:25

08. Nothing To Fear - 37:09

09. Excerpt From Uncle Gillroy's Crazy Son - 39:55


"Khazad Doom" (Unreleased Album, 1972):


10. Stanley's Visit To Kerkle Morrf - 42:55

11. Can't Find Love Alone - 55:23

12. Dirt - 58:15

13. Paper Bus - 1:00:07

14. Frozen Faces - 1:04:11


After "Khazad Doom" (1978):


15. Come With Me - 1:07:52



Personnel:

Jack Eadon – lead vocals, lead guitar, percussion, producer (01-14)
Steve "Al" Yates - lead vocals, organ, piano, producer (08, 15)
Tom Sievers - bass, backing vocals
Steve "Crow" Hilkin - drums, percussion