Review by Adam M on October 3, 2019.

This was a very strange listen.  Psychotropic Transcendental yields progressive music, but almost has a trance like vibe that would apply it to the likes of stoner music and other genres.  The songs twist and wind through a number of different changes and remain compelling for the most part.  Though the album does drag at times, the progressive music also has its advantages.  For one, it is unique music that has no similarities to any bands in particular.  Sure, they might be experimental like Arcturus, but they share very little in the overall sound to them. 

The music is strangely structured and features odd tempos and time changes.  This music is still powerful enough to make an impact regardless and does its best to be as dynamic as possible.  It’s really hard to describe music that has this amount of progressiveness added in.  Now, for the negatives.  The songs don’t really raise your eyebrows at any particular point and just seem to cruise along at a moderate pace without anything particularly interesting happening.  For a progressive release, one would expect it to catch your attention with all of the different shifts and turns, but it remains a pretty enigmatic work that has a hard time envelopping you into the overall mix.  Some of the tracks like Lavor ni termaned were easier to become attached to than others with their experimental, yet accessible style.  The music is also bolstered by fairly interesting percussion.  It’s just too bad it couldn’t pull me in more than it did. 

Fans of experimental music will find the most to like here, but it’s a hard one to pin down.  I had a mixed reaction to the album, but it is certainly solid enough for a progressive listen or two. If you don’t go in with high expecations you may be surprised at what you find.  This was certainly a unique listen, though it could have been improved immensly.

Rating: 6.8 out of 10