Californian rockers The Gama Sennin call themselves a "21st century psychedelic rock collective". It is a side project for seasoned veterans who have been having the back of established acts for longer and been members of a longer list of cult bands than they care to remember. Fronted by Kevin McGuire they barrel through ten songs on their self-titled debut album, freed from the constraints of playing other people's music. Most of the material falls into the progressive rock niche, with some forays into slower genres like stoner and desert rock, plus cherrypicking bits and pieces from the worlds of jazz and avant-garde. The overall sound is unmistakenly West Coast - plenty of time for stretching the notes and such.
Following the classic theatrical three-act structure (Setup, the Confrontation, and the Resolution) the songs on their album tell the tale of a man descending into darkness and madness, confronting his issues and coming up on top at the end. They cite Brian de Palma's cult movie Phantom of the Paradise and Friedrich Nietzsche's acclaimed book Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future as major influences. And while those two works might seem miles apart at first sight, they both explore the idea of an evil force that is out to get control. It could be the devil offering a short cut that goes South or it could be depression, for those who are caught in the fray it can be very bad news indeed. While the back story will be way over the head of most people, it will add to the enjoyment of the listening experience for those who will take the time and effort to study the lyrics more closely.
