Magna Carta

A 25th anniversary celebration of their hard work in music, Sunrise Festival is a packaged CD/DVD combo of British underground dance-psych legends Ozric Tentacles recorded live at the Sunrise Festival in 2007. Ahead of its time in sound mixing, the band’s set features songs from the band’s old school projects, ranging from 1986’s There Is Nothing through 1993’s Jurassic Shift.

The Ozrics' decision to get back to their basics on Sunrise Festival characterizes the charismatic chemistry this band possess when playing. Like any other tranced-out jamband, the Ozric Tentacles have a way of mixing hard rock, psychedelic space synth and thrusting bass lines that produce a vibrating sensation to the ears. While trying to listen intently to the bass, the hair-band rock guitar is jamming out, and before one realizes it, she's on a spaceship to the end of the universe. They are musically tight knit, the precision of the live performances being studio worthy.

“Jurrasic Shift,” the 13 minute experience originally from the 1993 album of the same name, is a tonal journey filled with soft Middle-eastern melodic rhythms, never-ending classic 80s guitar riffs, and a repetitive, reverberating bassline. “White Rhino Tea,” off 1988's Sliding Gliding Worlds is a spiritual adventure full of space synth, multiple tempos and hard guitar. “Blimey,” “Snakepit” and “Vita Voom” are all classics making an appearance in their live set, among others. The extra song addition in the DVD is “The Throbbe,” a psy-bient jam that can help any insomniac go to sleep and stay asleep.

Sunrise Festival is a true testament to the Ozrics' long-standing reputation, having sold over millions of albums without ever being part of a major label. With performances as clear and concise as their set at the Sunrise Festival, their years of accolades are well-deserved.