Jade Warrior-Released (1971)

Jade Warrior is one of the quintessential cult bands, and is considered one of the most original musical acts in the history of rock music. They imbued their style with a masterful blend of ethnic sounds, jazz, psychedelia, folk, rock, and avant-garde elements. A previous post recounts the biography of this unique band, so we won't delve too deeply into their history and will instead focus on their second album, released in 1971. This album represented a dramatic shift from their self-titled debut, released that same year. In that first release, the sound was centered on elements of jazz-rock fused with African music, resulting in an experimental and avant-garde album. However, this second work is characterized by powerful and driving tracks, very close to hard rock, such as the opening track, "Three-Horned Dragon Kill", with a sound reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, but retaining the distinctive African percussion so characteristic of Jade Warrior. The playful “Eyes On You”, with its infectious rhythm, gives way to the band's more typical sound with the relaxed and atmospheric “Bride Of Summer” and “Water Curtain Cave”, which lead into the lysergic and powerful “Minnamoto’s Dream”, featuring razor-sharp guitars in the purest Jimi Hendrix style. Meanwhile, the rock and roll “(We Have) Reason To Believe” contrasts with the epic “Barazinbar”, which gradually unfolds amidst tribal percussion and flute sounds, culminating in the bucolic and acoustic “Yellow Eyes”. This album received a lukewarm reception from fans, surprised by this radical change, which is why the band would return to their unmistakable style in subsequent releases, much to the delight of their most loyal and devoted progressive rock followers.