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Gumi - Underwater limited edition of 200, 2x180g heavyweight vinyl https://deserttrax.bandcamp.com/album/underwater

"Turns out this thing goes deeper than I imagined!" Does it though? I haven't done one of these for a while so...here goes! Suntrip has been the gold standard for goa trance since 2004 and with this compilation they are merging the very compatible styles of goa trance and forest psytrance. Two projects that should immediately come to mind are Ka-Sol and Battle of the Future Buddhas and they are indeed represented here. First thing to take note of is the very nice cover art. On that front Suntrip rarely disappoints. Deeper Reality opens things up with a rather benign and timid entry that is easily forgettable. Smuds's marriage of their bassline and kick instantly make for a groovy situation, but aside from some juicy sound effects there really isn't much to grapple with. Another long effort without much direction. While the first two tracks barely scratched the goa surface Eating Crow is a more detailed affair. It builds, screams with a very Buddha-esqe lead, and had plenty of bubbling sound effects. The eerie night time forest walk vibe is maintained. While not perfect it's head and shoulders above the first two tracks. Omnium's Omnipresence does a good job of hitting hard with a lot of juicy, and bubbly effects along with some nice goa melodies. Liked it. Proxeeus has been busy lately with compilations, his own albums, and even his own offerings of downtempo and ambient. This track wastes no time hitting the ground running. There's swirling effects, gurgling goa leads, and layers of madness. Another thing in this track's favor is it allows itself to re-emerge with a different focus even though the kick never stops. It's darker and heavier than his usual fare, but it's super good. Xenomorph had THE track of the previous Suntrip compilation Gamma Draconis with Dying Sun, but this is different. It's spooky and dark with lots of sound effects. Decent. Never liked Ka-Sol. Sorry if that offends, but I just never did. Hey I don't like kale or lentils either, but that doesn't make me a bad person. However, Dance of the Locusts is hands down my favorite track by this project. It's intricate layers encapsulate what a dark, Nordic forest would be and just hit me right. That deep groovy bass? I'm telling you. Even though there aren't a lot of surprises it's length makes it more appealing. No goa/forest hybrid would be complete without the Buddhas. This style is what they do. I've always been on the fence with them. Some tracks I've loved and some...I haven't. Pitchbend is a thumping track meant to wear down your defenses until you succumb to their forest wishes. Unfortunately it's rather boring without a lot of evolution, but the difference here is that it goes on for over 9 minutes. Hada made some waves with his Once Upon A Time Release last year which was a sublime mixture of forest and goa trance. Seems like he would fit right in here and it does, sounding spooky and playful at the same time. He does a good job of combining the two genres and while I preferred his album this was a decent track. Flashbacks is a storming and eerie industrial sounding goa trance track! DId he use the well known sound by Prodigy in FIrestarter? Bravo! This sounds like something Tim Schuldt or Syb Unity Nettwerk would have dreamed. Bottom line? Perhaps the mixing of the two genres isn't as easy or compatible as I thought. This is a decent compilation with mixed results. The good tracks are really good, but the weaker ones all follow the same pattern. Too long without any direction. I think combining these genres can be explosive and descriptive when done well. Suntrip did a decent job putting this together, but I have to believe there are better tracks out there that can take this genre mix to higher levels. P.S. I just read the review above mine and it's amazing how points of view can differ. And I love it.