Thoughts

Between their first album, Revelation, and this follow-up, most of Virus split to form the band Weed. Thoughts, recorded only six months after the debut, shows a radically different group with only two original members. The tracks are much shorter and song-oriented, as the group trades in space rock for a more conventional blues-rock sound. There is still some nice work here, some great psychedelic guitar and keyboard workouts, especially on the dark track "King Heroin," which opens the disc. "Mankind, Where Do You Go?" is even better, as the cut sports a jazz-funk riff and gloomy chorus vocals. Elga Blask sings on much of the rest of the album in an unfeminine voice quite similar to Inga Rumpf's, though not quite as powerful. Instrumentally the group sticks close to the sound of Frumpy, Rumpf's band in the early '70s who featured similar psychedelic guitar and organ work. Unfortunately, there are none of the long, wild jam-outs of Frumpy's best material, though "My Strand-Eyed Girl" has some interesting percussions. Most of this record is quite good, it's just that Virus' debut raised the bar too high and this record pales in comparison. — Rolf Semprebon.