4 out of 5 Stars!

Belgium’s Hypnos 69 released five studio albums between 2002 and 2010, with Legacy being the last. As on all the band’s albums, the music here is a bit Progressive, a bit Psychedelic, a bit Jazzy, a bit Spacey, a bit Stoner, and a whole lot “Retro” mayhem.

Generally speaking, Hypnos 69 is a ton of fun, with the musicians using both modern production techniques and classic instruments (including Mellotron, flutes and saxes, etc.) to create material in the style of ’70s-era Prog-Rock, most notably groups such as Van Der Graaf Generator, Focus, Nektar, Barclay James Harvest, and early King Crimson, with even a touch of Yes, Eloy, and Zappa mixed in.

The album also includes a nice balance of shorter tracks in the five to seven minute range, as well as a handful of epics, two of them clocking in at around eighteen minutes.

Anyway, fans of other modern-day groups that share a similar “Retro” approach such as Presto Ballet, Bigelf, D’Accord, and Black Bonzo will certainly appreciate Hypnos 69, and since discovering this excellent group, I’ve been reveling in the richness of its back catalogue. Now I’m praying that, since it’s been seven years since the release of this album, the band is actually still together and planning to create more enjoyable material.

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