Now, I will admit I am by far one of the worst persons to talk to about psychadelic rock because of an extreme lack of knowledge, but I had no idea what to expect when Restored to One by Sabbath Assembly showed up in my inbox, but now that it is playing, it's hard to express what emotion is driving through me at this moment outside of utter confusion and being absolutely lost. According to the accompanying press release, Restored to One is a "modern response to the musical activities of a cult known as The Process Church of the Final Judgement, who used music to spread their visions of Gnostic reconciliation in a time of cataclysmic change", and is perhaps mostly widely known due to it's link to the Manson family murders. As a result, the music presented on this album takes on the form of the psychadelic rock music that you'd largely have heard in the sixties and seventies, and typically preaches about a unity between God and Satan, as well as other theological ideals. To say the least, these recreated hymns from the The Process Church of the Funal Judgement are very interesting, and sure to take the listener by surprise.
First of all, Restored to One features Jex Thoth, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, and James Jackson Toth, and was produced by William Morris, who has worked with bands like Sun O))). All these individuals manage to create a rather interesting album that could easily transport you back to the days where flower power was the main topic of our parents lives. Many of the songs here are very well done and, thanks to the recording processes used, it greatly sounds like a remastered LP from that day and age with simplistic songs and some talented female vocals that work well and are often layered to show off a bit of a religious choir effect. The best representation of this would be the upbeat "Glory Hallelujah" which really seems to show off the band's musical abilities a little more then the rest of the album, even though the first track "Glory to the Gods in the Highest" really shows off the singer's vocal abilities nicely.
Much of Restored to One has a bit of a voodoo feel to it that makes it stand out from traditional Christian releases, though it's nothing too dramatic. Much of the album does have a hint of this feeling, which really does work well with some of the lyrics to the songs, especially in the more Satan-heavy tracks such as "Judge of Mankind". "Judge of Mankind", however, is really the only track on here that seems to really just go a bit too far and feels rather drawn out in comparison to the rest of the album, reaching just over eight minutes and does become rather repetitive after a while. "In the Time of Abaddon" is probably the most enjoyable track off the release, however, as it's mostly just female vocals singing, which takes up the first half of the album, and slowly builds up to what could only really be described as a sort of ballad for this kind of music.
If you want something interesting to listen to outside of the norm, as well as a very constructive and thought provoking release, by all this I mean something that has strong roots to religion, cultism, as well as apparent ties to one of the most well known and referenced murders, the Manson family murders, or things of this nature, then Restored to one is by far one of the most intriguing pieces of music out there. It's worth it to give it a listen and appreciate it for what it is, though a better understand of Theology would really help you out, as well as better persuade you into purchasing this release. Unless you practice the religion that this is based of, or want to know more about it and The Process Church of the Final Judgement, there's really no need to give this CD a go outside of morbid curiosity, but it's a very rewarding curiosity that may peak your interest into looking into the background of this organization more for it's historical aspects. All in all it's worth checking out, but to outsiders such as myself, to the roots the music is based on, as well as the musical style, there really isn't much to draw you back to this album past the initial listen.
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