Keepers Brew is the brainchild of former Ozric Tentacles bassist Greyum May, who appeared with that band for a short spell around 2004.
Indeed, that information is probably all you’ll be able to find about this obscure act’s debut and, ironically, all you’ll ever need to know. With the Ozrics still making music that sounds almost identical to what they were churning out in the early 90s, Keepers Brew have for the most part also replicated that sound. In fairness, for a debut album, it’s been lovingly recorded and produced, and there are moments of originality. Subduction starts with an engaging bass riff that leads into an atmospheric raft of keyboards. Admittedly, its spoken sections detailing UFOs and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind-esque keyboard licks are entirely foreseeable, but at least it’s well-intentioned. Kreeper Keeper and The Marsh Chapel Experience have a seductive, Stonehenge Free Festival vibe, and the all-too-brief Amaranthine is compelling. However, the LSD trip narrative is overused and harks back to Porcupine Tree’s Voyage 34. Yet if you’re one of the many who’ve remained faithful to the Ozrics’ approach, you’ll find much to enjoy on the Brew’s debut.
