Cosmosis – Cosmology

Legendary. According to Bill this was created with like 5 pieces of equipment tops, including the Atari. The acid leads and basses came from a Bass Station, more or less an alternative to a TB-303, OSCar, or SH-101. It has a unique sound of its own even though it doesn't have the innate color of those instruments, and Cosmosis completely owns it on their 95/96 material. Limitation many times breeds great creativity I guess, and that's what we have here. Using such a limited toolkit (of arguably "budget" instruments), every lyric from the Bass Station had to truly say something, the sequencing of all layers had to be perfect, the mixing had to sound good. And they succeeded. This is the reason why the vast majority of people seems to agree no other Cosmosis album after this period even comes close to this album.

I am typically very judgmental when it comes to vocal samples in goa and psy, 95% of the time they add nothing or take away from the music, but this is in the 5% where they actually add something. The spoken samples here resonate with my personal delusions and cognitive dissonance. They're all used in the appropriate places and tie into each other track-in, track-out. It's really challenging stuff, honestly, whether they put a lot of thought into how these samples line up with each other or not, I'm not sure. This is more or less a compilation of 12" tracks, but works so well as an album and sounds really consistent. On a decently resolving system, you will hear some subtle recording differences between the tracks, like the kick on Gift Of The Gods has more room-space and 'verb than the rest, but it's minute and I think this variety helps more than anything.

It's hard to pick favorites but I think I have two of them. I feel compelled to join the Gift Of The Gods bandwagon, it's just that good. I wrote on the discogs single page about how well I think the root note change works, and then using it as a setup to that secondary Bass Station line when it returns to the original root... is fucking insane. And then the other is Key To The Innerverse, holy shit dude. It's important to note that while each of these tracks is a mythical piece by itself, they all set up the next, so by the time I get to these last two tracks I am primed up for a legit OOBE or something. There is also an outro which incorporates many musical elements and samples from the rest of the album, which I would generally think is gimmicky but it's done so well it's probably the best conclusion this album could have possibly had. I think this outro excels because of how conceptually integrated the 8 main tracks are.

This album is some epic shit made only of simple, incisive musical ideas that lyrically speak to my soul. This next bit might be irrelevant to you but I'll include it anyway: Generally I love when a real-life atmospheres and music enhance each other, but I also love when different forms of media enhance each other. This album thematically ties in with favorite anime of mine like The Soultaker and Martian Successor Nadesico and many others, works where the characters are constantly challenged with themes of trust/mistrust, what is reality, alien/occult influence, conspiracy, inner strength and destiny, and so forth. This has it all, and better enables me to more deeply understand those shows, and vice-versa.

For me, a goa top fiver, at least.

gift of the gods instantly transports me to the uv drenched market stalls upstairs at the fridge, and then a hundred sweaty ecstatic dancefloors and comfy house parties. perfection.

Good job none of the other cosmosis albums tried to follow on from this, therefore just becoming variations on a theme. Sounds inspired even 25 years later. Surely in the pantheon of the top 3 Goa albums of all time

An almost perfect goa trance release that hits all the sweet spots.

This is how it is done. So crisp. To add something not already stated, the overall feeling from the quality of these tracks is so good, I think cosmosis could have turned water into wine during the period these tracks were created.

-SixZeroFour

It is one of the Top 10 albums in the history of Goa trance music.

It may not be fair to review this album 20 years later, but I'll do it anyway :)
In retrospective, this album had to happen to pave the way for what was later to come in the Psytrance scene. It made the bridge from Acid Trance to Goa Trance in a pioneering way.
Having said that, listening to it today I don't feel that it held very well with time. The rhythm is seriously underplayed, with the kick, bass and cymbals going unnoticed throughout most of the album. The melodies are great but their structure follows a similar pattern for each track. You'll hear ripping 303s every time, which is later joined by an alien/spacey melody towards the climax at the end. I can't say that a single track really captured and held me throughout the journey.
All I can say is - not my cup of tea :) However, his next album (Synergy) I think has MUCH more depth and gets a definite 5/5 from me.

Gift of the gods is the best track on the album but I also like alien disco, morphic resonance !

This album is legendary. At first listen, Cosmology jumps right into your mind and grows in there like a magic bean. This whole album is a unique song, like every track is telling a different part of the Cosmology story, but each one of them has it's own character.
Honestly, this album presents classic Goa Trance at its best from the beginning to the end. It is so well written and produced that all you have to do is enjoying this masterpiece. Melodies and heaven sounds are not the only parts to consider. Cosmology has something in each part that triggers emotion and mind.
Best tracks are Cannabanoid, San Yacid, Alien Disco and Afterglow. 5/5.

i got the honor of have this masterpiece in vinyl and cd!!! the both has a wonderful sound for that time.
i need to say that this albums is one of my favorite álbums of the all times, all the tunes are made with soul and contain the truly spirit of goa music,,
for me this álbum has the third place in my top 3 of the best goa albums of all times, only surpassed by Lsd-hallucinogen & trust in trance-astral projection, this Trinity has changed my life and help me to by more pacific and get a better understanding of the universe,
P.L.U.R MY FIENDS & TRANCE 4 LIFEEE