The Shamen have gone through many incarnations since their start in the mid-'80s, progressing from moody, Echo and the Bunnymen-style post-punks to acid house pioneers. But it's been a long time since their groundbreakin... more »g 1989 hit, "Move Any Mountain," and their last album, Boss Drum, was notable only for a guest appearance by Terence McKenna, the Timothy Leary of the '90s. Axis Mutatis is run-of-the-mill techno with no such diversions, though guest vocalist Victoria Wilson James tries hard to inject a little life into the single, "Destination Eschaton." --Jim DeRogatis« less
The Shamen have gone through many incarnations since their start in the mid-'80s, progressing from moody, Echo and the Bunnymen-style post-punks to acid house pioneers. But it's been a long time since their groundbreaking 1989 hit, "Move Any Mountain," and their last album, Boss Drum, was notable only for a guest appearance by Terence McKenna, the Timothy Leary of the '90s. Axis Mutatis is run-of-the-mill techno with no such diversions, though guest vocalist Victoria Wilson James tries hard to inject a little life into the single, "Destination Eschaton." --Jim DeRogatis
C. Walton | Snowflake, AZ United States | 10/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Its very strange but the words written by the previous reviewer could have been my own - they perfectly explain how I have always felt about this album.
I started listening to The Shamen shortly after the release of "Entact" and while I feel that all of their albums are jems within the musical landscape Axis Mutatis is in my mind their most powerful and complete musical expression.
Axis Mutatis takes me to mental places that I can't really describe in words. If I tried to describe them I would probably use words like powerful, magical, transcendental, organic, timeless, and mystical. But that's just the thing, one can't really describe such experiences with words - deep mental spaces like the ones opened up by this music seem to lie outside of time, space, and codified language and must be experienced directly.
Those of you with open minds please find this album and listen to it without preconception. I think you will like what you find."
The Shaman's Logos
C. Walton | 03/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is that invisible line between what can be understood and what sounds like neural noise. The level of consciousness determines that. This I believe, is a new musical codice, a new interface to the divine."
Long Live The Dead King
C. Walton | 12/31/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With what appears to be the demise of what I believe to one of the most important musical markers for our civilization... one of the most under rated and under played artistic combos our world has ever seen... They leave a legacy of amazing recordings to be studied and enjoyed for generations. I strongly recommend the music of the Shamen for its enlightening qualities and entrancing rythms. Every album is like a small vacation from the present."
The best Shamen Album
C. Walton | 04/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album has the ability to transform your consciousness if you the ability to hear it for what it is. It's not going to open up to you on the level of most of their other work. It's deeply mysterious, mathematicall organic, gaiian, timeless, and far-reaching. I can't listen to this album without being reminded of deep connections between the seen and unseen world, time and space. Life in this moment."
It's not En-tact, but it's not bad.
Stochastic | New York, NY | 09/21/1998
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The Shamen perhaps doomed themselves with the initial success of En-tact and "Move Any Mountain." Axis Mutatis has its own flavor, though...where En-tact was uplifting and Boss Drum was quirky, Axis Mutatis is content. "MK2A" is an unforgettable track, "Destination Eschaton" and other tracks are pretty standard Shamen fare, along with the usual sampling of experimental stuff. If you're a Shamen fan, it's worth getting; if not...En-tact is probably worth a look first."