Arcadium

This obscure psychedelic band issued one rare album, Breathe Awhile, in 1969 that's very much in the downer-heavy school of the genre. The group's dominant figure was its songwriter and lead singer, 12-string guitarist Miguel Sergides. The ominous, loud, cathedral-like organ; distorted guitar; and anguished vocals took influences from the likes of the Doors, Iron Butterfly, and Vanilla Fudge, while some San Francisco psychedelia could be heard in the bittersweet harmonies. The band wasn't as distinctive as its points of comparison, though, and the mood of sad torture wasn't varied much, melodically or lyrically, over the course of the record. It was reissued on CD by Akarma in 2003. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi