ALBUM REVIEW: Forming The Void, "Rift"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/08/2018

Label: Kozmik Artifactz

Forming The Void channel the best of Monster Magnet through a heavy psychedelic doom filter, alternating between massive riffs and passages of cosmic grandeur

“Rift” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Extinction Event

2). On We Sail

3). Arcane Mystic

4). Transient

5). Arrival

6). Ark Debris

7). Shrine

The Review:

It’s hard not to get excited by an album cover that depicts a woolly mammoth jumping over a mountain in space. Fortunately the contents of Forming The Void’snew LP “Rift” deliver on these weighty cosmic expectations.

The Louisiana quartet waste no time getting down to business with the crushing groove of “Extinction Event’. The track channels the best of Monster Magnet through a heavy psychedelic doom filter, alternating between massive riffs and passages of cosmic grandeur.  This is a trick Forming The Void hone to perfection over the course of “Rift”. The middle section of the album finds the band recreating the thunderous majesty of self-titled LP era Torche, particularly the monstrous opening to “Arrival” and the smouldering sky-kissing solo that rounds off “Transient”.

“Ark Debris” and “Shrine” provide a powerful end to the album with Forming The Void at their slowest and most hypnotic. The former is a particularly absorbing slow-motion voyage into the beyond with huge, lush layers of sound giving way to bursts of triumphant doom. These tracks particularly highlight the importance the production plays in the success of this record. Chris Munson’s recording has captured the interstellar scale of these compositions with the smoothness of a classic rock or prog album but with more than enough dirt that no-one forgets this is a doom album at heart. 

“Rift” is a strong collection from Forming The Void. These massive tracks sound like they could take the band to a wider audience while maintaining enough low end crunch to satisfy underground riff aficionados.

“Rift” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Bong, "Thought and Existence"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 02/05/2018

Label: Ritual Productions

This is IMAX for the ears - rolling sound-waves as far as the third-eye can see - never boring, never repetitive, an ever evolving  journey through a riffed rift in time and space

“"Thought and Existence" CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). The Golden Fields

2). "Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius"

The Review:

"Thought and Existence" is something like the forty-fourth release from Newcastle's Bong and is officially their eighth full length studio record, which isn't bad going for a band that's been around for thirteen years. Trippy, heavy, hypnotic, psychedelic, euphoric, spacey, massive, awe inspiring, mythic... all good words which could be, and have been, used to describe Bong’s previous output (most recently 2015's epic "We Are, We Were, and We Will Have Been"), and all of which work equally well for this latest offering. I will probably use most of them again below.

"Thought and Existence" is thirty-six and a half minutes long and consists of two tracks: 

"The Golden Fields"opens with spacey gong-bath ambience and one of vocalist/bassist Dave Terry's spoken, sermon-like, poetic intros. Mike Vest's guitar drones swell, and swell, and swell and then Mike Smith's massive drums kick in. This is IMAX for the ears - rolling sound-waves as far as the third-eye can see - never boring, never repetitive, an ever evolving  journey through a riffed rift in time and space.  Smith's drums on "Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius" let us know that this is more of an overtly psych chapter; a second, more mesmerised, movement. Changes are subtle and unhurried, yet deeply effecting. Looping layers of drone which gradually grow in size and potency until your brain and body are vibrating at exactly the same fizzy-boned frequency. 

Bong are a band who can make a cover of Pink Floyd's "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" last half an hour and still be something that is an absolute pleasure to hear. 

"Thought and Existence" is a journey through sound, a genuine trip into and through the other-world the band conjures so expertly and effortlessly. Caution: Do Not Operate Heavy Machinery While Listening to Bong. Listening to "Thought and Existence" May Cause Out of Body Experience. Keep Out of Reach of Children.

“Thought and Existence”is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Morag Tong, “Last Knell of Om”

By: Reverend Dixie Pole

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/05/2018

Label: Independent

In a year choc full of essential releases, Morag Tong have solidified their place with a Top 10 album contender

“Last Knell of Om” CD//DD//LP track listing:-

1). Transmission

2). New Growth

3). We Answer

4). To Soil

5). Ruminations

6). Ephemera / Stare Through the Deep

The Review:

In a world full of ever expanding realms of stoner and doom, it can be somewhat easy to get lost in the mire of it all. Thus, it is a comfort to know that a band such as Morag Tongexist. Ironically, when I first became somewhat smitten with Morag Tongssound from the stupidly overlooked “Through Clouded Time” EP of 2016, they lived up to their name (see video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind) acting as a secret entity operating from the shadows, however it has become harder and harder over time for people to ignore the existence and ever looming presence of this band as they have continued to leave punters in awe at the sheer power embroiled within their sound.

The procession of “Last Knell of Om”begins with “Transmission”, an instrumental instantly showcasing a rich and beautifully warm bass tone (courtesy of bassist James Atha), acting as a gentle welcoming to the listeners ears. This allows the drums to enter with ease all the meanwhile the guitars are bleeding in to create a landscape making tasteful use of swirls in fuzz. A song where many would falter for not knowing how to land it, Morag Tongtouch down gracefully without over egging the pudding as it were.

With following track entitled “New Growth”, we are introduced fairly early on to the vocals from drummer Adam Asquith, a bellowing (and one of the better voices I have heard in a long time for this genre) call to the skies above, juxtaposed against a dark heavy and simplistic riff -all timed to perfection for the ultimate (bong) hit. The song builds and builds, drawing the listener back to the well balanced, interesting bass guitar riffing, drawing ever closer to the final riff and man oh man is it a riff worth waiting for. In fact if anything, I would love to have heard that riff far longer with some more lead work but it’s solid nonetheless.

The album plays to the strengths of Morag Tongs sound, which is to harness the core duo of well thought out bass lines and drums that are memorable, whilst creating a landscape with the guitars, their tones and subtle lead work over one another. The melodies captured by both guitarists (Alex Clarke and Lewis Crane respectively) invoke memorable, beautifully soul destroying melodies that can have a somewhat emotional impact on the listener – whether it’s the moment of looking to the sky and lamenting what life could have been if things had been different (see – “We Answer”) or gazing into the void at the hopeless mess that is mankind itself (“To Soil”). A drone of sorts is created by these elements and no – not in the Sunn O))) way – a natural drone that doesn’t overstay its welcome and acts as a soft blanket.

The album has been recorded, mixed and mastered by Sam Thredder of Cros Nest studios and what a fantastic job he has done. He has been the key to encapsulating what Morag Tongsound like live, allowing the listener to become all consumed by the waves of sound. Having seen Morag Tong live 5 times already over the past year, this is something which I had hoped was going to be evident in the presentation of the mix and master. Thankfully, this happy camper got his wish granted. Warm, clear bass throughout the fuzziest of amp orgy inducing guitar tones, clear definition of each limb of the drum kit and the perfect balance of vocals within the mix, powerful yet not overbearing on the instrumental side of affairs.

The musicianship on “Last Knell of Om” is simply big, fantastic and mature. Morag Tongexcel in their subtleties, of guitar tones, bass tone and overall placing of songs, for example one need only pay attention to the placing of album concluder “Ephemera / Stare Through the Deep” with its “Planet Caravan”-esque ascending trip to the stars only to be dropped to earth again for opener “Transmission”. In essence this is to me how “Last Knell of Om” plays out, a journey that starts by allowing the listener to rise from the earth, then drift through a swell of emotions, ascend to the astral plains and be stricken back to this world, only for the process to repeat all over again as if caught in the belly of the Ouroboros.

“Through Clouded Time” was a great introduction to Morag Tong and is still essential whilst you can grab a copy (which I recommend), however “Last Knell of Om”has already in a year choc full of essential new releases from legends such as Sleepand Yob, solidified its place as a top 10 contender for myself this year. This is the most earthly, organic stoner doom band these ears have heard in a long time and as one who can usually throw around other comparisons to what a band sound like, I struggle to do this with Morag Tong. This - in my opinion, can only be a good thing.

Catch them on 16^th May at The Black Heart in Camden with Wychound and Elephant Tree for the album launch.

“Last Knell of Om” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Chrch, "Light Will Consume Us"

By: Joosep Nilk

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/05/2018

Label: Neurot Recordings

CHRCH rightfully cement their own place as forebearers of a new era of melodic doom.

‘Light Will Consume Us All“CD//DD//LP track listing:

1) Infinite Return                

2) Portals

3) Aether

The Review

Three years ago a fairly below the radar label put out a belter of a debut in the form of ’Unanswered Hymns’ from a then unknown Sacramento doom group. Said label (Battleground Records, from whom you might still grab the last remaining copies) is now sadly sunken but the prodigious 'debut', which called for many to exclaim  ’masterpiece!’, did attain enough attention to the quintet to warrant both a court-backed name alteration and many a tour with like-minded mainstays of the metal scene. Their latest release on the esteemed Neurot sees the-now-CHRCH cranking it further into the void, bringing payoffs indeed not unlike their label head legends themselves are known for. Entirely not surprising as this young group could be ascribed to having a common ethos, still the less astonishing is how equally hard they manage to crush.

Apropos it’s almost cliche to talk how well CHRCH operate in the worlds of the uplifting and downweighing, as it’s damn near their raison d’etre. Their previous offering that came in the form of mind-shattering split with the more mud-ridden sludgers Fister (who, as an aside are coming out with a similarly long-playing, albeit muckier statement right about as you read this) was demonstration enough of how well they wield both sides of the heavy spectrum, be it of the sonic or emotive variety.

The opener of their sophomore is reminiscient of ’Temples’ from said release, in that it equally plays with delicateness set against colossal discord. With its steadily soaring riffs ’Infinite Return’s’ towering stature in effect plummets your very being straight into the pits. There’s a deeper sense of worldweariness at play here, conveyed by the sheer fierceness of the vocals, with the wails blackened and stern despondency emanating from the growls. The band steadily sets to sculpt a storm of grandiose proportions that ultimately beckons forth creatures distantly echoing disquieting cries while the plucking undercurrent lays deceptively dormant in an uneasy sense of tranquility. The ominous guitar builds in the background unceasing as lead vocalist Eva Rose’s lulls during the quiet section become very akin to the timbres of fellow doom-sayers Subrosa. It’s difficult to imagine a tune crafted to carry more emotional heft as it plods on unrelenting, coming twice around for devastation to conclude in a soaring surge that elicits an immense sense of conciliation.

While the band has grown evermore well-equipped at crafting solemnity in sorrow, oncoming Portals is more of a morassy plummet into the void. With a discordant off-beat lead-in, the track becomes fluidly unfolding, bringing the pain in waves.The riffs steadily gathering velocity concordant with the increasing backdrop of the rhythm section as the middle blasts the gates of hell wide open straight to revelatory anguish. Even at this utmost dejected inpouring of fury, out of the mire comes a groove that dissolves any opressiveness built. Embellished by Rose’s vocal and then a back-and forth between her and second vocalist Chris Lemos comes a triumphant resolution affirmed by the grandness of riffs and etherealy sung harmonies.

The band then pick up the gauntlet of bringing the album together in glorious absolution with ’Aether’ as a steady resounding descent from the heavens. The admittedly-difficult-to-decipher lyrics seem to further evoke the band’s funerary sensibilities as the grievous bliss is brought to light at the tune’s apex. In striking manner the album is closed out in an outpouring of blackened tumult with what sounds like most whole of the band chiming in with voice.

Whilst their debut could perhaps at times have been faulted by borrowing from the sounds of established acts such as Windhand or Acid King, this tremendous sophomore is a beast all their own. They do still of course give fair play to tropes and tones of the genre but even-so CHRCH rightfully cement their own place as forebearers of a new era of melodic doom. Exhibiting dynamics and songwriting that pays as much heed to the glory of brandishing riffs aimed at celestial heights as it does to delivering penance through sheer abrasiveness ’Light Will Consume Us All“ comes as a mighty second assertion. With such ennobling means at hand it is seemly to await what aural transcendendance they might yet bring forth from the vastness of their realm.

’Light Will Consume Us All’ is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard & Slomatics, "Totems"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Split LP
Date Released:29/03/2018

Label: Black Bow Records

Alter your mind, crank the volume, and worship two of the best of doom metal shaman delivering one of  the stand out releases of 2018 .

“Totems”DD//LP track listing

1. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – “The Master and His Emissary”

2. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – “Eagduru!

3. Slomatics –“Ancient Architects”

4. Slomatics– “Silver Ships into the Future”

5. Slomatics– “Masters Descent”

The Review:

Last time I threw on a split album it was the fun, fast cross genre thrashing of Iron Reaganand Gatecreeper– one of those brief, appetite whetting samplers that made me want to search out more of the contributing bands’ back catalogues.  I really enjoy those kind of horizon broadening splits, but the ones that may stick with me most are the LP length collaborations by artists operating in even closer genre proximity.  Take, for example, “Totems” – a formidable, surprisingly cohesive split from young but powerful Welsh psychedelic doomsters Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard and the long-running Irish stoner sludge trio of Slomatics.  Both acts take similar spacey, prog indebted approaches to their massive cuts so the LP stands out as a proper, unified album – but you can’t mistake the unique methods and voices on display between the Mammoth crew and Slomatics.

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard’s opening cut, “The Master and His Emissary”, may be my favorite track on “Totems”.  Starting with a bass and synth intro, it plunges straight into space rock weirdness.  The ascending, chugging verse riff balances with ethereal, multi tracked vocals – largely those of bassist Jessica Ball.  Her delicate, clean tones, contrasted with the gnarly dual guitar heft of Wez Leon and “Dave” Davies, makes for an exciting, unique counterbalance of grim and graceful.  The unique emphasis on cymbal work, juxtaposed with persistent bass drum pounding from drummer James Carrington, is another standout trademark that had me intrigued by MWWB.  And just when I thought “hmmmm it would be interesting if they incorporated the synth intro back into this piece” the ‘Bastard went and did it!  Plus the closing guitar solo is just thrilling.  Unfortunately, after such an exciting opening, “Eagduru” feels like a bit of a disappointment.  A swaying, much more thudding doom dirge, it isn’t a bad cut by any means, but feels less structurally satisfying and complex than the trippy first track.  Ball’s vocals are again haunting and mystical – I’m impressed enough to want to explore the back catalogue.

Slomatics hardly need an introduction at this point, with nearly 15 years and releases in the double digits (including splits and a live LP).  But for me this is another gateway, as I’ve never taken the full plunge into their formidable back catalogue – another grievous error I plan to address immediately.  The heavy doom verses of “Ancient Architects”, countered by Fabrio Frizzi reminiscent synth laden refrains hit right in my metal/horror/scifi/weirdo nerd sweet spots, and I was hooked.  Drummer Marty’s clean vocals have just the right amount of grit, while his kit work is spot on.  Dual guitarists Chris and David are tone masters, shifting to a militaristic trudge in the pummeling midsection, only to crash everything to a tectonic crawl on the outro.  The fuzzed out phaser effects make the whole ending feel impossibly psychedelic, while retaining the paranoid edge of a bad acid freakout.

“Silver Ships into the Future”is a perfectly serviceable instrumental transition, primarily clean, slightly warped keyboards and some nice, menacing ambient tones.  But “Masters Descent” is a genuine work of stoner metal masters.  The savage riff and gently processed, reverb laden vocals is like a Kubrickian transit through time and space.  Marty’s jazzy fills, partnered with what sounds like Mellotron backing tracks, makes the doomy number sound like a haunting mashup with early King Crimson.  The chiming, synth laden, psych dirge latter half is a particularly nice touch, and the vocal work is particularly moving – trust me when I say that’s a disservice to the ineffable power when everything clicks into place for Slomatics.             

In short, “Totems” serves as one of those effective entreaties to explore more from the contributing bands, but also works as a powerful slab of metal, best enjoyed in one long, bleary eyed session, or staring into space and envisioning the types of otherworldly journeys Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard and Slomatics delve into with each new composition.  Alter your mind, crank the volume, and worship the “Totems” of these two linked tribes of doom metal shamans.

“Totems” is available here

Band info: Slomatics || Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard

ALBUM REVIEW: Chivo Negro - "Volume Death"

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full length

Date Released:13/10/2017

Label: Avandadoom Records

 

Volume Death" is, a valuable new entry to the Mexican doom metal milieu, and this trio ensures you feel every bit of the chill its vision puts forward. 

 

"Volume Death" DD track listing

1. I. Descend

2. II. Culto del Chivo Negro

3. III. Hypnos

4. IV. Enki

5. V. Reverse Inquisition

6. VI. Ascend

The Review:

One of the worst kept secrets – though still a secret, perhaps due to language barriers, or assumption thereof, since many perform multilingual songs – are the number of high quality, metal, punk and extreme music acts in Mexico. In addition to the widely loved Brujeria, the Mexican heavy spectrum includes everything from Leprosyto Asesino, Introtylto the emerging crop of new performers, like doom metal three-piece Chivo Negro(in English, "Black Goat"). Hailing from Sinaloa, Chivo Negrohas a high bar to reach. Some of the most widely recognized musicians in not just Mexico but all of Latin America, and whole genres of music such as banda, came from Sinaloa. The state has currency in English-language popular culture as an epicenter of the narcotics underworld and ghastly violence, too. No ultraviolence here, however. In the case of Chivo Negro, the action is molasses dense and psychedelic.

The group debuts with its full-length, "Volume Death," as an entirely instrumental affair. You read that right. Not a single lyric is presented on Chivo Negro's introduction to international metal. Other than sampled clips offering continuity, there are no vocals. This sort of step is incredibly risky: band chemistry and song orchestration both become everything and a misstep can sink whole songs or the entire release.

As with any good doom record, "Volume Death" brings audiences a large, ambitious concept. The squad wants to tell a tale of the destruction in religion, nature and humanity wrought by human and otherworldly forces. Because such is a common theme in the genre, the music should reasonably be expected to stand out far more.

Although it is solidly a doom/sludge band, Chivo Negro also features a considerable dose of drone as well as classic metal in its debut album. Rhythmic drumming courtesy of Abel Lizarraga steadies the swells of mood throughout. With the opener, "I.Descend," distortion and dark psych start us off. The air is oppressive as Lizarraga crashes the kit again and again. Even without lyrics, the trio makes sure you feel every bit of the chill its vision puts forward. "II. Culto del Chivo Negro" has one of those aforementioned clips, but it's nearly forgotten when Ramon Arellano's guitar rips into a gargantuan chord. That progression repeats, as bassist Fausto Arellano joins the drums for a tremendous psychedelic jam.

Where Chivo Negrolacks in lyricism they make up for in deep, sheer power. "III. Hypnos" continues the low tunage and noise as the group gets into more of a drone doom mode. "IV. Enki," regarded among some as one of the album's best cuts, continues the drone doom method. At 13 minutes, it is the biggest song on "Volume Death," The sparse arrangement is nonetheless lumbering in that classic doom metal way. As Chivo Negro'slast tracks descend, a big question may be what it does with a full-on vocalist, or if this will remain the group's ultimate format, in the spirit of bands like Major Kong. "Volume Death"is, either way, a valuable new entry to the Mexican doom metal milieu.

"Volume Death" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Nibiru - "Qaal Babalon"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:22/09/2017

Label: Argonauta Records

Those who have followed Nibiru's past releases recognize the group has a way of creating dauntless music beyond what even the most experimental metal is about. "Qaal Babalon" is its best work to date, though you have to wonder how far the band can take this style next.

"Qaal Babalon" CD//DD track listing:

1. Oroch

2. Faboan

3. Bahal Gah

4. Oxex

The Review:

Standards for EPs versus full-length releases are a perplexing question. Is it a length thing? Number of tracks? And in a genre renown for sprawling cuts, what does it really mean anyway? In the matter of Nibiru, a performer that has its own talent for those long explorations, answers are even harder to come by.

Turin, Italy's Nibiru (not to be mistaken by the Russian metalcore band with the same moniker) are back to wrap up the year with a four-song release clocking in at nearly an hour. These have been an active few years for the trio. Nibiru's 2013 debut, “Caosgon”, was reissued in February 2016, the group offered up a fantastic EP, “Teloch”; and then more recordings in 2015 (“Padmalotus”) and 2014 (“Netrayoni”). Nibiru, in its releases, delivers a compelling brand of doom that melds drone, psychedelica and sludge. Drone and even a hint of funeral doom are perhaps the most prominent sounds in Nibiru's vision, and such may certainly define your love for the band, or it’s new, quite masterful, return in "Qaal Babalon."

The 19-minute "Oroch" begins the release with Ardath's transcendent guitar and vocals. Thick with effects, the instrumentation is supplemented with disharmonious drones. Black metal has its own symphonic offshoot. If drone doom had a related offspring, Nibiruwould be one of its great adherents. The song has a tremendously deep and apocalyptic feel to it all. As it chugs to the midway point, Ardath unleashes a ritualistic vocal that comes across as a particularly sinister chant more than a growl in the best, most infernal way. Make no bones about it – even for an ardent doom fan, this is a very punishing start. Yet its conclusion, with its black metal-esque curvature of lyrics, will be incredibly satisfying for those who stay the course.

Through the middle of the recording, "Faboan"and "Bahal Gah" are both the most provocative tracks because they are each going to demonstrate a side of Nibiruyou would not expect after the start of"Qaal Babalon." "Faboan" is the most accessible song on the release. It is not only a faithful and compelling doom composition, but there are post-rock and punk influences evident particularly across instrumental bridges. As such, as a second cut, this is a surprising and excellent choice because it builds on the imposing opener with something more comprehensible to the new fan. The next song verges into territory blazed by the opening, while managing to introduce sludge and drone that make it less disorienting than the selection could easily go off into. Praise be to L.C. Chertan on drums, whose work really steadies the song and brings out the potency of its first three minutes. Again, Ardath proves to be an agile vocalist, hitting a lower register and meeting the downtempo mood and effects.

Before you get the idea that Nibiru are now shooting for Mastodon-level acceptability, the band closes with "Oxex,"far more temerarious an entry than even the opening. Where to begin? Few extreme music songs ever neatly fit a category. Nowhere is that more pronounced than here. From its ceremonial drum beginnings to its gentle guitar contrasted against the serrated vocals, Nibiru enters into a trancelike state, with even a tambourine. At unexpected moments, doom bass lines pick at your flesh, but the mood refuses to until around the ninth minute. Then, with a hellish whisper, Nibirugoes not into a raging metal romp, but… silence, then drone. And then… things you will just have to listen to find.

Those who have followed Nibiru's past releases recognize the group has a way of creating dauntless music beyond what even the most experimental metal is about. "Qaal Babalon" is its best work to date, though you have to wonder how far the band can take this style next.

"Qaal Babalon" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Spectral Haze - "Turning Electric"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/10/2017

Label: Totem Cat Records

If you are a lover of the classic sound, you will surely listen to this one often. "Turning Electric" is certain to please.

"Turning Electric"DD//LP track listing

1. Dawn of the Falcon

2. Turning Electric

3. Cathexis/Mask Of Transformation

4. Ajaghandi

5. They Live

6. Master Scorcerer

The Review:

Oslo, Norway's doom metal meisters Spectral Haze have built a ton of cred for a relatively new band. A demo and well-received debut recording, "I.E.V.: Transmutated Nebula Remains," cemented the quartet's reputation as standard bearers for psychedelic/stoner metal in the vein of 1970s' legends. You may have read some early comparisons to Hawkwind and similar groups as well. Indeed the debut won over many fans for its mystical lyrics and sound that was at once classic and yet contemporary.

For you seeking that old-school-in-a-new-school-way sound, the return of Spectral Haze is welcome news. The question out there, though, is how well the group can deliver.

"Dawn of the Falcon" kicks it all off, and fans will not be at all disappointed. What made Spectral Haze special from its beginning was its attention to detail. That love for the music is on full display here. The rhythm section launches you into the stratosphere, fittingly considering the space theme that is threaded all through "Turning Electric." Multi-layered guitars and a touch of keys and effects twirl about your mind. And, still lyrically, the group remains vivid and exceptional.

Critics have reflected positively before about how much Spectral Hazefits in with the acts that seemingly inspired what it does. For a few listeners, that approach may feel too derivative or safe. If that is you, "Turning Electric" does not venture far from this roadmap. What the listener gets, though, is a grand recording that nevertheless does the genre proud.

The title track and into "Cathexis/Mask Of Transformation" are quite impressive showcases for the bass and drums, which tend to both be underappreciated in most of the genre. With just a dash of pedals and post-production flourishes, Spectral Hazelays down a backbeat that really allows the vocal to present the vastness of a story. In creating the mood of a starscape and one's journey through space, the band allows its most arresting elements such as the songwriting to truly shine.

Spectral Haze earned praise in the past for its overall composition and song selection. "Turning Electric" continues this tradition. The deep bluesy interpretation in a prodigious "Ajaghandi" flows right into the jam-inflected "They Live," with its engrossing storytelling. Again, it is attention to those details that drew accolades for Spectral Haze. Plenty of songs by other artists can feel bloated. Here, there is a stimulating quality to the solos, the lyrical peaks and valleys and crescendos. The listener gets a clear feeling the trip is headed somewhere good, and the group makes good on such promise.

As the album wraps with "Master Scorcerer," the briefest cut on the recording, it is difficult not to wish for more output. However, if you are a lover of the classic sound, you will surely listen to this one often. "Turning Electric" is certain to please.

"Turning Electric" will be available to preorder/buy here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp