This is the debut from this Swedish band that plays a mesmerizing blend of psyche rock run through the jangling wanderlust of the Wild West. The vocals are sedate and hover in the middle of the mix, at more than a murmured whisper but not quite a croon on the opening track. This Scandinavian take on the sounds of California in the 60s certainly sets itself apart. These guys all have backgrounds playing in metal bands, but that aggression is just a shadow of an undercurrent lurking in the subconsciousness of these songs, making them not much more metal than the Doors. There are a lot of guitar solos and that adds some fire to the proceedings, as well as the grittier rasp applied to the vocals when things climax, though it is not a metal growl.
The more surf-rock side of the band does not break the surface until the second song. This song is inspired by a poem penned by Octavio Paz. Another example of their fascination with Western culture. Aside from spoken recitation of the excerpts of the poem the song is largely instrumental, though it is still an effective song. 'Black as Gold" features a wonderful reverbed-out guitar tone. The smoky baritone vocals sit back in the mix enveloped in the guitars. They serve more as texture than a focal point, This is clearly a guitar-centered album. When passages are phrased with the exotic chord voicing found here, that makes guitar-centered fine by me.
"Lion Spell" is an ominous piece of neo-folk that marches across the same bleak forests as Death in June, with the wailing of the guitar solo that erupts as the only thing anchoring into a rock context. There is more of a Nick Cave-like swagger to "Horizon Between the Eyes". It rolls along with a rambling strum. The bass line carries a creeping feeling with it. Even with its cowboy sentiments, no one is going to mistake this for country music. 'Conjuring Other" finds the vocals reaching into a higher register as things grow in intensity, as the drums stir up thunder from under the guitars. Some more aggressive accents flirt in creating a more metallic attack. The guitar shifts enough for a harder rock mood to put its foot on the monitors in a manner that might invoke listeners to salute with devil horns. They hold you with that tension rather than indulging the release a metal band would give in to.
The mood of "Pan" brings Orville Peck to mind, minus the homoerotic imagery the singer uses to further titillate his fan base. They are also less mainstream with their intentions and carry things to a darker place. Think Johnny Cash if he had been obsessed with HP Lovecraft. The last song which also features Erik from Beseech leading his voice carries a more staccato rock groove. However, the vocals do not come in until midway into the song as they leave room for some stellar guitar solos to be jammed up. The vocals are once again more spoken, as the guitars do most of the talking. I will give this one a 9, this is a great guitar album that could have shared the spotlight more with the vocals, but for what they are doing it is a great deal of gloomy fun. This is being released on July 23rd on Invictus Productions.
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