Psychedelic Rock

Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race Review

By Saunders on November 18, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Death Metal, Progressive Death, 74 comments

“Blood Incantation’s 2016 debut, Starspawn, catapulted the sci-fi loving Denver crew into underground stardom. The album’s ambitious fusion of progressive and psychedelic elements into a beefy old school death core was incredibly well executed, smartly written, and addictive to boot, marking Blood Incantation as kindred spirits with legends Morbid Angel and Demilich, along with modern trailblazers like Horrendous. Some three years later Blood Incantation’s sophomore LP comes with a magnitude of hype and anticipation. Bottom line, Blood Incantation are considered a big fucking deal.” Mars needs metal.

PH – Osiris Hayden Review

By Huck N Roll on November 13, 2019 in 2019, Drone, Finnish Metal, Industrial Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Svart Records, Drone, Industrial Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 18 comments

“This time around, PH are aiming for something “beyond the limits of modern psychedelia,” something that pulls influence from Gary Numan and Nine Inch Nails. And one of my psychedelic favorites from the past, Julian Cope, fully endorses these guys. This all makes me at least willing to dig in.” Needs more alkaline.

Bask – III Review

By Kenstrosity on November 8, 2019 in American Metal, American Rock, Folk, Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Season of Mist, Stoner Rock, Folk, Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 14 comments

“Asheville, North Carolina. A bizarre cultural potpourri famous for its beer, food, music scene and road construction, Asheville is one of those strange places that is both cripplingly flawed and difficult to resist. It’s a fascinating place, and it has my heart. So it should come as no surprise that I Bask in the glow of III, an Americana-spiked hard rock album that comes direct from my current hometown. We write infrequently about stuff from or within spitting distance of this city, but it seems like every time we do we like what we get—I direct you to Aether Realm and Undrask, for starters—and Bask’s latest continues the trend.” Sweet home Carolina.

Telepath – Mental Mutations Review

By Saunders on October 28, 2019 in 2019, Apollon Records, Instrumental Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, 3 comments

“Although there’s been the odd exception over the years, generally speaking, instrumental metal is not really my bag. Not that I’m incapable of appreciating the often experimental aspects, self-indulgent jams, and technically proficient textures and moods conveyed from purely instrumental forms of metal. But even when vocals can be an afterthought or weak link on certain albums and genres of metal, I still generally prefer the vocal counterpoint. Yet I possess an open mind and variety is the spice of life, so when Telepath’s Mental Mutations remained unclaimed in the promo portal, I jumped into the unknown with optimism of what may lie ahead.” Tasting the mind of music theory.

Ecstatic Vision – For the Masses Review

By Carcharodon on October 6, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, American Rock, Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Psychedelic Rock, 18 comments

“Many years ago now, I caught a gig by a personal favorite, The Mars Volta. They had just released Frances the Mute and were touring in support of that great record. Sadly, this ranks as among the worst gigs as I’ve ever been to. The band themselves appeared to be off their faces and played only one discernible song over an hour into the jam session, at which point I left. I have similar feelings about For the Masses.” Fit for mass consumption?

Ghost:Hello – Sound of Color in Space Review

By GardensTale on September 16, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Self-released, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 41 comments

“Now this is a band who has their shit together for a self-released debut. They got a logo, a professional looking website, even an animated music video. Their online presence is fantastic for a band this young. One of them just might be a web developer, or they get enough from their day jobs to have hired a good one. They have a whole slew of merch available for their new album, including panties. Sure, the name Ghost:Hello is kind of stupid (I keep imagining a sheet-with-holes ghost going “HellooOOoooOOooo!”) but when did a silly name ever stop an eager young band?” Boo-burns.

Wizard Rifle – Wizard Rifle Review

By Kenstrosity on August 29, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Sludge, Svart Records, Thrash Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Sludge, 53 comments

“What is a ‘wizard rifle,’ exactly? It is a rifle that shoots magic missiles? Perhaps a rifle that spawns wizards propelled to impossible velocities (which does not bode well for said wizards, I suppose)? Maybe it’s something simpler, like a rifle made specifically for wizards that stores itself magically inside their hats. Or it could be something more complex, such as a rifle whose first shot pops out a smaller wizard who holds his/her/their own miniaturized wizard rifle, and so on.” Spell spewing.

The Black Wizards – Reflections Review

By GardensTale on August 28, 2019 in 2019, Kozmik Artifactz, Portuguese Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Stoner Rock, 27 comments

“In the metal community, race is a somewhat awkward point. Metalheads are largely (though not exclusively) a socially-progressive sort, despite what the epidemic of NSBM would have you believe. Yet look around at any metal festival, and perhaps 1 in a 1000 visitors aren’t of a pallid complexion. The same goes for the musicians; you’ll be hard-pressed finding a whiter group of artists than, say, Nightwish. Of course, on some level this makes sense, considering where the majority of metal comes from.” Reflections on coexistence.

Dead Feathers – All Is Lost Review

By sentynel on August 26, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Ripple Music, Psychedelic Rock, 32 comments

“Sometimes a record takes a while to grow on you. Sometimes it takes a few listens to really get what a band is going for, or what makes them different from dozens of other bands. On the other hand, sometimes you press play and the band’s selling point imprints itself on your eardrums almost immediately. Dead Feathers sound like a better Dead Meadow fronted by Florence Welch (as in, the one with The Machine), and I don’t make that comparison lightly.” Dead Feathers and the Machine.

Elder – The Gold & Silver Sessions EP

By Dr. Wvrm on July 19, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Blues Funeral Recordings, Psychedelic Rock, Reviews, Stoner Metal, Stoner Metal, 37 comments

“But the New England outfit aren’t just the next indie darling, were never just metal for metal’s sake. Their proggy tendencies always lurked beneath the surface to some degree; Reflections was simply the unveiling. With a new LP on the horizon, The Gold & Silver Sessions takes Elder in a direction I didn’t expect, but perhaps should have. This isn’t just prog; it’s out-and-out jam.” Peanut butter and jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam.