REZN made a minor splash in Casa Dolph back in… March?! Wow, time flies! Psychedelic doom itself isn’t particularly known for getting anywhere fast, but these Chicago practitioners have an admirable hustle to earn yet another release to their name. This go around, though, they’ve partnered with the like-minded, Hawkwind synth-heavy doomsters from way down South in Mexico City, Vinnum Sabbathi. No stranger to collaboration, REZN has previously teamed up with alternative act Lume for the aggressively post Live at Electrical Audio and one-man synth machine1 Catechism for Infected Ambient Works. Each release has showcased this already spacey troupe at an even deeper scope of long-form build and cinematic ambience. So what does Silent Future hold?
Often, collaborations can offer us unique efforts around weird themes or curious spins around shared but novel sound ideas. However, what about a collision of two artists split in genre hairs by a post-rock attitude and vocals? Because between REZN’s lingering psych doom and Vinnum Sabbathi’s synth-led stoner explorations, there’s a lot of overlap. As such, Silent Future sounds much like REZN’s earlier output this year with some extra gravitational pull from spacebound chatter. You could also categorize it as a Vinnum Sabbathi album with a song-focused structure and guest vocals. Either way, it’s pretty clear that Silent Future offers a heads-or-tails experience where each side is a tie-dye space eagle.
Of course, if you don’t know what either act sounds like, and you enjoy a shoegaze and post-rock influenced take on psychedelic doom, the snappier format that Silent Future supplies will be right up your alley. “Unknown Ancestor” through “Hypersurreal” floats the same kind of Soundgarden meets Smashing Pumpkins trippy alt-rock drifting that defines much of what REZN’s Solace offers as well. And since the vocals on the album—at least the ones that aren’t the radio chatter interlude samples—come exclusively from the REZN side, to familiar ears, that Billy Corgan-esque wail will permeate all the same. Whether at the hands of the increased Sabbath presence that Vinnum Sabbathi offers, or just an increased urge to doom, many of the heavier riffs (“Unknown Ancestor,” “Hypersurreal”) come off similarly to the weepy dirge of acts of similar influence, like Slumbering Sun. Silent Future brings us nothing that these performers haven’t done separately, but that’s OK when it sounds this tight and lush.
One might even argue that Silent Future runs too tight for two collectives whose most celebrated runs distend timelines rather than distill. In a world where intro tracks and interludes often do little more than pad runtime, “Born into Catatonia” and “Clusters” stand as testaments to those forms serving a purpose—each imbues a body of atmosphere that whips and whirls about the tracks that proceed them. This leaves the brooding closer “Obliterating Mists” in a weird bubble, being neither preceded by philosophical and synthy narrative nor closed out by elucidating modular shimmer. Compounding this conundrum, the conclusive nature of the track that does land before it, “Morphing,” steals the climactic momentum that should accompany “Obliterating Mists.” In a strange twist, Silent Future makes the most sense when I let it loop and the bright, ambient hits that open “Born to Catatonia” threaten to expand my consciousness. Perhaps REZN & Vinnum Sabbathi encourage this kind of prolonged exposure to their meditative work, but equally hypothetically I would conjecture that a little extra hypnosis at the end could sanctify the success of this group retreat.
Though the first half of the album hits booming with promise, the back side feels looser in construction and suffers for it. However, REZN & Vinnum Sabbathi are far too ascended in their psychedelic practices to produce tunes that fail to capture at least a good energy throughout. All performers involved—that’s four dudes from REZN, two dudes from Vinnum Sabbathi, three previous contributors to Vinnum Sabbathi—feel completely in tune with the program And though the final murmurings stop a couple rungs short from proper hazy enlightenment, Silent Future’s svelte run gives plenty to ponder about the potential of this pairing. Much like REZN’s outing earlier this year, I’m left a bit wanting; though my mind may call for more, my ears have fewer complaints.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings | Bandcamp
Websites (REZN): rezn.band | rezzzn.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/reznband
Websites (VS): vinnumsabbathi.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/vinnumsabbathi
Releases Worldwide: August 11th, 2023
