New psychedelic doom album from Acid King

Posted on March 30, 2023 by thesonicsofa

Acid King has returned with their fifth studio album, Beyond Vision. It’s been five years since their last album, Middle of Nowhere Center of Everywhere, and it’s safe to say that the stoner rock community was drooling when the band teased the new singles, Mind’s Eye and Destination Psych, a few months back. Beyond Vision dropped in March, and it is a crusher. If you’re not familiar with Acid King, they fall in the smoky ranks of stoner doom bands like Sleep and Om, but with female vocals. It’s psychedelic stoner rock with a meditative quality. Basically, we’re talking about heavy music that you can either headbang with or gradually drift away to on the sofa.

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1. One Light Second Away 6:11
2. Mind’s Eye 7:11
3. 90 Seconds 4:49
4. Electro Magnetic 8:17
5. Destination Psych 1:36
6. Beyond Vision 6:06
7. Color Trails 7:57

One Light Second Way opens the album with a synthy intro, which was giving me vibes from The Thing, eventually evolving into a huge Sabbath-esque riff accentuated by a killer bassline. Mind’s Eye really showcases how good the drums sound in the mix, with some absolutely huge sounding cymbals and a full tom sound. Lori S. is in rare form with some trippy lyrics and one of the best guitar leads on the album. 90 Seconds is a spacy continuation of Mind’s Eye, with the riff slightly slower and heavier, hitting us one more time with Lori’s gritty vocals and more awesome drum work.

Video directed and edited by Dalan McNabola

At this point, the album has established itself as a slow burner, inducing psychedelic trance through repetition. Electro Magnetic solidifies that concept with a super spacy intro that meanders through cool bass and guitar expressions over the metronome of some fx’d drums. In Sleep fashion, the track launches into some massive, complex riffs, underscored by a full, rich bass tone, before transitioning back to the opening spacy section for the outro.

Destination Psych and Beyond Vision are basically one track. It’s good to hear Lori’s ethereal vocals again on the title track, which also features slow riffs and a nice guitar lead. Color Trails finishes out the album in a strong way: after a spacy intro, we’re treated to some slow, stoner rock grooves and an energetic finish with some awesome drum work. A great end to a solid album.

Beyond Vision is available on Bandcamp for streaming and in multiple formats. It features mind-bending artwork by the acclaimed Maarten Donders, who has also created work for Dead Meadow. The album was released through doom label, Blues Funeral Recordings. Check out Acid King’s merch page for t-shirts and copies of back albums. Go to their official website for the latest updates. The band is active on social media.

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The Sonic Sofa’s New Music Payload for March 2023: Featuring Temptress, Bog Monkey, Skull Servant, and more…

Posted on March 17, 2023 by thesonicsofa

We’re introducing the new “Payload” series, where once a month, The Sonic Sofa jettisons some of the heaviest and coolest releases from the past month straight to your ear holes. The reviews are quick so we can pack in even more jams. Click on links to support the musicians and use the built in song players to check out the bands while you read! Follow us on social media, let us know what you think of the The Sonic Sofa, and scroll to the end of the article for a free sticker!

Temptress release riffy debut album, See

Dallas stoner rock band, Temptress, released their debut album, See, on March 3rd. The Texas trio produces a grungy mix of stoner rock with plenty of chuggy riffs. The album features vocals provided by all band members, making for a diverse male and female mix, as well as some nice harmonies. See is available through Metal Assault Records and on Bandcamp. Check out Temptress if you’re into bands like Wo Fat.

New stoner metal from Bog Monkey

Bog Monkey are back with Hollow, their first full length record following their self-titled EP. Hollow is a riffy blend of stoner metal with aggressive vocals, tons of fuzzy guitar tones, and some awesome extended jams. The Atlanta, GA trio recorded their album at the Jam Room in South Carolina. It’s available on CD and streaming on Bandcamp. Check these guys out if you’re into bands like 10,000 Years.

Abanamat release trippy self titled debut

Abanamat is a Berlin-based four piece heavy-psych band. Their self-titled debut is mostly instrumental, but some tasteful, melodic vocals do come into play on a few of the tracks. Listen for lots of heavy blues jams, detailed heavy-psych audioscapes, and some awesome Middle Eastern influence, especially in the guitar leads. Check this out if you’re a fan of bands like Earthless. The album is on Bandcamp and pre-orders for CD and Vinyl are through Interstellar Smoke Records.

High and Low, groovy new stoner rock album by Eta Lux

Blending elements of stoner rock, doom, and psych, Germany’s Eta Lux produce music cram-packed with huge riffs and groovy stoner rock turnarounds. They’ve got a bluesy swagger, in-your-face vocals, and a cool overall sci-fi vibe. Fans of sci-fi rock like Droids Attack will appreciate these guys. Eta Lux’s new album, High and Low, is available on Bandcamp, on vinyl and streaming.

New music video from Poor Little Things

Poor Little Things has released a music video for their new single, One for the Road. The Australian band is a collaboration of Tina Jackson and Rollerball/The Marlboro Men guitarist, Dave Talon. The track has some brutal, 70’s-style metal riffs and some attitude filled female vocals. Check the music video, which has an awesomely retro Road Rash feel to it, and then go to their Bandcamp page to check out the rest of their releases.

Full-blooded, psychedelic doom from Hail the Void

Hail the Void is a psychedelic doom band from British Columbia, Canada. On their new album, Memento Mori, the band delivers a full-blooded onslaught of huge, slow riffs and tortured vocal melodies. Think Monolord level heaviness with the attitude of 1001 Mods and you’ll get the idea of the level of awesomeness of Memento Mori. The album is availabe on CD and vinyl on Bandcamp through Ripple Music.

Black Helium’s immersive new psych album, Um

London’s Black Helium have pushed the psychedelic boundary once again with the release of their beefy, 46 min EP, UM. The release has five impressively orchestrated compositions, transcending genres by blending space rock, doom, and heavy psych. It has an experimental sound with immersive psych textures. Black Helium is almost like if Black Sabbath and Tame Impala had a baby, and the baby was Elder, but from a different dimension. UM is available on CD and streaming on Bandcamp.

Skull Servant release Astral Apothecary

Psychedelic doom metal trio, Skull Servant, released their three song EP, Astral Apothecary, in March. The Chapel Hill, NC trio pack a witch’s cauldron of raw riffs, fuzzy bass, and occult lyrics into the release, and with track names like “Incantaion, Witch Fight, and Lucifer’s Reefer,” you know you’re in for a fun, wild ride. Check out Skull Servant on Bandcamp.

Anima, the new single by Sueños

Sueños is a psych rock group from Cape Town, South Africa. Anima is the first of a series of tracks that the four piece group have planned for release in 2023. On it, the band delivers a chill blend of flowing psych rock with a retro sound, enhanced by the fact that it was recorded live in the studio. Check this out if you’re into bands like Lewis & the Strange Magics. The group is active on social media.

Album Review: Mystic Vulture by Cleõphüzz

Posted on March 10, 2023 by thesonicsofa

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This album review comes with bittersweet news: Cleõphüzz, the five piece desert rock band from Ville Marie, Quebec, unique for their addition of cello in the mix, have announced that they are parting ways, citing problems related to the pandemic. Lucky for us, they were able to rally their forces one last time to release Mystic Vulture, their epic final album.

Mystic Vulture is the group’s second full length, a followup to 2018’s Wizard of Phüzz. The album has everything you could wish for from a stoner rock album, from spacious sounding drums and gnarly riffs, to the huge, spaced-out sound, down to the psychedelic desert scape cover artwork by Tessa Najjar. Going back to that “huge, spaced-out sound,” it’s refreshing to note that this album really ‘breathes,’ with the band taking time to establish psychedelic auras, explore riffs, and really jam. The eight song album clocks in at 47 minutes. It was recorded and mixed by Francois Lachapelle during the pandemic and released in February.

1. THE END 2:32
2. DESERT RIDER 5:54
3. SORTILÈGE 4:15
4. DESPERADO 9:02
5. SARCOPHAGE 3:27
6. WHEN THE SIREN BLOWS 6:49
7. MYSTIC VULTURE 6:32
8. SUNDOWN IN THE AFTERLIFE 8:01

The album is mostly composed of instrumental tracks, which are given cinematic quality by the cello, notably on opener, The End, and closer Sundown in the Afterlife, which features a cool symphonic ending with some beautifully harmonic resolution. The grungy vocals come in to play on the swaggery riffer, Desert Rider. Listen for some Alice in Chains-esque harmonies on Desperado, which also features some heavy guitar progressions and a cool grindy organ.

A great album from psychedelic start to finish, Mystic Vulture can be found on Bandcamp. Digital download is available for $5. There’s no word of a physical release given the band’s current status. The band still maintains an active social media presence. Check out this interview with guitarist, Alex Savourin, for more insight into the band’s creative process, influences, as well as their disbanding. Hopefully they will reunite someday and give us a chance to hear these tracks performed live.