Eye RecordsRelease Date – September 27th 2024
Review By Smudge
I have made no secret of my love for Psychlona. They truly give me everything I want. Big riffs, melodic vocals and huge grooves. I have been lucky enough to have reviewed all their three previous records and they just get better and better.
This new one is an absolute belter with more of everything. Maybe that’s down to the two new members Martin Wiseman and Ian Buxton both secured from Lazurus Blackstar.
Drummer Scott Frankling hits a simple beat that opens ‘Jasmine’, bassman Buxton joins in before the guitars of Wiseman and Phil Hey chime in and they get going on a robust riff and solid groove. Hey has an understated voice much like Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour which juxtaposes with the weight of the music much like Chris Goss from Masters Of Reality plus his vocal melodies are expert and catchy. Towards the end things get proper psychy before returning to the groove and Wiseman shows his chops.
‘Lets Go’ takes its time to get going. Frankling’s hi-hat and a chiming guitar offer up what’s to come then Buxton comes in for a few bars before they kick in another mighty groove and they’re away on a huge cloud of sickly-sweet blue smoke off into the astral plane for another psych adventure – come back soon boys. They return with news from beyond on ‘Smoke’ which is an easy laid back Floydian piece of close your eyes and get lost in the melodies.
‘Cut Loose’ brings us back to our senses on a rolling desert rock banger then ‘Topanga’ gets low and slow but what a mighty groove. Things are gonna get psychy on a song called ‘Kaleidoscope’ but just let it take where it wants to go, and you’ll be grateful. Hey goes spoken word which is hypnotic then they grind out a big simple riff that gets you nodding. Relax and roll
one because ‘Split’ is just a sublime piece of stoner/psych that has more than enough Floyd and Sabbath for anyone to enjoy. Final cut ‘Magic Carpet’ has one of those smooth jazzy starts that Sabbath used to love messing with, but they move
it along before crushing power chords come in on the chorus and just wait for the outro which is monumental. I honestly cannot tell you how good this record is. Psychlona have knocked this one totally out of the park. They’ve expanded and developed on their previous records and made something really special here. The ideas are well conceived, deceptively simple and expertly executed. Add this to a fabulous production from Andy Hawkins and James Grover where they have kept the gritty earthy sounds of the band. You cannot go wrong with this, and I predict it will propel them further
up the ladder.
Track List –
1 – Jasmine
2 – Lets Go
3 – Smoke
4 – Cut Loose
5 – Topanga
6 – Kaleidoscope
7 – Split
8 – Magic Carpe
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