![]() ![]() ![]() Some love instrumental albums while others are not so keen, we at Desert Psychlist fall into the former camp deriving as much enjoyment from a well delivered chord progression as we do from a powerful voice delivering a well written lyric. ![]() Final number " Condemn The Earth" eases back a little on the fuzz and distortion, albeit only slightly, and boasts a groove that sits somewhere between stoner and proto doom with the latter of those two dynamics being a touch more Electric Wizard than it is Black Sabbath, again there is not much variation to be found in the songs riffs or for that matter the vocal delivery but, like the two previous songs, there is enough for things not to fall into tedium, the swirling solo's and use of sampled narrative elevating the song to a level far above the usual generic plodding this genre can sometimes descend into. Vocals here are again delivered in a tuneful bellow but, thanks to their placement in the mix, are not overbearing or too in the listeners face, a pet hate of Desert Psychlist's is when these type of vocals are pushed too high in the mix but these sit perfectly in the " goldilocks zone" and serve to enhance rather than detract from the songs overall impact. Following track " Parasite" starts off life eerie and full of menacing suspense then the hammer goes down and the band explode into a seriously fuzzed out and distorted stoner doomic refrain that if it were any heavier would be in danger of totally collapsing into just noise. Opening track " Green Throne" begins, like so many songs do in this genre, with sampled narrative lifted from a horror movie then erupts into low slow reverberating bass and guitar riffage replete with the necessary pounding drumming over which bellowed semi spoken vocals tell their dark tale, it all sounds pretty par for the course so far doesn't it? Well actually it's not and the reason it is not comes down to how well Dungeön structure their sound, yes there is plenty of repetition and riff reliance going on here but there are also places where the band go off-piste and dare we say get a little cosmic and out there. Last but not least comes " LUA" a song that sits sonically somewhere between a less sludgy Rosy Finch and a slightly more heavy Evanescence, which given how good this tune is seems a not too bad place to be sitting. " LIMERENCE" begins life fey and ethereal, with Dorronsoro waxing lyrical about being addicted and disconnected in lush creamy tones, but then takes a turn for the heavy in its last quarter with Alonso and Macho laying down a barrage of groove for Bitrián and Cabornero to decorate with thrumming refrains, tonally opposed motifs and soaring solos. Cheddar allow the listeners a moment to catch their breaths with the achingly beautiful " LE MORT" then rips that breath away with the quiet /loud/quiet dual attack of " IMAGO I" and its sister piece " IMAGO II", the latter just shading it over the former thanks to Dorronsoro's slightly more emotional vocal. ![]() Bitrián and Cabornero's guitars play off and around each other on the songs quieter moments but come together in perfect unison on the songs heavier sections but what really impresses here is Alonso and Macho's almost telepathic understanding of each others parts in the whole, the pair driving the groove hard where it is needed and laying it down loose lysergic and jazzy when and where that dynamic is called for, all four musicians creating the perfect platform for Dorronsoro to launch her incredible vocals from. The sound of chirping birds accompanied by high pitched drones, keyboards and sampled narrative make up intro piece " PSYCHE" which is then followed by " CHRYSALIS I" a stunning mix of arpeggiated noodling and electric guitar crunch framed by rhythms that alternate between languid and loose and heavy and tight over which Dorronsoro layers a sublime vocal that ranges from a seductive whisper to a banshee-like howl, man can this lady SING! Next up we get " CHRYSALIS II" a song that like its sister piece showcases Cheddar's ability to go from heavy to lysergic in a heartbeat. ![]()
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