The idea of being able to just sit back and let an album wash over you completely to take away the stress of a day is something that many of us rely on when we return home. While metal has many avenues that allow that to happen for me, it’s easily psychedelic rock that does it best for me. It’s been too long since I’ve heard some real top-notch material from the style. Stumbling upon the latest offering from Demonauta is something I desperately needed, and a record that just keeps on giving.
A common theme that isn’t hard to figure out when looking at the scene of psychedelic rock as whole is how deeply rooted the style is in the 70s with acts like Jimi Hendrix coming up incredibly often. While I find genuine enjoyment in influences like that and the sounds that come from that era, just hearing bands copy and paste without even trying is stupendously boring from top to bottom. But it’s when I come across bands like Demonauta who put out delicious albums like “Temaukel, The Spirit Before Time” that keeps me so in love with psychedelic rock every single day. I can’t fucking stop listening to this album, it’s the exact thing every fan of psych rock has ever needed in a glorious demonstration from start to finish. Riffs drenched in fuzz marked with a solid crunch, hypnotic vocals that pull you in even further, each track serving only to keep the glory of “Temaukel” even longer, and then the sheer musicianship of what Demonauta brings to the table is palpable in the best ways as you can truly feel the passion behind this remarkable talent that’s on full display. I usually lean towards the instrumental side of psych rock whenever I seek it out, but hearing Demonauta makes me feel like a little kid again hearing something truly mind-blowing before listening to it again and again for years to follow.
There’s no other way to say it: Demonauta is a top-notch act that every fan of psych rock needs to know of immediately. I rarely ever say anything like that, but when the likes of “Temaukel” is barely getting the amount of love that such talent warrants then I cannot help but implore every listening soul to instead turn their ears to this magnificent material! “Temaukel” will have me crawling back to it over and over again in the near future, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this ended up being one of my favorite releases on the year.
LISTEN to “Temaukel, The Spirit Before Time” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Demonauta on Facebook here.
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