Album
Type: Full Length
Date
Released: 10/11/2014
Label: Soulseller
Records
‘I.E.V.:
Transmutated Nebula Remains’ CD/LP track listing:
01 I.E.V. I - Circumambulating
Mount Meru (04:10)
02 Mercurian Mantra (07:44)
03 Black Gandharvas (11:03)
04 I.E.V. II - Observing the
Centre of Infinity (02:51)
05 Descent Through the
Intravoidal (06:02)
06 Triads and Trishulas (13:51)
Spectral
Haze is:
Spacewülff | Interstellar
Howls/Geetarrrgh
Sönik Slöth | Supercosmic overdrive pedalinfused guitarvoid
Döômdögg | Dronemachinated AUM
Cëlestïal Cöbra | Conjurer of souls through ritual drums
Sönik Slöth | Supercosmic overdrive pedalinfused guitarvoid
Döômdögg | Dronemachinated AUM
Cëlestïal Cöbra | Conjurer of souls through ritual drums
Bio:
Spectral Haze was
first conjured from the Void three years ago, through four sonick sorcerers
residing in Oslo, Norway; Cëlestial Cöbra (Battery), Döömdogg (Bass guitar),
Spacewülff (Vocals, guitars) and Sönik Slöth (Guitars). Through these last few
years, Spectral Haze has undulated and grown into channeling
through a fifth vessel, namely Electric Starling (Theremin, VOID). The upcoming
album "I.E.V.: Transmutated Nebula Remains" follows their eponymous
debut EP released in 2012 CE, and brings even more psyched out doom rock
rituals.
Review:
Spectral
Haze- “Psyched Out Doom Rock Rituals.” That’s about all that’s written in this
Oslo, Norway 4 Pieces Bio and it’s a pretty accurate statement aside from the
“doom” part. I don’t really see all that much of a doom vibe from these guys,
sure there are sabbathian flourishes here and there, but what you really get is
huge fuzzy riffs, sparse yet pyched out-effects heavy vocals and full tilt
space rock ala Hawkwind with a good bit of swagger thrown in for good measure.
The
album starts out with a nice spacey intro right into a thundering rhythm that
undulates and swirls into warp speed with the first track acting as an intro
until you are thrust into the second track of the record. I really like this
track as a record intro and specifically the approach it takes as a steady
build into track two. ‘Mercurian Mantra’
is just as thundering and groovy as the last track, it is also the first
introduction to the bands vocals which come across as reverb heavy and manic.
Great keyboard and effects are used on this song, upping the space rock ante
and lead heavily to the darker parts of the track. Definitely a very trippy
feeling of dissonance.
The
first two songs play on each other with similar feels for a sort of combined
effect. Enter “Black Gandharvas” with a darker and more straight ahead swagger
to it. This song brings into play the sabbathian flourishes I mentioned early. A
good head bobbing ass kicker of a track. At about seven and a half minutes into
the song, it shape shifts into an acid rock harmonized guitar part before
snapping back into the signature gallop to finish the track out in a fever
dream state.
Track
four is another instrumental track on the record and it reminds me of the first
track the flip on a vinyl- and acts as an intro to the end of the record if you
will. Another rad space rock sounding short, leading into the fifth track of
the album, ‘Descent Through the Intravoidal’ which starts off with a very surf
rock sounding part mixed with this bands space rock sound, it works superbly.
This is the standout track on the album not only because it is different than
the rest of the record but because it takes the sum of all the bands parts,
throws them into warp speed and makes me love being in for the ride. Towards
the end it pumps the brakes a bit and melds seamlessly with the last track and
effective outro of the record.
The
final track is a 13 minute jam of slowed down space rock bleakness, groove
heavy plodding into a weird 70’s grind house sounding exit that works like a
reverse version of the intro to the record. A very good and well played closer
by the band.
Overall
I thoroughly enjoyed ‘I.E.V.: Transmutated Nebula Remains’, and find it hard to
make many critiques. The record flows perfectly and takes the listener on a
complete voyage with tons of different psychedelic aspects that make it stand
out. This is a nice take on the stoner rock/metal genre and I really like the
approach these guys are taking to it. I’ve heard a lot of comparisons to the
mighty Monster Magnet when people talk about Spectral haze, and that’s a hell
of a compliment, but I’m not seeing it so much (I’m a self proclaimed Monster
Magnet superfan) as I am seeing big influences from Hawkwind’s catalogue.
That’s also a pretty big compliment and something you don’t see too much of
these day, and neither is this record! I look forward to more from these guys
in the future and I would really like to see how these songs translate in a
live setting.
Words by: David Heaton
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