AMON ACID

AMON ACID "Cosmogony"

By Dr. Abner Mality

Looking for suitable musical accompaniment to a massive bong session or an experimental dive into psychedelics? I'm hard pressed to think of a better soundtrack for such activity than "Cosmogony" by space wizards AMON ACID. I was quite impressed by their debut "Paradigm Shift" and while I don't think this record tops it (except in terms of length), this duo is now a serious player in the spaced out doom metal category.

The record is quite a massive one, packed with droning, languorous riff-fests that virtually force you to explore the depths of the universe. Imagine a collision between ELECTRIC WIZARD, HAWKWIND and maybe MONSTER MAGNET and you'll be pretty close to the AMON ACID sound. Toss in some Middle Eastern/Mediterranean touches, which are best heard on "Parallel Realm" and "Nag Hammandi", to spice things up. Guitarist/vocalist Sarantis hails from Greece so those exotic touches are natural and make sense.

The songs are fairly long, but only closer "The Purifier" is a true epic, clocking in at over 14 minutes of buzzy, head-cracking doom. The music is pretty heavy with the exception of "Ethereal Mother", which lacks distortion and is very Greek sounding. Lots of lumbering, fuzz-soaked riffs on "Hyperion" and "Demon Rider", with space noises and "swooshes" giving things a HAWKWIND touch. It's heavy but laid back, flowing along like a river of molasses.

Highly recommended if you want to explore the universe while never leaving contact with the ground.

HELTER SKELTER PRODUCTIONS

AMON ACID