It is high time we heard again from stoner doom veterans Acid King, whose first album in eight years finally dropped. An elusive presence in the scene, the trio always took their time to craft each LP in their discography. Therefore, none of them were less than great and Beyond Vision continues the streak. This time, they emphasized on the psychedelic elements that embellished previous effort, Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere. Drafting longtime producer Billy Anderson, the group created one long journey that comes closest to their name. Each tune segues into the next, gradually absorbing you into its hallucinatory universe. There are several atmospheric segments on each track, as the band focused on diversifying its output. Of course, the riffs are there, but you are not as mercilessly bombarded as before.
Instrumental opener, “One Light Second Away” sets the pace and mood, transitioning from droning ambient to those pleasant stoner sonic plateaus filled with guitar solos and driving bass lines. Ultimately, the climax arrives as a heavy progression that breaks right into “Mind’s Eye”. A tad faster in tempo, the pounding drums and powerful riffs are ready to sway you into interstellar space. Then, the Boris level haziness of “90 Seconds” kicks in together with Lori’s prolonged vocal notes. The low end and murky production augment the desired effect of a confusing, slow motion trip. Meanwhile, the “Destination Psych” interlude and title track return to more expansive structures and progressions. There is a distinct smoothness to the American stoner/doom bands’ sound, especially the ‘90s ones, you can still hear today. They have a certain blend of grooves that European acts developed differently. The South American groups remained closest to this vibe though. The final song, “Color Trails” brings back the heaviness after a gentle intro. A strong end to the album, the crushing riffs on the second half are the Acid King we know. Despite these hard-hitting moments, Beyond Vision portrays a more wandering approach from the band. Fans who expected a straightforward affair might need a few listens to adjust to it. Nevertheless, it’s good the trio wanted to shift things a bit.
curious about this bit: "There is a distinct smoothness to the American stoner/doom bands’ sound, especially the ‘90s ones, you can still hear today. They have a certain blend of grooves that European acts developed differently."
I'm no stoner expert, so what would you say is different groove-wise in EU vs. USA?
At a first glance, beside the Sabbath influence that's universal, in the US you have the punk-influenced acts in California, the Southern rock/blues rock stemmed ones from around NOLA and east coast stuff that's a blend of punk and acid rock like Hawkwind. The latter's maybe closest to European stoner bands that grew in the late '90s-early '00s.
In Europe, most started influenced by American stoner, but many bands, especially in Central Europe blended krautrock, '70s prog (see Colour Haze, Rotor, Causa Sui and later Samsara Blues Experiment or Sungrazer). These bands influenced a lot others that popped up in the 2010-2015 revival years. Swedish bands like Lowrider, Dozer, Greenleaf or Truckfighters were closest IMO to the American scene. Still, I'd say even those shifted their sound since then.
I hope that makes sense, or that's how I hear things.
Maybe this just popped up at the right time for me to enjoy it lol. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it flows nicely. I've been returning to Color Trails, title track and 90 Seconds more than I expected.
However, I think REZN did a similar yet tighter thing with Solace.
These guys drop like one album per decade, but they always bring quality. Honestly thought they split up, nice to see them back in action. Good review.
