ninehertz

What a name. Astral Fungus Cult, from Gdańsk must have been so happy to have encapsulated their existence, their soul and being in the name they not only named the album after themselves but the three tracks taking one word each of their title.

And yes, it is not misleading, your pre-judgement guesses as to what this ultimately sounds like won’t be far wrong – instrumental psychedelic doom from the cosmic voids, in 33 minutes. There’s a familiar pattern between each song, where gentle beginnings of acid-drenched, tripped-out psychedelia give way to much doomier fare a few minutes in. If I’m sounding a little cynical, then don’t worry as there is a joy to it all that overrides that, even if true.

Astral is perhaps my favourite, nice and chilled in its quiet beginnings, darker as the doom enters, but with a matching low energy from the natural pace of both sides. Later on, it tips into stoner rock and here there is a little more activity than the previous phases, leading to a cool combination ending where soloing guitars and revolving rhythms bring a slight flair to the otherwise meditative mood.

Fungus is even mellower at its start, as if the band are waking up, rubbing their eyes and having a good old stretch. An urgent bass line a while in signifies the song’s expansion, which reaches the borders of occult doom by its end. Into which Cult strides purposefully across and to the centre of, once past its obligatory opening low psych wanderings; the ever-present psychedelic effects now a magickal cauldron bubbling away at a black cloaked sermon.

It’s a little predictable and on the odd occasion it feels like it is missing something, perhaps due to their vocal-less setup. Yet their commitment to its vision and more importantly the strong displays of both psych and doom in unison are the overriding feelings of this enjoyable record.