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Warlung Premiere “Phantasmagoria” from Optical Delusions out Oct. 9

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Houston, Texas, four-piece Warlung will make their debut on Heavy Psych Sounds Oct. 9 with Optical Delusions, their third full-length. The follow-up to 2019’s Immortal Portal (review here), it finds the four-piece roaring back with a more developed approach, shades of classic metal’s theatricality blending with a modern heavy rock tonal presence and thrust of groove. It is 39 minutes long and runs eight tracks, so is right in line with current vinyl standards, but there’s a sense of storytelling that grabs the listener from opener “Phantasmagoria” onward and becomes as essential to the proceedings as the riffs and grooves. Primarily, it is tight. Tight in construction, tight in performance, tight in production. There are patient stretches here and there, as in “Sun Eater,” which closes side A ahead of the seemingly-complementary hook of “Order of the Solar Temple” at the outset of the album’s second half, but Warlung bring cuts like “The Scorpion in the Sand,” “Snake Eyes,” “Hell on Earth” (bonus for the bassline circa 2:30) and mega-catchy closer “No Man’s Land” to bear with a sense of urgency that serves the material well, the rhythm section of Chris and Ethan Tamez, on bass and drums, respectively, providing backing gallop behind the twisting riffs and dual-vocals of George Baba and Philip Bennett.

Replete with on-a-dime turns that recall the deceptive intricacy of Sabbath‘s bluesier work, there’s a traditionalism at play behind what Warlung are doing with their songs, but they are by no means bound by a vintage mindset. Some might hear shades of Ghost here and there in theWarlung Optical Delusions vocal melodies, but I get as much Rush, and either way, Warlung are hitting plenty harder, so take that for whatever it’s worth. Still, Baba and Bennett make a fitting pair vocally when they come together and there’s a sense of arriving at a place of arrangement that drives the apex of “Phantasmagoria” just as the solo in “Devil’s Game” reinforces the first-three-records Ozzy Osbourne impression being made in the midsection by following it with due pull. There are plenty of hallmark solos throughout — “Order of the Solar Temple” seems to nod at Deep Purple — but more than any particular feats of technical acumen, Warlung come across of songwriters, and much the same was true of Immortal Portal, which like their 2017 debut, Sleepwalker, will also see reissue on Heavy Psych Sounds. Currents of organ — or at very least organ-ish — melody run alongside the two guitars in “Sun Eater,” one sharper in tone, one further back, but both careening smoothly, and with the deep-toned bass beneath and the solid punctuation of the drums, Warlung are able to construct a fluidity that coincides with their dynamic changes in volume and/or meter, enhancing the experience of hearing both individual songs and Optical Delusions as a whole.

“Snake Eyes” and “Hell on Earth” — which are also the shortest cuts on each respective side — might be the barn-burners, relatively speaking, but don’t be fooled into thinking Warlung are keeping it so simple as that. It only sounds easy. “Devil’s Game” and “No Man’s Land” might finish out at a more moderate pace, but neither is staid in any way, and the same goes for earlier pieces like “The Scorpion in the Sand” and certainly “Phantasmagoria,” which is responsible for giving Optical Delusions its initial kick, hinting toward a progressive mindset but unwilling to relinquish the edge they might have to give up to fully indulge one. Again, these guys are songwriters. They’re in it for the songs, and if you’re going to get into it, the same applies. It is very much a third record in that the group sounds confident in the studio and aware of who they are as a band, but that their realization comes without any dulling of the basic impact of the material itself. If this is heavy metal, it’s heavy metal that recalls when heavy metal was fun.

You’ll find the premiere of “Phantasmagoria” below, followed by more info from the PR wire. Thanks to band, label and PR for letting me host.

Enjoy:

Warlung, “Phantasmagoria” official premiere

PHANTASMAGORIA is the second single of the Warlung brand new album Optical Delusions. The release will see the light October 9th via Heavy Psych Sounds !!

ALBUM PRESALE:
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS140

USA PRESALE:
https://www.forcedexposure.com/SearchResult.html?SearchType=Basic&Type=title&Key=optical%20delusions

SAYS THE BAND:
“Is it real or in my head? Phantasmagoria is about a man either haunted by a poltergeist or suffering from a serious case of optical delusions. On Optical Delusions, we found a middle ground between the classic horror theme of the first album and the rock n roll aspect of the second. We continued to experiment with song structures and changing tempos to keep the music dynamic and interesting. This album explores everything we have done before while guiding us into something new.”

WARLUNG is:
George Baba: Guitar/Vocals
Philip Bennett: Guitar/Vocals
Chris Tamez: Bass
Ethan Tamez: Drums

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