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Ecstatic Vision, Sonic Praise: High Times on the Astral Plane

Posted in Reviews on August 10th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

ecstatic vision sonic praise

Philadelphia heavy psych trio Ecstatic Vision were signed to Relapse Records last winter on the strength of their first demo and an apparent readiness to hit the road hard. They did so this spring alongside Enslaved and YOB and will do so again this fall with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and fellow Philly residents Ruby the Hatchet. Their first album, Sonic Praise, could easily have been an afterthought to their touring intentions. It is not. The trio of guitarist/vocalist/noisemaker Douglas Sabolik, drummer/percussionist Jordan Crouse — both formerly of metalcore-ish agents A Life Once Lost — and bassist Michael Connor effectively conjure heavy psychedelic vibing and space rock thrust throughout Sonic Praise‘s five tracks and vinyl-minded 38 minutes, positioning the longest cut, “Astral Plane” (12:38), effectively as the second piece behind the already-jammy opener “Journey” for maximum out-there exploration.

Some of the elements feel interchangeable on a thematic level — that is to say, “Astral Plane” could just as easily be called “Sonic Praise” and “Sonic Praise,” which appears as track four, could just as easily be called “Journey,” and so on — but there’s no denying that Ecstatic Vision hit their marks, and given how hard they make it to remember this is their first album and that essentially they’re a band of players exploring a new style of expression as they jam their way through, it’s correspondingly easy to get on board with some familiar weedian worship. Sabolik‘s guitar work is at the fore, but a great strength Ecstatic Vision show from the beginning of “Journey” lies in immersion, and they leave little room for either being completely hypnotized or nothing at all. The former is the more enjoyable position.

“Journey” starts off quick a wash of effects and synth swirl before a Sleep-y riff takes hold, but already there’s more at work than simple Pike/Cisneros worship. That’s good news, and likewise the psychedelic push that emerges from Crouse‘s drumming and the grounding effect of Connor‘s bass — which remains reliably earthbound while Sabolik‘s gruff vocals invite the listener along the trip to come from deep in the mix — layered keys and guitar following in the last minute to transition into “Astral Plane” and seemingly demonstrate a meeting of the expanded minds. Sonic Praise as a whole seems to run on a loose drop-out-get-high narrative, the 12 minutes of “Astral Plane” directly questioning what we work for and what the point of doing anything other than getting stoned might be. Fair question, frankly, but what makes the second track the album’s standout is the jam itself.

ecstatic vision

With added percussion, Ecstatic Vision tie into some loose Afrobeat elements, more Goat than Fela Kuti, but more Hawkwind than either of them, saxophone swirl and all, the guest horn contributed by Kevin Nickles, who also adds flute. If Sonic Praise is going to grab the listener, it’s in “Astral Plane,” and while it’s not necessarily as bold a move as it might have been to lead off with it, putting what on many records would be the closer second is commendable. By the time they get around to the centerpiece of the CD/side B opener of the vinyl, “Don’t Kill the Vibe,” there seems to be minimal danger of that actually happening. Much like Crouse‘s drumming, the narrative is pushing straight ahead, toward stoned enlightenment amid swirling synth ghosts and righteous lysergics, all the while retaining a self-aware presence that never truly seems lost no matter how much Ecstatic Vision seem to be advocating a wandering consciousness.

Does that undercut — or further, kill — the vibe? Not really. As the second half of Sonic Praise gets underway, they’re in deep enough that even if they’ve managed to keep their heads about them while building this massive swirl, that doesn’t necessarily mean that one listening to it needs to do the same. “Don’t Kill the Vibe” and the title-track, which follows,” continue the thread that “Journey” and “Astral Plane” set out of trance-inducing psychedelia, the title-track in particular dipping into percussive and melodic nuance in a way that broadens the context of the album overall, winding up with echoing drums and shouts and trailing leads feeding directly into “Cross the Divide,” which at 9:43 is enough to provide a fitting counterpoint to “Astral Plane” and account for the resulting moment of the narrative — the “good time” aspired to in “Don’t Kill the Vibe” is attained — but once again, it’s the power trio instrumental chemistry that Ecstatic Vision boast and the richness of sound they’re able to bring amid their subtly moving repetitions that give the album its satisfying finish.

They shift through a deceptive hook in the last two verses of “Cross the Divide,” but it’s less about structure and, true to form for the entire album preceding, much more about vibe. Vibe is the key. Vibe is the intent — and it’s an intent they state, further emphasizing the consciousness lurking beneath all that psychedelic chaos — and vibe is what they emit. It oozes from the speakers in colorful, headphone-worthy emanations, and while Sonic Praise sounds longer then its 38 minutes, that’s not at all because it’s boring, but because one eventually snaps back to consciousness after the long fadeout of “Cross the Divide” and inevitably wonders what the hell just happened. Make no mistake, Sonic Praise is a beginning point. It’s a band’s first album, and it sounds like it. But it’s also among the most promising debut releases I’ve heard from and American band this year, and with the obvious work they’re willing to put into supporting it, one doubts it’ll be all that long before Ecstatic Vision find themselves mastering this cosmos of their own making.

Ecsatic Vision, Sonic Praise (2015)

Ecstatic Vision on Thee Facebooks

Ecstatic Vision on Bandcamp

Ecstatic Vision at Relapse

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Ecstatic Vision to Tour with Uncle Acid and Ruby the Hatchet

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 4th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

ecstatic vision

The marked, cosmic ascent of Philadelphia trio Ecstatic Vision continues this fall as they head out on tour supporting Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and their fellow Philly-dwellers Ruby the Hatchet. Pretty interesting that two Philly bands will open the run for Uncle Acid. Could it be that East Coast psych — elusive in these post-Naam days, but spread throughout the usually-too-angry seaboard nonetheless — has a new home? I wonder what Brooklyn would have to say. Or maybe Brooklyn’s over it. I’m not cool enough to know.

Ecstatic Vision will be out supporting their Relapse Records debut LP, Sonic Praise, which — as a fella once said — is a good ‘un. Dates and info follow, rocketshipped off the PR wire:

uncle acid ruby the hatchet ecstatic vision

Ecstatic Vision Announce North American Tour With Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Ruby The Hatchet

Debut Album Sonic Praise Out Now on Relapse Records

Ecstatic Vision hit the road next month with Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Ruby The Hatchet for a full North American trek. Their stunning live show and debut, Sonic Praise earned them a signing with Relapse Records just a little after a year of coming together as a band. Don’t miss them in a city near you – all shows listed below and stay tuned for more headlining dates to be added.

In case you missed it: Ecstatic Vision weave the guitar heroics of the 70’s heavy classics of UFO and Hawkwind with the rhythmic intensity of Sun Ra and Fela Kuti. Massive riffs vibe seamlessly with deep rhythms to create one of the most original and best heavy psych debuts in years.

Ecstatic Vision Live Dates:

9/9: Center Stage – Atlanta, GA #
9/11: Baltimore Sound Stage – Baltimore, MD #
9/10: The Golden Pony – Harrisonburg, VA
9/12: Webster Hall – New York, NY #
9/13: Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA #
9/14: Royale – Boston, MA #
9/16: Corona Theater – Montreal, QC #
9/17: Phoenix Theater – Toronto, ON #
9/18: Mr. Smalls – Pittsburgh, PA #
9/19: Metro – Chicago, IL #
9/20: Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN #
9/22: Summit Theater – Denver, CO #
9/23: Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT #
9/25: Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC #
9/26: El Corazon – Seattle, WA #
9/27: Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR #
9/29: Slims – San Francisco, CA #
9/30: Slims – San Francisco, CA #
10/1: The Fonda Theater – Los Angeles, CA #
10/2: The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA #
10/6: Sons of Hermann Hall – Dallas, TX *

# – w/ Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Ruby The Hatchet
* – w/ King Dude

http://ecstaticvision.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ecstaticvision
https://twitter.com/ecstaticvision_
https://instagram.com/ecstaticvision/

Ecstatic Vision, Sonic Praise (2015)

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Ecstatic Vision Post New Video for “Astral Plane”

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 20th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

ecstatic vision astral plane

More than content to let their freak flag fly, Philly trio Ecstatic Vision released their debut long-player earlier this month on Relapse Records. That album, Sonic Praise (review pending), is as informed by the bright multi-color vividness of Goat as it is by classic Hawkwindian space rock, and it serves notice of the three-piece’s arrival on the heavy psych scene, their only prior work a demo that got them picked up by Relapse and found them on tour with the likes of YOB and Enslaved earlier this year. Not a bad way to start out.

“Astral Plane” is the first video to come from Sonic Praise and it is little surprise that it’s trippy as hell. Directed by Philadelphia’s Woodshop Films, it’s essentially a performance clip, but like the song itself, it takes traditional forms and manipulates them through a cosmic sprawl to get a weirdo result that’s multifaceted and oddly familiar at the same time. Hard to imagine it’ll be long before Ecstatic Vision are back out supporting their first full-length’s arrival, but for anyone who hasn’t yet had the chance to see them on stage, the clip gives a decent sense of what they’re all about.

Mushrooms, apparently.

Have at you:

Ecstatic Vision, “Astral Plane” official video

Ecstatic Vision take us on a ride with their new live video “Astral Plane”. Their stunning debut, Sonic Praise earned them a signing with Relapse Records just a little after a year of coming together as a band and they’ve already toured North America with Yob and Enslaved. You can’t miss this one. Sonic Praise weaves the guitar heroics of the 70’s heavy classics of UFO and Hawkwind with the rhythmic intensity of Sun Ra and Fela Kuti. Massive riffs vibe seamlessly with deep rhythms to create one of the most original and best heavy psych debuts in years.

Ecstatic Vision on Thee Facebooks

Ecstatic Vision on Instagram

Ecstatic Vision on Bandcamp

Relapse Records

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Ecstatic Vision to Release Sonic Praise on June 30

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 6th, 2015 by JJ Koczan

ecstatic-vision-(Photo-by-Orion-Landau)

Initially signed to Relapse on the strength of their first demo, Philly heavy psych trio Ecstatic Vision will make their full-length debut in the heat of summer with Sonic Praise. The album is available to preorder now and follows a spring tour the three-piece undertook with YOB and Enslaved — because if you’re going to do something, god damn it, do it right — and arrives with a sense of intrigue as to how the band’s penchant shown onstage for rhythmic intricacy and jamming spiritualism will translate to a studio setting. The album is five songs, so I’m guessing it translates to a couple pretty extended tracks.

No problem there. Sonic Praise is out June 30 on Relapse and the PR wire has details, a stream of the song “Don’t Kill the Vibe” and those preorder links for those who like to be ahead of the game.

Dig it:

ecstatic vision sonic praise

ECSTATIC VISION DETAIL DEBUT ALBUM ‘SONIC PRAISE’ OUT ON RELAPSE RECORDS JUNE 30TH

Philadelphia’s Ecstatic Vision explode onto the scene with one of the most thrilling guitar driven records in a long, long time. Sonic Praise weaves the guitar heroics of the 70’s heavy classics of UFO and Hawkwind with the rhythmic intensity of Sun Ra and Fela Kuti. Massive riffs vibe seamlessly with deep rhythms to create one of the most original and best heavy psych debuts in years. The album is out June 30th on Relapse Records.

Recorded at various studios throughout Philadelphia, the group’s debut is an acid-tinged mix of trance inducing, primitive African tribal and heavy psych a la Hawkwind, Goat and Amon Düül II. The band formed in early 2014 and have already played numerous high profile shows like Pallbearer, Georgia’s Meltasia Festival alongside Black Lips, Nik Turner’s Hawkwind and toured North America with YOB and Enslaved.

ECSTATIC VISION
SONIC PRAISE
RELAPSE RECORDS
JUNE 30, 2015
PRE-ORDER: PHYSICAL | DIGITAL

1 – Journey
2 – Astral Plane
3 – Don’t Kill The Vibe
4 – Sonic Praise
5 – Cross The Divide

https://www.facebook.com/ecstaticvision
https://twitter.com/ecstaticvision_
https://instagram.com/ecstaticvision/
http://ecstaticvision.bandcamp.com/
http://www.relapse.com/ecstatic-vision/

Ecstatic Vision, “Don’t Kill the Vibe”

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