San Francisco-based mostly-solo-project SÖNUS will release their second album, Usurper of the Universe, on Feb. 5 through Forbidden Place Records. Thus it is that multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and co-producer David Wachsman and drummer Eddie Salazar follow-up late 2020’s well-received Worlds Undreamed Of and arrive at a form of sometimes-psychedelic heavy rock that at points signals a metallic underpinning, as in Wachsman‘s gutted-out vocal delivery on “The Golden Path.” All told, the collection amasses six tracks for a deceptively-sharp 35 minutes, working from a masterplan on Wachsman‘s part that — particularly as he crowns himself as the titular usurper of the universe in the track that shares the album’s name — brings to mind mid-’90s Monster Magnet, though that doesn’t account necessarily for the spaced-out penultimate instrumental “Amáranthine,” so take it for what it’s worth. Grains of salt the size of asteroids making tidal waves of dug-in riffs when they crash into tonal oceans undulating the grand universal nod. Or some such.

“Pay Me Your Mind” (video premiering below) is the second single from Usurper of the Universe behind the hooky prior-alluded title-cut, and it serves as the middle piece of what might be side A’s three-song salvo, with opener “Nuclear God” laying out the foundation in its thick riffing and lines like “You know the whole damn thing feels like a sick joke/The human race has all gone insane/Nothing left to do but take a big toke/And dive into the right side of my brain.” Soon enough, “Usurper of the Universe” will follow by standing astride the throne of god having slain titans, and that may well be a reference out of sci-fi/fantasy — closer “Tanelorn,” for example, draws from the work of Michael Moorcock; Blind Guardian also wrote a song about “Tanelorn” one time that was pretty darn catchy, though they and SÖNUS are by no means the only two to visit that continuity — and while I don’t know where/if Wachsman might have a vinyl split in mind, the three shorter opening tracks hit an especially resonant mania on “Pay Me Your Mind.”

It’s a rocker, to be sure, and with its repetitions of the title and verses like “Now you’re looking to your leaders for some hope to survive/As they stare into the blazing sun/Well you’ve been pulling all nighters at the charnel house/And now your nose is starting to run,” the relevance is unquestionable and the spirit of delivery is heavy punk. This too could be likened to Monster Magnet if you really want, but Wachsman and Salazar bring an energy of their own to it, including in the furious guitar solo that underscores much of the second half of the song, where the overwhelming repeating lines become so purposefully overwhelming. In the parlance of our times, “it do be like that,” and one can hardly argue with Wachsman when, at the end, he says “There ain’t shit.” That “Usurper of the Universe” opens with a bong rip and synth from Tyler Hovestadt (who appears throughout the album and drums on “Amáranthine”) before its grandiose riff kicks in feels like, well, of course. That, in itself, is a kind of social critique.

There is a shift between “Usurper of the Universe” and “The Golden Path,” which opens up with a layer of hard-strummed guitar and a forward, space-rock-derived progression met with barked vocals that are contrasted and complemented in kind by “Amáranthine” subsequent, which lets “Tanelorn” close out on a shorter linear build that moves into a wash of guitar, synth and vocal melody that fades into the album’s finish, leaving the resonant impression of Usurper of the Universe as a clean, considered and mindful execution, bordering on the progressive at its most over-the-top, but not in the end pretentious enough to be off-putting. It feels like SÖNUS and Wachsman are doing the initial explorations of world-building, and the overarching atmosphere of Usurper of the Universe may well lead to further development of storytelling in lyrics/music to come. Maybe, maybe not. When you’ve taken over the universe, you can pretty much do what you will. I look forward accordingly to see where Wachsman and company go next.

You’ll find suitably spastic video for “Pay Me Your Mind” below.

Please enjoy:

SÖNUS, “Pay Me Your Mind” video premiere

David Wachsman on “Pay Me Your Mind”:

Written in December of 2020, “Pay Me Your Mind” is my ’70s proto-punk-inspired rebuke of the utter insanity of our times- from ineffectual to downright stupid, corrupt politicians and world leaders; bloated, propped up systems teetering on the verge of collapse; the world’s climate in total upheaval; people in the throes of complete mental and economic despair; chaos, death, and violence are a blasé everyday occurrence as a nation grows ever-more desensitized to the brutality it abides in its own culture; an unending plague combined with utterly batshit conspiracy theories perpetuated by social media conglomerates who evade responsibility and propagate relentless stupidity.

Now, a little over a year after the January 6th insurrection, I feel the song is more relevant than ever. Accompanying it is an absolutely brutal and intense visual interpretation from Darksprite Videos that I believe perfectly captures the chaotic energy and the themes of the song wrapped together with references to some of the horror movies I love that helped keep me sane over the past couple years.

From The album “Usurper of the Universe” coming February 5th from SÖNUS and Forbidden Place Records. Music and Lyrics by David Wachsman, with Eddie Salazar on Drums. Produced by David Wachsman, with Tyler Hovestadt. Mixed and Mastered by Simon Jameson at Black Art Audio. Video made by Darksprite videos:
https://www.instagram.com/darkspritevideos/

Album available for digital pre-order now! https://sonusrocks.bandcamp.com/

CDs, Cassettes, and Merch coming February 5th to Forbidden Place Records:
https://forbiddenplacerecords.bandcamp.com/

SÖNUS on ‘Usurper of the Universe’:
David Wachsman (Composition/Lyrics/Rhythm Guitar/Lead Guitar/Bass/Synths/Vocals/General Mania and Questionable Sanity)
with;
Tyler Hovestadt (Tracks 3 & 6: Additional Synths, Piano, and SFX; Track 5: Drums),
Eduardo Salazar (Drums, except for track 5), and
Jaymi McGinn (backing vocals on track 6)

SÖNUS on Facebook

SÖNUS on Instagram

SÖNUS on Bandcamp

Forbidden Place Records on Facebook

Forbidden Place Records on Instagram

Forbidden Place Records on Bandcamp

Tags: California, Forbidden Place Records, San Francisco, SÖNUS, SÖNUS Usurper of the Universe, Usurper of the Universe

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 at 12:30 pm and is filed under Bootleg Theater, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.