Acid Magus Post “Demon Behemoth”; Announce New Album Hope is Heavy
Don’t sleep on this. Don’t do it. I know, it’s another band, announcing another release, they’ve already made their debut in 2021’s Wyrd Syster (review here) so maybe you feel like you’re late to the party, but trust me, you’re not. Go ahead and click play on “Demon Behemoth” at the bottom of this post and you’ll find welcome amid the warm heavy psych tones and melodies as Acid Magus give a first taste of their upcoming sophomore LP, Hope is Heavy.
The song gets into some proggy chug and exploration later on — there’s time for these things in an eight-minute single — but the message even in its outer reaches is to immerse, to lose yourself in the going, and it’s worth doing so. Some restructuring of the band’s lineup has led to their becoming a five-piece, and while I dug that first record, what I’m hearing in “Demon Behemoth” is an uptick in fullness as well as production value and if that’s hope getting heavy as the track passes its sixth minute mark and finds its way back to its harmony-topped roll, the real adventure is just beginning. Sign me up.
No concrete release date as yet for Hope is Heavy, but Mongrel Records will have the release and the label sent the following down the PR wire:
Acid Magus unveil cathartic new single Demon Behemoth
DOWNLOAD / STREAM ► https://orcd.co/demonbehemoth
Acid Magus is an experimental rock outfit from Pretoria, South Africa. Doom, stoner, punk, psych, and classic rock are all common themes in their music. As huge fans of the rock greats (Zeppelin, Sabbath), stoner/desert rock behemoths (Kyuss, Sleep) as well as the tripped out psychedelic stylings of modern “psych” bands like Slift. Acid Magus take inspiration from all kinds of great music, spanning the entire gamut from 60s Hendrix and The Doors to Hawkwind and Scorpions at their heaviest, all this with maybe a little Alt Rock sensibility thrown in for good measure.
The band’s debut album Wyrd Syster was released in 2021 to widespread acclaim from fans and heavy music media. 2023 see Acid Magus returning as a 5 piece with a new vocalist and the addition of a second guitarist, as well as a brand-new album Hope Is Heavy, set for release later this year on Mongrel Records.
Demon Behemoth is the crushing first single from the forthcoming album. Guitarist and chief songwriter Keenan Kinnear explains, “Demon Behemoth is not only the first single but also the first track off our upcoming sophomore album, Hope is Heavy. The entire album is a concept dealing with me realizing how I am slowly becoming more cynical with age. Every song on the album, including Demon Behemoth, is a cross-section of my psyche, self-analyzed for the sake of solving the “great cynicism” I am experiencing at the moment and searching for the silver lining in what constantly seems to be an increasingly grim outlook.”
In the faint light that separates dreams from reality, lies from truth and heaven from hell, lives the Acid Magus. Meditating, surrounded by darkness and light, energizing the air with electric anticipation. Come forward and listen, stay awhile, there are no sins…
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