Acid Row to Release Poisoned Mind Vinyl This Week; “Secret of Flying” Video Posted
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 4th, 2024 by JJ KoczanTomorrow is the release show for the LP edition of Acid Row‘s third album, Poisoned Mind. The Prague-based trio will celebrate the platter’s arrival some three weeks after the digital version hit for stream and download, and they have a video up for the song “Secret of Flying” as well for those of us unable to make the actual in-person party, where Swanmay and Povodí Ohře will accompany. More info and tickets, streaming links and promotional whatnot follow below, because duh.
I won’t say the ethic of putting pole-dancing hotties in videos has aged well — it hasn’t, and that’s not intended as a condemnation of the young women getting their undulation-based cardio in — since the days when Monster Magnet were doing it, but Acid Row are playing to a range of classic ideas between heavy/stoner rock, hard-landing boogie (looking at you, “Do You Love Enough?”) and correspondingly Sabbathian doom, with no lack of self-awareness in “Grandchildren of the Doom” or the subversive political aspects beside the spacious nod of “The Emperor,” so there’s both variety and complexity to be had even apart from what “Secrets of Flying” asks in its lyrics or its later flourish of keys.
Don’t be immediately put off, is what I’m telling you, if the video isn’t your thing or you have the kind of job that frowns on at-workplace titillation as most probably do. They’ve got a whole thing going.
Here’s some of it:
The king is dead, long live the Emperor!
Streaming: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/acidrow/poisoned-mind
The kings of Bohemian stoner rock are disrupting the established order (i.e. chaos) and, accompanied by beautiful dancers, are ushering in an even more Emperor of metal. This could be the metaphorical description of the release of a new album by one of the busiest Czech bands, Acid Row. A tale of destruction full of ambiguities – the third LP titled “Poisoned Mind,” is now digitally available. The band will present the album live on its vinyl release party at Futurum Music Club in Prague on Friday, April 5th.
Most commonly identified as a stoner rock band, Acid Row have been building their position as a driving force in an almost imaginary local stoner scene for 12 years. They affirm their position as possibly one of the busiest live bands in the country. The Acid cult spreads beyond borders and as the band boasts numerous collaborations, including a recent one with one of the most successful Czech rappers, Redzed. The “steamroller” that never stops now brings forth a new full-length album. Its face may surprise some. Gone are the embellished side trips into psychedelia, sprawling structures, and punk energy. The music is more straightforward, heavier, and has more continuous energy. The trio of musicians confirms that they have no intention of stagnating within a nonexistent framework. “We enjoy making elusive music.” However, one can still rely on the depth of the lyrics and their mysterious aura. “Poisoned Mind” thus brings a shift with an altered trajectory.
The album features 8 tracks, whose themes often point towards the destruction of individuals and society. They serve as a probe into the mind of frontman Alex Fonar (vocals, bass), who often plays with ambiguity in his lyrics. Interesting themes emerge, such as the Dust Bowl in Black Blizzard, about the sandstorms in the USA, which were one of the main factors of the 1930s economic crisis. The socio-political The Emperor stands as an ageless theme, once again relevant in today’s world, highlighting the absolutist connection of power, madness, and subsequent isolation. Moreover, the trio has released a video clip for the song Secret of Flying as a vanguard of the album. There, the musicians appear alongside pole-dance artists and slightly ironically discuss the limits associated with the band’s wild nightlife, realistically ending only with the touch of death.
Musically, you’ll experience piercing and catchy “riff onslaughts” by Dominik Klesa (guitars), relentless drumming of Radek Bacík, typical tempo changes, compelling vocals, and dense bass, whose sound sometimes (un)subtly recalls the sound from Black Sabbath’s latest LP, “13.” The fact that the Birmingham legend directly influenced entire generations of stoner/metal bands is well known. Acid Row even directly acknowledges this influence on the album with the track Grandchildren of the Doom, which is a generational continuation of Sabbath’s Children of the Grave. The album’s concept is more metal than their previous albums. Apart from the mentioned Sabbath, it resembles the late work of Judas Priest or darker Electric Wizard.
Amak Golden, who took care of recording, mixing, and mastering, also gave the album its final form. The album is digitally available from midnight on March 15th on streaming platforms. The album launch on vinyl is scheduled as part of the celebratory evening on April 5th at Futurum Music Bar. The event will be supported by performances by Povodí Ohře and the Austrian stoner rockers Swanmay. Tickets are available for pre-sale via goout.net.
Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/1TVL3pFpj
Pre-sale: https://goout.net/en/acid-row-album-release%2Bpovodi-ohre%2Bswanmay/sztkpyw/
https://acidrow.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/acidroww
https://www.instagram.com/acidrow/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCepCYroUmgnLs89bm18Nq4Q
