Let us not go into that good Bandcamp Friday without a nod to Acid’s Trip. The Gothenburg, Sweden, four-piece release their first record, Strings of Soul, tomorrow through Heavy Psych Sounds, and you can stream it now a day in advance. This was put together last-minute, so forgive my brevity, but the opportunity came past to host the premiere of the album, and given the Blue Öyster Cultistry of the post-intro title-track the sheer rush of “No More Fucks,” the Skynyrdism so rampant throughout their leads, the we’re-not-trying-to-get-away-with-anything roadsong “The Kiss Riff,” the later weirdo Ghostiness of “Creature of the Lagoon,” with guitarists Acid and Mike sharing vocal duties atop the classic-style grooves of bassist Lucas and drummer Rockard, it wasn’t the kind of thing I was about to say no to.

There are copious nods to Southern rock between the cowbell and organ of “Just a Man” and the shuffling “If Only (I Were the Only),” and Acid’s Trip play off root ’70s influences in unabashed fashion — they’re not kidding when they call the song “Faster, Chopper, Boogie” — but the overarching sound of Strings of Soul isn’t retro. Rather, it shows how far Swedish homage-heavy has come in bridging the gaps between decades. They play hard and heavy at the same time, resulting in an energetic, willfully ass-kicking blend. It’s a party, it’s a show, it’s catchy, fun, classic and of its moment. And at its core is a band with a more than capable sense of delivery and a clarity of vision. They know what they want their songs to do. They want them to dance, to careen and twist along back roads at probably too-high speeds. They play to a classic rock and roll ideal, their melodies and rhythms upbeat in a pastoralism that reminds a bit of The Golden Grass, but whether it’s on “Get it Right” or not, they do exactly that.

Again, this was an opportunity that came my way in the last minute and I didn’t want to let slip, so if nothing else, take that as a sign of the quality of work Acid’s Trip — and producer Ola Ersfjord should get a mention here too — have put into their debut. Keep an eye out because the band are doing a virtual release party tomorrow at 7PM CET (that’s 1PM Eastern US) where they’ll be listening to the record and I think taking questions and generally hanging out with whoever’s hanging out. Check their Instagram for more info on that.

PR wire info follows the stream below.

Please enjoy:

Acid’s Trip, Strings of Soul official premiere

Acid’s Trip has done it again – high energy rock’n’roll with string-bending licks, a touch of soul and a blazing organic beat. This best describes the Gothenburg-based quartet that has taken the timeless sound of past decades to a whole new level. The album “Strings of Soul” was recorded during the late summer of 2020 by the band themselves for that hard rock feel and the production was mixed and mastered by genius sound engineer Ola Ersfjord (Honeymoon Disease, Tribulation, Dead Lord etc.). The rock was played and the tambourine is still grooving!

With past releases like the 12” maxi vinyl ”Rock´n´Roll Speedball” the band has generated Shell Shock while delivering top speed live action on any occasion and the debut album “Strings of Soul” is no exception. 11 exploding tracks filled with emotion, rawness and melodies to bring you on a sonically unforgettable journey that really puts this album on the race track and up the charts!

The band has already worked up a well acclaimed live portfolio while touring the streets of Europe and this album has really captured the feels of being out on the road while leaving strings of soul for miles on end. This album is like an explosive mixture of Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Hellacopters that delivers instant hits like ”Get It Right”, ”No more fucks ” and dubbed favorite by fans ”Faster Chopper Boogie” that will hit you right in the face and straight in the heart.

Get ready to be blown away and down with vibes from the early 70s while blasting ”Strings of Soul” on full tilt boogie! Knuckleheads and motor fanatics, start your engines and may your soul rest in speed!

ACID’S TRIP is:
Acid – Guitar/Vocals
Mike – Guitar/Vocals
Rockard – Drums
Lucas – Bass

Acid’s Trip on Facebook

Acid’s Trip on Instagram

Acid’s Trip on YouTube

Acid’s Trip website

Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook

Heavy Psych Sounds on Bandcamp

Heavy Psych Sounds website

I was putting the show together the other day — like everything else in the last two weeks, I had to push off doing so owing to family stuff — and when I was picking tracks, it just kind of occurred to me that I might as well do a whole show of Heavy Psych Sounds stuff. It was like, “Oh, I’ll play Bongzilla and those new Hippie Death Cult and Acid’s Trip tracks,” and then it was “Well I haven’t played any of the new Sonic Flower yet and that’s Tatsu from Church of Misery so that’s cool,” and then from there filling out an entire two hours’ worth of Heavy Psych Sounds stuff was shockingly easy.

New 16, 1782, Cosmic Reaper, Acid Mammoth, on and on, and some other awesome stuff that’s come out in the last couple years, and two hours later, it still only barely scratches the surface of what the Italian label has done. To wit, the catalog reissues from Doze and Nebula and Brant Bjork go unrepresented here. As does the last Yawning Man or the upcoming Yawning Sons, both of which I’ve played recently on the show. But yeah, there’s so much stuff to go through, I simply didn’t have room for it all, especially knowing that I wanted to end with the 19-minute track from Orgöne because that record is so weird and out there even in comparison to other stuff the label does.

I talk a bit here, mostly just to be like, “Duh that was awesome” about one song or another. Despite my verbal bumbling and constant “uh”-ness, I hope you enjoy the show.

Thanks for listening and/or reading.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at http://gimmemetal.com

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 03.19.21

Bongzilla	Free the Weed	Weedsconsin
Hippie Death Cult	Red Meat Tricks	Circle of Days
Acid’s Trip	Faster, Chopper, Boogie!	Strings of Soul
Sonic Flower	Super Witch	Rides Again
16	Death on Repeat	Doom Sessions Vol. 3
VT
Black Rainbows	Sacred Graal	Cosmic Ritual Supertrip
Fatso Jetson	Flesh Trap Blues	Split with Farflung
Ecstatic Vision	Grasping the Void	For the Masses
Acid Mammoth	Ivory Towers	Caravan
Crypt Trip	Hard Times	Haze County
VT
Big Scenic Nowhere	Tragic Motion Lines	Vision Beyond Horizon
High Reeper	Bring the Dead	Higher Reeper
The Pilgrim	Waiting for the Sun	…From the Earth to the Sky and Back
Geezer	Black Owl	Groovy
Cosmic Reaper	Hellion	Cosmic Reaper
1782	The Chosen One	From the Graveyard
VT
Orgöne	Erstes Ritual	Mos/Fet

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is April 2 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Thee Facebooks

Okay. So what we know from this is that chances are that tomorrow, which is Thursday, we’re going to get new audio and preorders from Acid’s Trip, who’ll be making their debut on Heavy Psych Sounds sometime this Spring — maybe May? I don’t know. But that’ll happen, and cool for the Swedish new-ish-comers, who feature in their ranks former Honeymoon Disease guitarist Acid. I guess it’s her trip. Fair enough.

Next week will bring new audio from Hippie Death Cult too, and album preorders as well. The Oregonians are due a follow-up for their 2019 debut, 111 (review here), and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that record was going to be reissued as well. Cursed Tongue went through multiple pressings and I can’t imagine Heavy Psych Sounds wouldn’t do likewise.

So there you go.

You notice lately how it’s A LOT of Heavy Psych Sounds and Ripple Music? That’s not coincidence. That’s top Euro and US provider, right there.

More to come. From the PR wire:

HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS – Hippie Death Cult & Acid’s Trip

Heavy Psych Sounds Records & Booking is really proud to present TWO NEW BANDs signing HIPPIE DEATH CULT & ACID’S TRIP

*** HIPPIE DEATH CULT ***

We’re incredibly stoked and honored to announce that US heavy rockerz HIPPIE DEATH CULT are now members of the HPS family !!

NEW ALBUM PRESALE + FIRST TRACK PREMIERE and more surprises STARTS: MARCH 9th

SAYS THE BAND: “We have a lot of respect for what Gabe and HPS have accomplished over the years and are excited and honored to be collaborating on these releases with them. We feel pretty confident that this partnership will propel us both to new heights.”

BIOGRAPHY

Hippie Death Cult has proven to be one of the more exciting hard rock bands to surface in recent years, They have earned a stellar reputation both for live performance and recorded material from fans and critics alike. The Portland, Oregon based quartet consists of members – Eddie Brnabic, Ben Jackson, Ryan Moore and Laura Phillips. They began writing and performing in early 2018, but the roots of HDC go much deeper. A stream of musical consciousness swept over guitarist Eddie Brnabic inspiring him to create the band. It would take a few lineup attempts and a little luck to bring the right members together. Laura Phillips was the first to help solidify the vision. A veteran of the Portland music scene she not only had the skills necessary to compliment Eddie’s sound but she also brought with her drummer Ryan Moore. Ben Jackson was added to the trio and brought to the music his rich voice, textured keyboards and deep lyricism. With a solid lineup in place, they set out with fierce dedication to rehearse, record and perform a string of successful live shows securing a deal with Cursed Tongue Records, who released their debut album “111” in 2019.

Hippie Death Cult is a hard rock band. Shades of Black Sabbath, The Alice Cooper Band, Blizzard Of Ozz, Megadeth, and Soundgarden among others can be traced through their music. At their core they are true to these roots while being driven to push new ideas. The vibe is both timeless and immediately fresh.

2020 was a productive year for HDC. They completed material for Magnetic Eye Records – “Best Of Black Sabbath Compilation”, music for the independent film “All Gone Wrong”, and signed a new record deal with Heavy Psych Sounds Records

HIPPIE DEATH CULT is
Ryan Moore – Drums
Ben Jackson – Vocals/Keys
Eddie Brnabic – Guitar
Laura Phillips – Bass

*** ACID’S TRIP ***

And here we go with another band signing. The swedish rocknrollerz ACID’S TRIP !!!

NEW ALBUM PRESALE + FIRST TRACK PREMIERE STARTS: MARCH 4th

SAYS THE BAND: “Acid’s Trip is heavily psyched to sign a record deal with HPS. We believe we will create great things together. Let the hard rockin’ commence!”

BIOGRAPHY

Acid’s Trip from Gothenburg was formed in late 2018 by Acid, former guitarist of Honeymoon Disease, with a clear vision of performing high speed rock’n’roll. With blasting guitar riffs, punchy melodies and a shitload of attitude the band delivers full tilt boogie action on vinyl & live on stage!

With two shreddin’ guitarists in the front and a dynamite rhythm section, this power house is running over the garage rock scene – with rapid electric guitars, groovy riffs and chopper culture! The music is best described as a hard rock action mix of the speedy Mc5, a touch of Thin Lizzy and Lynyrd Skynyrd soul. The quartet has already proven themselves on tour in Europe and the band blew the roof at the legendary “Flanders Chopper Bash” while the success became a fact.

The bands 12″ vinyl “Rock’n’Roll Speedball” sold out quickly and the awaited debut album “Strings of Soul” will be released soon on Heavy Psych Sounds Records! The tracks come with the raw power of furious motor engines and Gothenburg groove. With a growing fanbase all around Europe and the states Acid’s Trip is now hittin’ the charts to reclaim the rockin’ vibes and fill your heads with groovy rock’n’roll!

ACID’S TRIP is:
Acid – Guitar/Vocals
Mike – Guitar/Vocals
Rockard – Drums
Lucas – Bass

https://hippiedeathcult.bandcamp.com/
https://instagram.com/hippiedeathcultband/
https://www.facebook.com/hippiedeathcultband/
https://soundcloud.com/hippie-death-cult
https://www.hippiedeathcultband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/acidstripband/
https://www.instagram.com/acidstrip_official/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC92xnulnrA_t1E_zQGPifFg
https://acidstrip.com/

heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/

Hippie Death Cult, 111 (2019)

Acid’s Trip, “Trippin’ Balls” official video