Astral Kompakt Premiere “Batavische Träne II” Video; Goldader Out Nov. 22
Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 8th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
German heavy instrumentalists Astral Kompakt will release their full-length debut, Goldader, on Nov. 22 through Tonzonen Records. And from opener “Pirsch” onward, the record is plenty heavy — the lead cut, first of seven total on a 40-minute front-to-back, kicks in from its quiet intro at right around 1:40 — and that’s all well and good, but Goldader is working toward more than just that standard. There are flourishes, pieces of pieces, that seem to come from more progressive fare, even prog-metal in “Batavische Träne I,” where the prior “Welwitschie” offers fluid rumination early and builds in stages, unveiling a plus-sized roll en route to a stop in its final minute from which a Truckfighters-y fuzz-run takes off to end.
The title-track is the longest inclusion at 7:42, and comes off “Pirsch” with a more expansive, psychedelic vibe, but there’s purpose behind everything Astral Kompakt do. These aren’t jams. It’s not unstructured. There’s a plot to each of these tracks — even the wailing feedback and fuzzy comedown leads of the penultimate “Ruin” brim with intent — and while the band make a point of their complexity and are clearly ambitious in terms of challenging themselves as players and writers, that doesn’t come at the cost of the material’s raw impact.
Of course, a production and mix from Jan Oberg at Berlin’s Hidden Planet (see also current releases from Daevar, Caffeine, Oberg‘s own Grin, etc.) isn’t going to hurt the prospect of aural largesse, and Goldader, whether it’s the midsection of the title-track, the immersion of “Pirsch” or the way “Batavische Träne II” (video premiering below) seems to do honor to Karma to Burn‘s central ethic of here’s-the-riff-now-eat-it when it came to groovemaking, but tone and tempo variation assures that not every song has the same goals or winds up in the same place. It is not a collection of linear builds, though “Batavische Träne II” has a doozy after its rocking opening section gives way to a quieter middle before its held-in-pocket nod is laid bare, soon to be topped with a duly airy solo.
But “Ruin” shifts the
structure away from that build and works around its core progression with a rocker’s intention and Conan-style tonality underpinning a markedly doomed — and by that I mean grunge — riff. “Ruin” stones out, throws a little wah on the bass even, later on, but ends crushing, and drops to a silence, which the barely-there-at-first ambient opening of “Levitas” gets moving before a cymbal wash marks the arrival point of bloodrush punctuated lumber that ultimately opens to a transposed desert rock riff — (only) in my head, vague echoes of being told I don’t seem to understand the dee-yal — rolled out in a way that’s straightforward enough but doesn’t let go of the mood of its mellower launch.
And do they bring back the crashes and the slammy-slammy and the heavy-heavy whatnot? Well of course they do; rest easy. Shifting from roll to nod and stomp between, Astral Kompakt are once again following a plot, but what distinguishes “Levitas” from “Ruin” before it or even Goldader‘s title-cut, which is the only piece here over seven minutes long, is the clever way the parts are charted and interact with each other. You think one change is coming, another comes, and this is a strength. It’s not that Astral Kompakt are pulling cheeky switcheroos, but instead that the material is interesting enough and executed well enough to stand up to defying the expectations of genre.
In this way, Goldader seems very much to have accomplished what Astral Kompakt set out for it to do, building something that is progressive in construction, rich in atmosphere/mood, diverse in sound and a push in playing if not raw technique for its own sake. There are reaches here, and as sparse as some moments are, the band wield density with cleverness and skill as one of the tools used, and when they hit into a payoff like that of “Pirsch” after spending a minute or so in a welcoming La-La Land of dreamy ’90s-alt lead guitar, they make it physically affecting.
It might take a couple listens to let Goldader sink in completely, and I can’t help you there — it’s not out yet and this is a video not an album premiere; I didn’t even see another single streaming — but the album’s out in two weeks, and I believe strongly in your ability to keep these things in mind. Until it’s out, keep in mind “Batavische Träne II” is riffier on average than some of what Astral Kompakt do in other tracks, but represents well the heavier side without giving up mood.
PR wire info follows the video on the player below. As always, I hope you enjoy:
Astral Kompakt, “Batavische Träne II” video premiere
A video by Astral Kompakt and Solid Waste
Astral Kompakt carefully dissect the psych metal blueprint laid out by Sleep and Electric Wizard, slowing it down, spacing it out and abstracting its essence. Creating a new conversation in which heaviness is not a goal but a means to an end, Goldader, out November 22 via Tonzonen Records, perfects the art of making complexity comprehensible and sonic violence sophisticated.
Stoner rock leans heavily on its psychedelic imagery and lyrics for its allure, leaving a small number of artists capable of writing captivating instrumental music that still fits the bill. Where other acts turn to humorous tropes or excessive layers of fuzz, Germany-based instrumental outfit Astral Kompakt resort to reducing things to a minimum, keeping a tight formation as a trio. With their debut album Goldader they have perfected the art of making complexity comprehensible and sonic violence sophisticated.
Across its 40-minute long runtime Goldader reveals itself as a lexicon of anything prog and stoner, touching upon and playing with stylistic devices that also characterise the metal genre as a whole. From from the jagged start-stop riffing of Pirsch through the subtle polyrhythms of Welwitschie to the repeating motifs of Batavische Träne II, Astral Kompakt prove they understand the elements of the genre and know how to use them in refreshing ways.
The inconspicuous way in which they open the album in 10/8 but make it seem like the most normal stoner riff ever, attests to the ability of Astral Kompakt to make music that is both fun and engaging. The title track innovatively juxtaposes the summer vibes of indie rock with exuberant blast beats, while album closer Levitas skilfully anatomizes the art of melting face, creating an experience in which the real heaviness is found in the space between the distorted chords.
With Goldader Astral Kompakt have indeed struck gold, creating a record you can spend endless moments with, digging around and unearthing all its intricacies. The songwriting is serious but also has a sense of humour, the riffs are both brain-heavy and face-melting, while the album sounds phenomenal thanks to Jan Oberg at who recorded, produced and mixed the album at his Hidden Planet Studio in Berlin.
Astral Kompakt Goldader is out November 22, 2024 on Tonzonen Records. It can be pre-ordered on limited edition vinyl here: https://www.tonzonen.de/shop/p/astral-kompakt-presale-061024-
Tracklist
1. Pirsch
2. Goldader
3. Welwitschie
4. Batavische Träne I
5. Batavische Träne II
6. Ruin
7. Levitas
