[Click play above to stream ‘Awakening’ by Apex Ten. Their new album, Aashray, is out Friday and available to order from Bandcamp.]

The higher-pitched-but-not-abrasive feedback/effects noise lures the listener into the beginning of “Awakening,” departing when the guitar, bass and drums enter. A sense of space and a ‘setting-out’ vibe are almost immediate on Aashray, Apex Ten‘s debut album — that’s counting 2021’s First Session as a full-length demo; stay with me I’ll get there — as the Liège, Belgium, trio of bassist/vocalist Brad Masaya (also synth, theremin, guitar, tambourine), guitarist Benoît Velez (also theremin, lap steel, chime, tambourine) and drummer/percussionist Alexis Radelet (also güiro, tambourine) begin to dig into the seven-track/41-minute procession. An intention toward audience hypnosis is made clear by the bassline and the contemplative, earlier My Sleeping Karma-style rolling exploration that surrounds it, though the additional crunch in the fuzz that emerges late is harder-landing.

Quick in contrast, the subsequent “Unlock” feels based around the movement of the drums, a steady kick pushing the four-minute track through its winding cosmic course, the bass doing well to keep up with tonal warmth beneath the airier guitar. Vocals arrive after three minutes in, not like an afterthought, but obviously not the priority either, and the effect would be jarring had the band not been so outright immersive already in their heavy psych meditation. But the vocal melody — echoing, not so unlike Elder, but not just that either — is a distinguishing feature and one almost expects a verse to turnaround quickly in “Dazed,” which it doesn’t, as Apex Ten show both patience and a willingness to dive into texture and atmosphere more than separate jams and more structured ‘songs.’ It’s to be vibe, then. Fortunately, they make it thick, rounding their way into a low-end fuzz wash in the second half of “Dazed,” not losing themselves in it even as they seem to completely submerge as Masaya and Radelet hold to the core progression under the canopy of effects.

That march cuts and gives over to the drone and Tibetan bowl (contributed by Thomas Mouton) at the outset of “Naga,” the centerpiece of the tracklisting and a presumed side A closer on some future vinyl edition. If the percussion, bowl, synth, guitar and bass jam isn’t improvised, it sounds it, with the drums on the room mics deeper in the mix a solidifying presence as the inward delve continues. At about four minutes into the 6:50, the drums begin to lead more of a march with the hi-hat and toms keeping pace as the guitar noodles out over the established drone, a kind of ethereal blues taking hold that departs with a decisive strike of the crash and leaves one more swell of the bowl behind before ending. Low fuzz begins “Deaf Snake” with a more straightforward nod punctuated by the drums as side B unfolds, the core of the piece dirtier, riffier, trading back and forth in volume and impact, raucous, then receding.

But even “Deaf Snake” argues in favor of Aashray as being Apex Ten‘s first album, with a fullness of sound in its heavier parts that First Session was too raw to dig into. Wouldn’t be the first time in history a band figured out something about their sound between their debut and sophomore LPs — that’s an expected part of the process for most acts — but a ‘session’ is something different than making an album even if Aashray was recorded in a single day on Dec. 30, 2021, with production by Simon Lambert (who also adds Moog, chime and effects along with mixing and mastering) and Laurent Eyen at Koko Studio. “Deaf Snake,” which is as riff-led as Apex Ten get here, is more engrossing as it pushes into its final payoff, and that’s a distinguishing factor to coincide with all the atmospheric jamming and apparent improvisation or at least semi-planned parts.

The penultimate “Brahma” is the shortest of the cuts at 3:27 and finds the vocals returning — the lyrics: something about monsters waiting outside switching faces, something about drowning in space — after a pointed solo and headed into a heavy psych roll that reminds of Sungrazer playing off Colour Haze influence, but it comes apart quickly and gives over to silence ahead of 10-minute closer “Godavari.” The finale takes its name from a river in India, and while I don’t know if Apex Ten are travelers or just daydreaming, the first two minutes echo “Awakening” in their drone, but the spirit is warmer and more subdued as the guitar enters sweet and with still-developing patience the song begins to unfold, drums feeling their way in along with the rhythm in the initial buildup. They get where they’re going before four minutes in, moving perhaps a little faster than the song wants to go, but not egregiously so as they weave through a kind of riff-henge, working around heavy riffing with wah laced after a quick inhale circa six minutes, the bassline at the core of the piece almost in its own world, righteously.

“Godavari” emphasizes and finds its crux in the jam, but there’s linearity as well as they rear back before pushing into the harder fuzz that is the last crescendo, the guitar departing for a solo as the drums and bass keep the plot moving forward. If they were all playing at the same time in the studio, I don’t know who was giving the head signal — maybe Masaya — to bring it down, but they meet back up at the end and draw Aashray‘s last stretch to a relatively quick stop; a cymbal wash and some residual amplifier hum, a swell of synth the last element to go. There’s symmetry of purpose to the finish as well as to the start — Apex Ten sound aware of the genre in which they reside, and that’s to their benefit here — but the personality of the band is found more in the journey than either endpoint, whether that’s the limited use of vocals that seems to be reserving that spot for later development or the extrapolation from a classic power trio dynamic that allows the guitar to meander while the rhythm section moves forward and awaits its eventual return.

None of this will be strange to those with experience in mellow, meditative or progressive-tinged heavy psych, but Apex Ten demonstrate fluidity throughout Aashray — the word translated from Hindi as ‘shelter’ or ‘refuge’ — and the album lives up to the name it’s been given in creating a three-dimensional aural sphere to inhabit, like a biodome of fuzz, world-building. As to what or whom the band will become over time, given the jump in complexity between First Session and Aashray, it seems silly to speculate, but there’s room for them to continue to explore their meld of structure and spontaneous seeking, and in listening, one hopes the next time they decide to spend a day in the studio the results are as rich and engaging as they are here. And if you want to call it their second record, fine. It still feels like they’re just getting started.

Apex Ten on Facebook

Apex Ten on Instagram

Apex Ten on Bandcamp

First of all, you should note that this is not an album called ‘Ashtray’ by Aphex Twin. The Hindi word ‘aashray’ translates (according to major tech company’s linguistic matrix) as ‘shelter’ or ‘refuge’; Aashray is also the name of an NGO in India that helps homeless kids, if you’re looking for someone else to give money to besides this band. And the band, by the way, are called Apex Ten and they come from Liège, Belgium. Not exactly downtown Mumbai, but fair enough use for the organic vibe they’re capturing in their instrumental sound, improv at the foundation of what they do — even if the end result on the seven songs of the record can be more aligned to structure and more actively shoving than one might think looking at the cover or digging into the info below.

The text emphasizes the jams, which is fine. There’s plenty of that, as one might hear in the 10-minute closer “Godvari” or the earlier “Naga,” but you also get the heavy post-rocker “Unlock” or the build-and-release of tension in the penultimate “Brahama,” as the band take it upon themselves to — wait for it — actually do more than one thing in terms of their approach. I know. It’s scary stuff. There’s no audio yet from Aashray, but it’s a fascinating blend of spaciousness and songcraft. I’m looking forward to getting to know it better, but an ability and will to change it up is almost never a detriment more generally. Plus they’ve got theremin, so that’s a win.

Note Aashray was tracked in 2021. I wonder when or if we’ll get all the way back to relative record-then-release concurrency. Or maybe time just melted this decade and that’s what happened.

Either way, one proceeds:

Belgium’s Instrumental Psych and Stoner rock trio APEX TEN release their album Aashray May 5th, 2023

APEX TEN is a Psych/Space/Stoner Rock Instrumental power trio formed in 2021 in Liège by Alexis Radelet (Drums), Brad Masaya (Bass) and Benoît Velez (Guitar). The group also uses instruments such as a Lapsteel, a Synth, a Theremin,… Their productions and performances are centered on improvisation, offering an ephemeral and unique side. Their style is recognizable by the hovering, psychedelic side and is reinforced by layers of synth and/or theremin. The powerful and hypnotic strike of the drummer is accentuated by the bass playing and the well-marked “fuzz” spirit of the guitarist. Everything gradually accompanies us in a “sound trip” specific to the group.

This album was recorded in Sprimont (Belgium) at the Koko studio in December 2021 by Simon Lambert and Laurent Eyen. It was again mixed and mastered by Simon Lambert who had also mixed First session and Fourth Passenger.

Aashray is essentially composed of jams/improvisations. You will also be able to hear Hindu sounds, hence its name. With this album, Apex Ten offers a more space rock, psychedelic style than their first album: “First Session”. There are also more accomplished jams and the cohesion between the three musicians is greatly strengthened.

Since October 2021, the band has been recording and releasing a DIY-recorded debut album “1st Session” with the help of their sound engineer and producer Simon Lambert. These songs have been well received. “1st session” has quickly reached 10,000 plays on Youtube. In February 2022, the group released a first single titled “The Fourth Passenger” in February, receiving a warm welcome from Belgian radio. A live album, “Chaim Trails Live”, recorded at the MPC Apache in Fontaine l’Evêque, was released on April 20, 2022.

Aashray track list:
1. Awakening
2. Unlock
3. Dazed
4. Naga
5. Deaf Snake
6. Brahma
7. Godavari

APEX TEN is:
Alexis Radelet (Drums)
Brad Masaya (Bass-Synth-Theremin-Cithare-Voices)
Benoît Velez (Guitar-Theremin)

https://www.facebook.com/apextenband
https://www.instagram.com/apex_ten_musicband/
https://apexten.bandcamp.com/

Apex Ten, “The Fourth Passenger”

2016 ends and 2017 starts off on the right foot with a brand new Quarterly Review roundup. The first time I ever did one of these was at the end of 2014 and I called the feature ‘Last Licks.’ Fortunately, I’ve moved on from that name, but that is kind of how I’m thinking about this particular Quarterly Review. You’ll find stuff that came out spread all across 2016, early, middle, late, but basically what I’m trying to do here is get to a point where it’s not March and I’m still reviewing albums from November. Will it work? Probably not, but in order to try my damnedest to make it do so anyway, I’m making this Quarterly Review six full days. Monday to Monday instead of Monday to Friday. 60 reviews in six posts. Sounds like madness because it is madness. Let’s get started.

Quarterly Review #1-10:

Hornss, Telepath

San Francisco trio Hornss debuted on RidingEasy Records with 2014’s No Blood No Sympathy (review here) and further their raw genre blend on Telepath, their half-hour follow-up LP delivered via STB, melding heavy punk and metallic impulses to a noisy, thick-toned thrust on songs like “Atrophic” and the bouncing “Sargasso Heart” while opener “St. Genevieve” and the penultimate “Old Ghosts” dig into more stonerly nod. The latter track is the longest inclusion on the record at 3:26, and with 11 cuts there’s plenty of jumping between impulses to be done, but the trio of guitarist/vocalist Mike Moracha, bassist/vocalist Nick Nava – both formerly of desert punkers Solarfeast – and drummer Bil Bowman (ex-Zodiac Killers) work effectively and efficiently to cast an identity for themselves within the tumult. It’s one that finds them reveling in the absence of pretense and the sometimes-caustic vibes of songs like “Leaving Thermal,” which nonetheless boast an underlying catchiness, speaking to a progression from the first album.

Hornss on Thee Facebooks

STB Records store

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Khemmis, Hunted

Easily justifiable decision on the part of Denver’s Khemmis to return to Flatline Audio and producer Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, etc.) for their second album, Hunted. No reason to fix what clearly wasn’t broken about their 2015 debut, Absolution (review here), and on the 20 Buck Spin Records release, they don’t. A year later, the four-piece instead build on the doomly grandeur of the first outing and push forward in aesthetic, confidence and purpose, whether that’s shown in mournful opener “Above the Water,” the darker “Candlelight” that follows, or the centerpiece “Three Gates,” which opens as muddied death metal before shifting into a cleaner chorus, creating a rare bridge between doom and modern metal. Khemmis save the most resonant crush for side B, however, with the nine-minute “Beyond the Door” capping with vicious stomp before the 13-minute title-track, which closes the album with an urgency that bleeds even into spacious and melodic break that sets up the final apex to come, as emotionally charged as it is pummeling.

Khemmis on Thee Facebooks

20 Buck Spin on Bandcamp

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Fox 45, Ashes of Man

In addition to the outright charm of titles like “Doominati,” “Coup d’étwat,” “Murdercycle” and “Urinal Acid” (the latter a bonus track), Rochester, New York’s Fox 45 offer fuzzy roll on their Twin Earth Records debut full-length, Ashes of Man, the three-piece of Amanda Rampe, Vicky Tee and Casey Learch finding space for themselves between the post-Acid King nod of “Necromancing the Stone” and more swing-prone movements like the relatively brief “Soul Gourmandizer.” Playing back and forth between longer and shorter tracks gives Ashes of Man a depth of character – particularly encouraging since it’s Fox 45’s first record – and the low-end push that leads “Phoenix Tongue” alone is worth the price of admission, let alone the familiar-in-the-right-ways straightforward heavy riffing of “Narcissister” a short while later. Very much a debut, but one that sets up a grunge-style songwriting foundation on which to build as they move forward, and Fox 45 seem to have an eye toward doing precisely that.

Fox 45 on Thee Facebooks

Twin Earth Records on Bandcamp

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Monolith Wielder, Monolith Wielder

Double-guitar Pittsburgh four-piece Monolith Wielder make their self-titled debut through Italian imprint Argonauta Records, bringing together Molasses Barge guitarist Justin Gizzi and Zom guitarist/vocalist Gero von Dehn with bassist Ray Ward (since replaced by Amy Bianco) and drummer Ben Zerbe (also Mandrake Project) for 10 straightforward tracks that draw together classic Sabbathian doom with post-grunge heavy rock roll. There’s a workingman’s sensibility to the riffing of “No Hope No Fear” and the earlier, more ‘90s moodiness of “Angels Hide” – von Dehn’s vocals over the thick tones almost brings to mind Sevendust on that particularly catchy chorus – but Monolith Wielder’s Monolith Wielder isn’t shy about bringing atmospherics to the Iommic thrust of its eponymous cut or the penultimate “King Under Fire,” which recalls the self-titled Alice in Chains in its unfolding bleakness before closer “Electric Hessian” finishes with a slight uptick in pace and a fade out and back in (and a last sample) that hints at more to come.

Monolith Wielder on Thee Facebooks

Argonauta Records website

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No Man’s Valley, Time Travel

The stomp and clap intro “The Man Who Would be King” casts an immediately bluesy hue on No Man’s Valley’s debut album, Time Travel (LP release on Nasoni), and the Netherlands-based five-piece seem only too happy to build on that from there. It’s a blend outfits like The Flying Eyes and Suns of Thyme have proffered for several years now between heavy psychedelia and blues, but No Man’s Valley find a niche for themselves in the dreamy and patient execution of “Sinking the Lifeboat,” a highlight of the eight-track/33-minute LP, and bring due personality to the classic-style jangle-and-swing of “The Wolves are Coming” as well, so that Time Travel winds up more textured than redundant as it makes its way toward six-minute piano-laden finale “Goon.” Once there, they follow a linear course with a post-All Them Witches looseness that solidifies into a resonant and deeply engaging apex, underscoring the impressive reach No Man’s Valley have brought to bear across this first LP of hopefully many to come.

No Man’s Valley on Thee Facebooks

Nasoni Records website

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Saturna, III/Lost in Time

Barcelona classic rocking four-piece Saturna seem to avoid the boogie trap when they want to, as on the more rolling, modern heavy groove of “Five Fools,” and that keeps their World in Sound/PRC Music third album, III/Lost in Time, from being too predictable after the opening “Tired to Fight” seems to set up Thin Lizzy idolatry. They dip into more complex fare on “Leave it All,” somewhere between Skynyrd leads, Deep Purple organ-isms topped with a rousing hook, but keep some shuffle on songs like “Disease” and the earlier “All Has Been Great.” Highlight/closer “Place for Our Soul” seems to be literal in its title, with a more subdued approach and harmonized vocal delivery, and listening to its more patient delivery one can’t help but wonder why that soul should be relegated to the end of the album instead of featured throughout, but the songwriting is solid and the delivery confident, so while familiar, there’s ultimately little to complain about with what III/Lost in Time offers.

Saturna on Thee Facebooks

World in Sound website

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MØLK, Hate from the Bong

Especially with the title of their second EP set as Hate from the Bong, one might be tempted to put Belgian outfit MØLK immediately in the same category of malevolent stoner/sludge metal as the likes of Bongripper, but frankly they sound like they’re having too much fun for that on the five-tracker, reveling in lyrical shenanigans on the politically suspect “Stonefish” and opener “Methamphetamine.” Make no mistake, they’re suitably druggy, but even Hate from the Bong’s title-track seems to keep its tongue in cheek as it unfolds its post-Electric Wizard echoes and tonal morass. That gives the five-piece an honest vibe – they’re a relatively new band, having released their first EP in 2016 as well; why shouldn’t they be having a good time? – to coincide with all that thickened low end and vocal reverb, and though they’re obviously growing, there isn’t much more I’d ask of them from a debut full-length, which is a task they sound ready to take on in these songs.

MØLK on Thee Facebooks

MØLK on Bandcamp

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Psychedelic Witchcraft, The Vision

Italian cult rock outfit Psychedelic Witchcraft have proven somewhat difficult to keep up with over the last year-plus. As they’ve hooked up with Soulseller Records and reissued their Black Magic Man EP (review here), their full-length debut, The Vision, and already announced a follow-up compilation in 2017’s Magick Rites and Spells, the band consistently work to feature the vocals of Virginia Monti (also Dead Witches) amid semi-retro ‘70s-style boogie, as heard on the debut in cuts like “Witches Arise” and “Wicked Ways.” At nine tracks/34 minutes, however, The Vision is deceptively efficient, and though they’re unquestionably playing to style, Psychedelic Witchcraft find room to vary moods on “The Night” and the subdued strum of “The Only One Who Knows,” keeping some sonic diversity while staying largely on-theme lyrically. To call the album cohesive is underselling its purposefulness, but the question is how the band will build on the bluesy soulfulness of “Magic Hour Blues” now that they’ve set this progression in motion. Doesn’t seem like it will be all that long before we find out.

Psychedelic Witchcraft on Thee Facebooks

Soulseller Records website

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Spotlights, Spiders EP

Following the heavy post-rock wash of their 2016 debut album, Tidals, Brooklynite two-piece Spotlights – bassist/guitarist/vocalist Sarah Quintero and guitarist/synthesis/vocalist Mario Quintero – return on the quick with a three-track EP, Spiders, and set themselves toward further sonic expansion. The centerpiece “She Spider” is a Mew cover, electronic beats back opener “A Box of Talking Heads V2” and the spacious closer “Joseph” is a track from Tidals remixed by former Isis drummer Aaron Harris. So, perhaps needless to say, they hit that “expansion” mark pretty head-on. The finale turns out to be the high point, more cinematic in its ambience, but still moving through with an underlying rhythm to the wash of what one might otherwise call drones before becoming more deeply post-Nine Inch Nails in its back half. How many of these elements might show up on Spotlights’ next record, I wouldn’t guess, but the band takes an important step by letting listeners know the potential is there, adding three wings onto their wheelhouse in three tracks, which is as efficient conceptually as it is sonically immersive.

Spotlights on Thee Facebooks

Spotlights on Bandcamp

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Moon Coven, Moon Coven

This self-titled second full-length from Malmö, Sweden-based Moon Coven begins with its longest track (immediate points) in “Storm” and works quickly to nail down a far-reaching meld between heavy psych and riffy density. Issued through the much-respected Transubstans Records, it’s a nine-track/50-minute push that can feel unipolar on an initial listen, but largely avoids that trap through tonal hypnosis and fluid shifts into and out of jams on cuts like “The Third Eye,” while centerpiece “Haramukh High” provides a solidified moment before the organ interlude “The Ice Temple” leads into the mega-roll of finisher “White Sun.” What seems to be a brooding sensibility from the artwork – a striking departure from their 2014 debut, Amanita Kingdom – is actually a far more colorful affair than it might at first appear, and well justifies the investment of repeat visits in the far-out nod of “Conspiracy” and the swirling “Winter,” which goes so far as to add melodic texture in the vocals and notably fuzzed guitar, doing much to bolster the proceedings and overarching groove.

Moon Coven on Thee Facebooks

Transubstans Records

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