Upstart heavy psych trio Naxatras have issued their second album, II. It arrives less than a month after a prior two-songer, aptly-titled EP (discussed here), and only a year after the Greek outfit made their self-titled debut, which continues to sell through every pressing of it they do. The reception to that album still resonating, it feels quick for a follow-up, but as Naxatras are basking in instrumental chemistry born of psychedelic and space rock explorations, interpreting moods and vibes across II‘s six-track span, plus recording live, it makes sense that as soon as the jams were ready to go, they’d go. Working mostly instrumentally in the tradition of acts like Causa Sui, Naxatras bring forth a classic psychedelic pop rock on “Sisters of the Sun,” the near-centerpiece of II, which will reportedly be granted a physical release later this month.

Info on the record follows as posted by the band, who’ve very quickly thrust themselves to the fore of Greece’s fertile heavy underground, and who play the official release show on May 22 at Death Disco in Athens:

A homage to space travel, inner and outer…

We’d like to thank you so much for your warm reception of our second album!

This time we tried a different, darker and “spacier” attempt in order to capture the strange loneliness and spirituality of Space.

This is reflected in the sound, where with Jesus at Magnetic Fidelity we followed a more raw, minimalist approach with the Direct-to-Master recording (again every track of this album is performed 100% live).

It is also reflected in the magnificent, otherworldly cover our dear friend CHRIS RW delivered.

You can buy the complete album in digital form in bandcamp and there will be CD’s by the middle of May as well as DSD version for the audiophiles!

Cassettes and vinyl as well as a reel-to-reel version are on the line for the (hopefully near) future!

https://www.facebook.com/naxatras/
https://naxatras.bandcamp.com/

Naxatras, II (2016)

Greek heavy psych instrumentalists Naxatras have a released a surprise two-song EP in advance of their second album. The trio had discussed offering a 10″ before following up their wildly received 2015 self-titled debut, and I’m not sure if the tracks included on this untitled offering — “Muscle Red Horse” and “Pulsar 4000” — will wind up on that and they just decided to put them out early for a fun April Fools Day thing or what. Either way, the sound is right on in its live feel and organic groove, with “Muscle Red Horse” having a bit more crunch to it while “Pulsar 4000” pushes outward on a more serene, spaced-out course in its second half. I expect it will be met with few complaints.

Naxatras have also apparently pressed up another run of CDs for the self-titled, one of which I think I’ll pick up. Their sophomore LP is among my most anticipated for 2016 as well, so needless to say, I’m looking forward to its arrival. These guys seem to have something special to offer and have already resonated in a significant way. The new tracks give a pretty solid indication why.

Dig it:

RIDE THE PSYCHEDELIC HORSE!!!

100% Analog Live Direct-to-Master Recording at Magnetic Fidelity. Engineered by Jesus I. Agnew. Artwork by Skitsos.

Naxatras is a hard psychedelic rock band from Greece. They play a warm psychedelia full of fat grooves, dreamy melodies, heavy riffs and trippy guitar solos all with the vintage touch of the 70’s.

They have been playing since 2012, developing their sound and finally recorded their first full-length album in a 100% analog way at Magnetic Fidelity (a studio in rural northern Greece) with Jesus Agnew, an engineer experienced in the field of analog and DIY recordings. Only analog equipment was used in the recording-mixing-mastering stages of the album. All the songs in the record were performed entirely live during just one day.

The band does high-energy live performances combining elements of psychedelic/progressive rock, stoner, funk, jazz and eastern music with a trippy video wall to accomplish full stimulation of the senses. In summer 2015 they went on their first tour playing five european countries.

EP tracklisting:
1. Muscle Red Horse
2. Pulsar 4000

https://www.facebook.com/naxatras/
https://naxatras.bandcamp.com/album/ep

Naxatras, EP (2016)

Greek heavy psych trio Craang seem to tip their hat to improvisation early into their four-track debut full-length, To the Estimated Size of the Universe (to be released on vinyl early next year by Pink Tank Records), when six minutes into opener “Slo Forward Jam,” the song seems to come to an end with a wash of cymbals. There are still two more minutes to go, and the deceptively thick guitar tone soon kicks back in and continues to carry a progression out, but there still seems to be something off the cuff, even if some moments are clearly planned or if the Thessaloniki three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Manos, bassist Theano and drummer Nick are working from a basic schematic or a loosely-plotted course. Perhaps it’s part of the nature of the material itself and the fact that it was recorded live that it would seem so. The opener is, but not all four of the extended tracks — “Slo Forward Jam” (8:08), “Butterfly” (9:19), “Magnolia” (9:53) and “The Meteorian” (15:48) — are instrumental, but the focus is quickly put on the jam, and even as keys enter on “Butterfly,” the prevailing impression is still of looser-knit heavy psychedelia, a laid back groove pervading and holding firm throughout, even as heavy as the guitars and bass can get. And they do get fairly heavy, crunchier in their tone than one might expect, and even if where they go stylistically holds to some manner of restraint — that is, even as “The Meteorian” reaches its apex, Craang never thrash out — To the Estimated Size of the Universe showcases a burgeoning dynamic and progressive feel rife with subtle builds, effects-laden spaciousness and groove in steady supply.

Aside from that balance between improvisational and composed movements, the opener being the most leaned toward the former — working considerably in the album’s favor is Craang‘s patient sensibility. By the end of its nine minutes, “Butterfly” has pulled off a remarkable build, but the band’s roll is patient enough that it’s easy to get lost in and be carried along with it. On first listen, the arrival of Manos‘ vocals is surprising, since after “Slo Forward Jam,” it seems just as likely the entire album will go without, but more striking is the subtle way late in the track the guitar and keys push “Butterfly” toward and through its payoff, the final minute slowing to an absolute crawl in a rumbling and, finally, droning finish, luring an audience further from consciousness only to smack it in the head with the thick and immediate intro of “Magnolia,” which were it not for the more dynamic approach of the closer, would be the highlight of the record. It’s prime, fuzzed-out Euro-style heavy psych, feeding in its languid chug on a Colour Haze-via-Elder sensibility of how the genre is accomplished, and more than “Butterfly,” it does push and pull, the initial thrust giving way momentarily to an airier section of lead guitar and open vibe. The tradeoff is effective and shows Craang have more in their structural arsenal than a straight-upward build, the song seeming to come to a head after six minutes in only to space out on sustained guitar feedback, and an air-moving bassline that subtly sets the bed for a finishing jam. In both its ain’t-over-yet methodology and instrumental approach, “Magnolia” recalls “Slo Forward Jam,” but what they do with that changes, and the layered guitar work at the end of “Magnolia” makes a strong argument for the band’s potential future stylistic evolution.

Still, it’s hard to overlook a 15-minute heavy psych excursion like “The Meteorian,” which finds a steady foundation in Theano‘s bass as it begins to unfold in languid fashion, the guitar slowly coming to life alongside the low end and a quiet but tense drum progression from Nick. Here too Craang‘s patience shows itself, but the pace increases just before three minutes in and what becomes the bed for the verse starts to take shape. Vocals are far back, almost consumed by the tones surrounding, and a space-rock push emerges in the bass and drums as the guitars once again give way to keys — if they even are keys and not guitar effects; nobody is credited with keyboards (the digipak, the liner for which is printed backwards, is cagey in giving any lineup information) and Craang‘s live setup doesn’t seem to have any, but it’s a distinct sound separate from the guitar fuzz, so if it was overdubbed later or whatever, I don’t know — and more airy guitar. This would seem to be the final build, but it peaks about halfway through the song with a riff that reminds directly of Elder‘s “Dead Roots Stirring” and shifts into a lull before picking up again with the push that gradually devolves into the finish of the album, some ambient vocals — or guitar, or keys — holding out over a final round of hits as “The Meteorian” crashes to its end. For its broader range, the closer makes for the highlight, but really it’s across the full span of To the Estimated Size of the Universe that Craang show their ambition and their allegiance to the tenets of heavy psychedelia, their desire to find a place within the genre. That progress is underway on this debut, peppered and given breadth by hints of sonic expansion to come.

Craang, To the Estimated Size of the Universe (2014/2015)

Craang on Thee Facebooks

Craang on Bandcamp

Pink Tank Records

Thick groove, big riffs, full sound and long-form songs — there’s a lot to like about Craang‘s 2014 outing, To the Estimated Size the Universe, four cohesive, righteously jammed slabs of heavy psychedelic rock. The Thessaloniki, Greece, trio self-released the album as their debut earlier this Spring in a vinyl-textured CD digipak edition — one of those discs with the grooves on top — and word has come down the PR wire that German imprint Pink Tank Records has picked up the band for a vinyl edition due in the first going of 2015.

Seems like a good call, honestly. One can hear influences from Colour Haze to Elder in what Craang do on the CD’s four tracks, and while they might have to do some editing to get “Magnolia” (9:36) and “The Meteorian” (15:22) to fit on the same side of an LP platter, the album as a whole is begging for the treatment, be it the band’s own rich tones or the intricately detailed Theano Giannezi cover art. Presumably the deal with Pink Tank extends to Craang‘s next offering as well, or at least includes some provision accounting for it one way or another, since these guys seem to be one to watch going forward.

Don’t forget the details:

Greek Stoner Rock Trio Craang Signs with Pink Tank Records

Greek psychedelic/stoner rockers CRAANG have just signed a record deal with German-based Pink Tank Records, who will release the band’s debut album “To The Estimated Size Of The Universe” on vinyl in early 2015.

Based in Thessaloniki, in Greece, fuzzy psychedelic rock trio CRAANG have released one of the best spacey-psychedelic rock releases you’ll hear this year, offering an enthralling brew of fuzzy stoner rock laced with healthy dose of 70’s psychedelic rock.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Craang
Bandcamp: http://craang.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/craang

Craang, To the Estimated Size of the Universe (2014)

Like its 2010 predecessor — the aggressively titled What Does Not Evolve Must Burn (review here) — the self-titled second EP from DIY Greek four-piece Bad Trip is a melee of instrumental twists and turns. Based loosely around noise rock the way bodies are based around feet, the newest offering splits neatly into two vinyl sides, one with two cuts, the second with one, and tops 31 minutes of forceful push. Two-guitar crunch drives the proceedings forward, and while elements like sampled spoken word on the 16-minute B-side “Dead Dream Nation” — you’ll note the Sonic Youth reference as well to 1988’s Daydream Nation; not an accident — are familiar from last time, there are some standout factors that make Bad Trip a distinctive release of its own, particularly in its vinyl incarnation.

The pressing underscores Bad Trip‘s self-releasing ethic. It feels like a handmade private press, because basically it is. The cover’s intricately detailed art comes screenprinted on thick paper stock and speaks to the social thematic that bled through What Does Not Evolve Must Burn and returns in the B side here, but there’s also a sonic expansion at work in “Into Overdrive” and “Absence of Meaning.” Bad Trip’s approach is solidifying. That’s evident in the distinct verses and instrumental chorus of “Into Overdrive,” which still manages to elicit an open feel thanks to an ambient break in the midsection that rebuilds to some less-spastic but gleefully destructive crashing. Parts repeat in a linear build and all of a sudden it’s clear that Bad Trip — the present lineup of guitarist George and Alek, bassist Pan and drummer Skinman — are writing actual songs and not just stringing parts together.

That remains true on the subsequent “Absence of Meaning” and on “Dead Dream Nation” as well, and in the absence of vocals, which would provide easier cues to the listener, it’s up to the instruments to make the distinctions. On “Into Overdrive,” there are starts and stops that accomplish this, while the Yawning Man-style post-rock at the start of “Absence of Meaning” gives an entirely different context to that song’s build and to the chugging mosh part and soloing to which it ultimately leads. “Dead Dream Nation” cheats this a bit, with the sampled speeches from playwright Arthur Miller and Epameinondas Remoundakis, who helped modernize the leper colony on the island of Spinalonga off Crete in the 1940s, but still arrives at a lead guitar crescendo worthy of peak-era Opeth circa 12 minutes in before dropping out only to return with the real apex that concludes the song.

Sometimes, with a full-length album, having it split into vinyl sides pulls you out of an overarching flow. With Bad Trip, what it really does is keep you from getting lost in the progressions of the three songs — it keeps you paying attention. Maybe by the end of “Absence of Meaning” you’re lost in the song’s build, well then it’s time to get up and flip the record. That snap back to consciousness makes a big difference in the listening experience, and where on CD, Bad Trip‘s Bad Trip is enjoyable for how immersive a listen it is, on vinyl, it’s the break that makes the material hold up all the more.

Bad Trip, Bad Trip (2013)

Bad Trip on Bandcamp

Bad Trip on Thee Facebooks

Not to be confused with the purposefully-weird California outfit, Bad Acid Trip, who got some exposure in the middle part of the last decade when System of a Down’s Serj Tankian got behind them for an album release, the Greek four-piece Bad Trip specialize in a noisy brand of instrumental post-metal. Their first self-released EP, What Does Not Evolve Must Burn, follows a demo and a split with fellow Thessaloniki natives 63High, and boasts four songs across three tracks spanning 23 minutes in a hand-stamped black and white digibook that makes it an immediate curiosity. I opened the package it came in and had to put the disc on right away, which almost never happens.

What Does Not Evolve Must Burn has sonic intensity to match its fervent title. The double guitars of Alex and George (first names only) are heavy tone-wise, but gain further weight from the quick changes they make and their ability to fluidly tie the music together. The rhythm section of Fots (bass) and Sakis (drums) does a more than capable job keeping up, Fots adding character to the third cut, “My Homeland is Not Land but People.” The titles all take on a sociopolitical theme, opening with “Oppressed,” and running through “Antination” and the secret cut, “Organized Crime,” which features a lengthy spoken sample from Richard Linklater’s 2001 film Waking Life the text of which is printed on the inside of the packaging. That sample starts, “Our critique began as all critiques begin, with doubt. Doubt became our narrative,” and affects an atmosphere similar to that on Neurosis’ “Takeahnase” from 1992’s Souls at Zero.

What’s perhaps most curious about Bad Trip, though, is why a band who obviously has so much to say would be instrumental. Their discontent is ably conveyed musically, and with the open structures of the songs, it’s not like they’re sitting there waiting for a singer to come along and slap on a chorus, but for a band to offer such thematic passion – political passion, no less, which it seems everyone and anyone can vocalize at will – and not back it up with lyrics feels like an odd choice. Maybe they just couldn’t find anyone and didn’t want to do it themselves. Again, the songs don’t sound like they’re missing vocals – at a constantly shifting 23 minutes, there’s hardly time for them to be – but it’s contrary to expectation and so notable that they’re not there.

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