Sonic Praise is the debut from Philadelphia's Ecstatic Vision, an intriguing psych/stoner band who find themselves on Relapse Records, not really a label you'd expect an act of this sort on. Fuzz drenched riffs aplenty here, along with tribal percussion, throbbing bass, wah-wah guitar solos, trippy sound effects, and reverb soaked vocals, almost like a head on collision between Hawkwind, Amon Düül, High on Fire, and Agitation Free. The band, who are comprised of Doug Sabolick (guitars, organ, vocals), Michael Field Connor (bass) and Jordan Crouse (drums, percussion), create a huge wall of sound for a trio, with a track like "Journey" rocking hard but containing plenty of dense layers of psychedelic sounds. "Astral Plane" is a near 13-minute journey into deep, dark space, an acid induced nightmare of unsettling sounds and grooves, including some squealing sax and eerie keyboard effects, reminding of one of those great, early Hawkwind records. "Don't Kill the Vibe" hits hard with booming riffs and pounding rhythms, complemented by those space rock/psych effects that again remind of Hawkwind with their repetitive nature, and the title cut is a mish-mash of bizarre sounds, African rhythms, and layers of haunting vocals. The intoxicating bass grooves and screaming guitar just lure you in on the lengthy "Cross the Divide", another psych gem here that could have come out of a long lost 1973 vault.
Honestly, I haven't heard as convincing a '70s styled space rock/psych album like this in quite some time. Ecstatic Vision are easily the heir apparent to Hawkwind ladies & gentleman, so make sure you check out Sonic Praise to discover all the pulsating, spacey goodness contained within.
Track Listing
1) Journey
2) Astral Plane
3) Don't Kill The Vibe
4) Sonic Praise
5) Cross The Divide
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