With a sound that recalls classic Blue Cheer, The Doors at their most psychedelic, Iron Butterfly, early Black Sabbath, Budgie, Sir Lord Baltimore, and Pentagram, it's easy to see why Magick Potion has been one of the most talked about bands on the retro rock scene over the last few months. Their late 2024 debut album on RidingEasy Records sounds like it could have been recorded anywhere between 1968 and 1971, which you can hear right from the opening fuzz-drenched riffs of "Fever Dream", the excellent track that opens up this album. The power trio from Baltimore dip into their psychedelic leanings on "Empress", as haunting Jim Morrison-styled vocal wailings pair up with lumbering heavy riffs and pounding drums, and the chilling "Love With a Wizard" could easily pass as a long-lost Doors track, with guitarist Dresden Boulden doing his best Jim Morrison impression on this spooky heavy psychedelic excursion. "Chateau Nights" continues into trippy psych waters, the booming riffs complemented by acrobatic drums and organ, while "Never Change" is pure Blue Cheer worship, right down to the guitar tones which are as close to Vincebus Eruptum as you could possibly get. The more acoustic "Pagan" hints at some Led Zeppelin, but the crushing fuzz comes back for the brutish "Ultraviolet", and the album closes with "Wild Perfumes", a song featuring intoxicating vocals and a psychedelic, Middle Eastern feel.
The more you listen to this album, the better it gets. Magick Potion are no one-trick potion, as there is actually plenty of variety to be found here, so if your tastes tend to stray towards late '60s psychedelia as well as early '70s hard rock and proto-metal, you'll find lots to love here. I can't wait to see where these guys go next.
Track Listing
1.
Fever Dream 05:36
2.
Empress 04:03
3.
Love With A Wizard 05:54
4.
Chateau Nights 06:15
5.
Never Change 03:38
6.
Pagan 04:03
7.
Ultraviolet 03:20
8.
Wild Perfumes 05:57
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