The folks over at RAIG (Russian Association of Independent Genres) have certainly been treating listeners on this side of the pond to some absolutely stunning examples of psychedelic/ post rock/ progressive and experimental rock with each subsequent release. While the majority of RAIG'S artists hail from their homeland, every once and awhile they will direct their attention outside of Russia to snag up another one of those unknown bands that you probably have never heard of, yet definitely need to. In this case the band in question is Ahkmed, one of Australia's leaders in the psych/ acid rock field. Formed in Melboure in 1998 this instrumental trio of has been gradually experimenting and honing their sound over the past ten years. The material on this disc entitled Chicxulub comprises two self released EP's from 2003 and 2005 respectively.
You can expect to encounter massive amounts of lengthy spaced out, improvisational jams on Chicxulub as the band pushes their sound to its very limits and beyond in these 10 daring examples of sonic exploration. The sound is reminiscent of everything from early Pink Floyd and Hawkwind to Kraut rock, but even that only just begins to scratch the surface of what Ahkmed is all about musically. Everything comes together in a perfect union of richly layered, fuzz distorted guitar, thick and equally as distorted bass lines and an abundance of fluid drum work which in the end filters down into some of the finest post rock / psychedelic grooves and atmospherics heard in a long time. The opening track "Kirrae" with its slow, dramatic, tension inducing, mid point build up, and eventual release through an aggressive wall of distorted white noise gives the listener a pretty good indication of just how adept Ahkmed are at knocking down their foundations and building them back up again, all within in the same composition. One thing which may seem minor but which still plays a part in the overall impact, is the sound and production itself which has a very 'brown' or warm texture thus giving it an almost total analogue feel.
The power of Ahkmed's total sonic assault on the senses coupled with the extremely lavish artwork for the digipak release makes for the perfect marriage of both music and art. Not only does RAIG excel at unearthing these unknown treasures of the music world and bring them to you with open arms, they do so with a remarkably dedicated eye for every single detail. Consume Chicxulub immediately.
Track Listing
1) Kirrae
2) Ilanesia
3) Curlie
4) T=0
5) Viceroy
6) Chicken C
7) Ta Brockie
8) Welcome Mat
9) Jonah
10) Samar
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