Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
From far off Oslo, Norway comes Spectral Haze and their third studio offering, ‘Turning Electric‘, from Totem Cat Records. The six-song slab of psych-heavy rock and roll was dropped on October 20th like a hit of damp LSD. Much like that tab of illicit senses-expanding narcotic, this record is a musical freak out of pure lysergia.
The interestingly named quartet of zone trippers at the helm of this journey to the center of your mind are Spacewülff (interstellar vocals and guitar), Sönik Slöth (6-string sonifier), Döômdögg (bass of space), and Cëlestïal Cöbra (drumming pulse conjurer).
When the foursome channels their collective talents and energies in unison, they meld to yield a potent elixir of psychedelia-emitting space rock. It is the kind of stuff I’d imagine would result from the love child of an unholy Hawkwind, (early) Monster Magnet, and Farflung three-way tryst.
Unfiltered and finely tuned to the listener’s individual groove, the transcendental elements of this music are recondite. The esoteric nature of the music is an audio-based green light to exploratory escapism. Swirling sonic landscapes are mapped out and then laid bare with powerful riffs and deeply symbolic lyrics meant to fuel your outward trajectory.
‘Turning Electric‘ is much, much more than merely a title for it is meant as a directive to the enlightenment seekers. You must first become energy to channel across the barrier-less void of the unknown and this is the music that allows that metamorphosis. Infinite eternity beckons travelers to tune in, turn on and drop out into the place where flesh fails and dreams abound.
