Land Mammal is a Texas-born project that offers Meditative Psychedelic Rock with forays into Heavy sounds. The new album “Emergence” was released on July 12, 2024 via Kozmik Artifactz and contains nine medium-length tracks featuring some guests. “Doors To Reality” is an intro with sitar sounds enriched by modulations and effects creating lysergic atmospheres. Linking to the previous “Tear You Down,” it evolves the sitar melodies and then develops a heavy psych sound with a granitic rhythm section and solid guitar riffs. The vocals are incisive and dynamic, interpetrating the lyrics with intensity. A good track that also offers a refined rhythm section with the flute in evidence, then leaving room for a fine guitar solo insert as sharp as a blade. The title-track “Emergence” is also the longest in duration, exceeding five minutes. It opens with a deep bass line to which is added a penetrating and hypnotic vocal. A track that moves slowly, creating meditative atmospheres with oriental percussion and enveloping, hypnotic intertwining of instruments. The band skilfully fits the Rock sounds into the context, with pachydermic drumming and acid and Psychedelic instrument interlacing. “Separation” is a short, atmospheric-sounding passage of 1:58 minutes, with intertwining flute and voices in the background. Enriched by effects, it connects to the following “Divide“, which opens with solid guitar riffs and a granitic rhythm section. Good mixtures between the instruments on which a dynamic and expressive vocal is inserted, while the tempo changes are an added value to the track’s sound. Fresh and modern, it offers the band’s sounds with interesting flute inserts and a touch close to the genre’s odirne releases. The band’s personal style is emphasised in both composition and performance, ending with a finale with more Experimental traits. “I Am” opens with an energetic rhythm section, characterised by a killer bassline and solid, elaborate drumming. the vocal is incisive and interprets the lyrics to the best of its ability, following the development of the track’s central theme through intense instrumental parts. In the second part there is room for a choral instrumental section, before the vocals return for the last verses and close. Continuing to develop the sounds of its predecessor, “The Circle” connects perfectly and is the perfect development. Here too the bassline is deep and load-bearing, the drumming energetic and enriched by percussion, while the vocals are enriched by effects, hypnotic and enveloping. An incisive track with marked Heavy Psych traits, with a fine guitar solo in the final part of the track. The last two tracks of the album are an epic divided into as many parts. the first, “Transcendence (Part I),” develops meditative psychedelic sounds, with pre-deep bass lines, slow-moving drumming and lysergic weaves in the melodies and solo inserts. Enriched by the continuous tempo changes and layering of sounds, it envelops the listener and leads him to explore sounds with Oriental traits while remaining in a Heavy Psych context. The second part, “Transcendence (Part II)“, which is also the longest in duration, exceeding four minutes, develops with fine guitar, bass and organ interlacing. It is interesting how the band manages to bring the atmosphere of the late ’60s into a modern context with forays into Heavy Psych. Entirely instrumental, it ends with a short atmospheric section and effects. An interesting album that offers a wide range of sounds and enhances the band’s ideas in both composition and performance. The Psychedelia proposed by the band has its own distinctive traits, exploring both the heavy sounds and the more meditative aspect of the genre. A recommended listen for all lovers of Psychedelic Rock sounds, with a fresh and modern sound, enveloping and with a well-constructed tracklist that is always intense from start to finish.
Tracklist
01. Doors To Reality (01:34)
02. Tear You Down (03:45)
03. Emergence (05:15)
04. Separation (01:58)
05. Divide (05:10)
06. I Am (04:18)
07. The Circle (04:21)
08. Transcendence (Part I) (03:26)
09. Transcendence (Part II) (04:26)
Lineup
Kinsley August / Vocals and Lyrics
Will Weise / Guitar, Bass, Sitar, Lap Steel
Paul “Lefty” Wright / Sitar, Flute, Esraj, Tanpura
Bryan David / Drums, Guitar, Bass, Lap Steel, Piano, Synth
jake Dexter / Organ
Yatziv Caspi / Tabla, Percussion
Drsyaa / Vocals on “Emergence” and “Transcendence“
true Turner / Synth on “Divide“
Maria Gigoryeva / Strings on “Divide“
Isaiah Mitchell / Guitar solo on “Tear You Down and The Circle“
Uriah Stake / Bass on “The Circle“
