Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland Magick Potion is a power trio that offers Heavy Rock sounds with 60s-70s reminiscences. The self-titled debut album was released on November 08, 2024 via RidingEasy Records and contains 8 tracks ranging from 3 to over 6 minutes in length. Right from the first notes of opener “Fever Dream,” the band immediately plunges us into the heavy rock sound with fuzz-laden guitar riffs and a granite rhythm section. The vocals are dynamic and expressive, alternating with intense instrumental sections that mix the classic with the modern with continuous tempo changes that enhance the band’s songwriting. Definitely an engaging opener. A melancholic guitar riff with a bluesy feel opens “Empress,” with a solid rhythm section and more enveloping, sensual sounds. A fine Hard Rock, in the style of bands of the past with more modern Stoner inserts and heavy guitar and bass twists in the instrumental section that recall Stoner/Doom. With the return of the vocals the track ends. “Love With A Wizard” opens with a deep bass line and a restless vocal, with the dark atmospheres permeating the sound. After a prolonged, crescendoing intro, the band unleashes all its energy with refined guitar twists and a granitic rhythm section with a killer bassline, deep and driving. The vocals are incisive and alternate well with the elaborate instrumental sections, offering a convincing and granitic Heavy Psych track with fine solo cues. The album’s longest track “Chateau Nights” is a more delicate thrashing in the first part with a rhythm section enriched by percussion. Delicate guitar textures and melodic vocals lead us through the first part of the track, then with a change incorporate the heavy elements that characterise its style. Psychedelic atmospheres permeate the instrumental section, which is enriched with effects and the organ. An excellent track that enhances the band’s compositional and performing technique, exploring sounds different from the previous ones. We return to the band’s heavier sounds with ‘Never Change,’ imbued with dark atmospheres and a very expressive vocal. The rhythm section is solid and full of tempo changes, with another bass line giving body to the song, powerful and deep, while the guitar offers refined riffs and solo inserts. The accelerations lead us towards an intense instrumental section with the guitar in grand prominence, a journey between past and present thanks to the explosive mixture created by the band. A delicate intro with acoustic guitar arpeggios opens “Pagan,” a track with an original sound, with continuous tempo changes that allow it to combine heavier stretches with softer passages. Interesting how the band also explores and incorporates elements of other genres, proposed with their own personal orignal touch. “Ultraviolet” is the album’s shortest track at 3:20, a concentration of energy and elaborate passages, with intricate drumming and good guitar work. Heavy riffs, an incisive vocal and a rhythm section that is a real asset to the track, which in the middle part offers alternating guitar and vocal parts until the finale. The album ends with “Wild Perfumes,” which encapsulates all the essence and different facets of the band’s sound. More Psychedelic and meditative passages intertwine with Heavy guitar riffs and a granitic rhythm section. The Oriental touch, especially in the vocal parts, acts as a counterbalance to the Heavy Rock discharges that characterise the sound, concluding the listening with another excellent track. An excellent listen that succeeds in bringing the essence of the heavy rock sounds of the early 70s into a modern context with personal traits. Granitic guitar riffs, a solid and elaborate rhythm section with beautifully crafted bass lines and drumming rich in tempo changes. The vocals are dynamic and incisive and alternate well with the intense instrumental sections with the guitar in evidence. An explosive mixture of Heavy Rock, Psychedelia between classic and modern, thanks to the band’s personal touch, a recommended listen that shows how Rock is more alive than ever.
Tracklist
01. Fever Dream (05:36)
02. Empress (04:03)
03. Love With A Wizard (05:54)
04. Chateau Nights (06:15)
05. Never Change (03:38)
06. Pagan (04:03)
07. Ultraviolet (03:20)
08. Wild Perfumes (05:57)
Lineup
Dresden Boulden / Guitar, Vocals, Organ
Triston Grove / Bass and Vocals
Jason Geezus Kendall / Drums and Percussions
