Release Date: April 22nd 2022. Record Label: Metal Assault Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Psychic Forms - Tracklisting
1.Be Ye Gone
2.Fade into Nothing
3.Way of the Sudden Storm
4.Laid On Display
5.Mirror Reflecting Mirror
Members
Rylie Collingwood: Bass, Vocals
Travis Abbott: Guitars, Vocals
Michael Mulcock: Drums
Review
Heavy Psych/Prog/Stoner Rockers Ealdor Bealu return with their new album Psychic Forms and it's a bewitching, bold and very strange album full of deep mysticism with Folk Rock tendencies. Though, the band also operate in a modern based Doom Rock and Stoner Metal setting with heavy waves of music that may evoke the creative ways of OPETH in places.
The album has a "drifter" or "journey-man" like quality as it moves from one psychedelic sound to the next for the majority of the album. Maybe the lyrics have a "Folk" or "Doom" based quality to them but they serve Ealdor Bealu well especially on the excellent opening two songs of Be Ye Gone and Fade Into Nothing. The cool sounding dual vocals of Rylie and Carson are quite hypnotic and quite ethereal in places though the it's heavy grooves that make this album truly standout with the band employing distorted sludgy parts towards the end of Be Ye Gone. The album has some epic guitar solos buried deep within the trippy Folk based Americana environment. Not exactly Post-Doom vibes but also not Post-Stoner either but somewhere brilliantly in between.
The Prog Rock/Prog Metal parts are quite cinematic and could be considered Post-Rock in places but the album is always constantly changing its heavy rock outlook. Even when the mellower and quieter sounds appear you can tell the band will soon move onto better and heavier things which they do multiple occasions throughout the album with Fade Into Nothing, Laid On Display and MIrror Reflecting Mirror being the main examples of this.
Ealdor Bealu have created a rich tapestry of Experimental Psych Stoner Rock for Psychic Forms that veers into Psychedelic Weirdness that leaves you wanting more especially on the later stages of the album. You can hear a wide range of different musical influences on this album such as OPETH, Karma To Burn, KYUSS, Yawning Man and Black Sabbath but with Ealdor Bealu retaining their own creative sound and identity from start to finish.
Psychic Forms is a wonderfully offbeat but richly rewarding album that requires multiple listens to understand the full hypnotic effect of it all. Aided by first rate production values, Ealdor Bealu have once again delivered the goods with Psychic Forms.
Awesome stuff....
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Carson for the promo.
Psychic Forms will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Metal Assault Records from April 22nd 2022.
