Release Date: March 23rd 2022. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Distorted Chants - Tracklisting
1.Follow the Sun 04:17
2.Statistics 04:56
3.Quiet Beach 04:04
4.Trauma 03:45
5.Sleepless 03:31
6.A hopeful reminder 02:43
7.No Straight Line 03:12
8.Mantra 03:09
9.Every Tree 03:48
10.Velvet Dreams 03:20
Members
Guitars, bass & vocals by Pia Isaksen
Drums by Ole Teigen
Additional guitars on Follow the Sun, Trauma and No Straight Line by Gary Arce
Review
PIA ISA is the new musical project from Pia Isaksen from Norwegian Psych Doom Rockers Superlynx. This album is quite a different prospect to that band as Pia focuses on a more icy cold Drone, Doom and Post-Metal style of music. The album is an engaging and thought-provoking listen with influences ranging far and wide from Emma Ruth Rudle, Chelsea Wolfe, Electric Wizard and BORIS. Throw in some captivating “DoomGaze” or ``Shoegaze” effects and Distorted Chants is quite the mighty psychedelic trip.
The album is deliberately slow with the first few songs of Follow The Sun, Statistics and Quiet Beach laying down the building blocks for the album to thrive upon. Lush distorted guitars and Pia’s eerie vocals do bring a gloomy Post-Rock/Post-Metal feel that do have a certain similarities to MWWB in places but with Pia still playing her own original and organic based music.
Distorted Chants is quite meditative with the gloomy guitars, ambient sounds and psychedelic effects with the sound even having a “grungy” effect on certain parts of the album. The songwriting is first rate and I was quite surprised to see that Desert/Stoner Rock Legend Gary Arce appears on this album and ironically performs on some of the albums standout tracks. Gary’s guitar parts were even recorded by Mario Lalli. So with this album not being Stoner Rock, the album has legendary Stoner Rock involvement. So KUDOS to Pia on that aspect of the album as well.
The album does become heavier and more distorted with each passing song with the later stages of the record being quite deafening in places.
Distorted Chants has allowed Pia to excel with this new musical project and create an album that is beautifully mysterious with wonderful grooves to match. If you dig bands such as FRAYLE, MWWB and Year Of The Cobra then PIA ISA are well worth checking out.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to All Noir PR for the promo.
Distorted Chants is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Argonauta Records.
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