Release Date: June 28th 2024. Record Label: Various. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Pascere Lamia - Track Listing:
1.Sanguis Ebrius Est 19:00
2.Et Strygom Anima Mea 21:03
Line-up:
CHARLIE BUTLER: Bass, Guitar, Bass Synth, Keyboard, Effects, and Feedback
MIKE VEST: Electric and 12 String Guitars, Synths and Mix
NICK RAYBOULD: Drum Kit, Hand Percussion and Artwork
Review
Pascere Lamia (which translates as "FEED THE VAMPIRES" is the new musical project featuring Mike Vest, Charlie Butler and Nick Raybould. This is the first time all three musicians have worked together though Mike has formed separate projects with both Charlie (Neutraliser) and Nick (ARTIFACTS & URANIUM) previously and this time round the guys have formed another sublime Psychedelic Rock act.
The self-titled debut album features two epic tracks running around twenty minutes or respectively where Pascere Lamia explore the creative boundaries of Space, Psych, KrautRock, Drone, Ambient, Post-Rock and Noise Rock throughout the whole album. The record is superbly heavy with moments of Trippy Eastern Passages.
The first track Sanguis Ebrius Est which translates to Blood Drinker (thanks to Mike Vest for the translation) which gives the song an abstractive DOOM METAL meaning. The song is quite different from that description with the band playing a multi-layered style of Psych Rock with hallucinogenic tendencies where sounds overlap each other throughout the whole track. There’s an epic use of SONIC distortion that comes into play and can be quite distracting to hear at times especially when the more cinematic sounds appear that allows the song to be quite jarring and violent to hear at times. This is HEAVY and AGGRESSIVE based music but in a completely new form. The song drifts along to its natural conclusion and made me feel that I experienced a surrealistic nightmare with the non-stop use of creepy sound effects.
Second track Et Strygom Anima Mea translates into English as A Dragons Soul. This time round Pascere Lamia plays a more traditional style of Heavy Psych Rock with Sludge, Doom and Stoner Rock passages starting to form. The track isn’t as heavy handed or aggressive as the previous track though the heavy droned out and multi layered textures remain for perhaps my favourite track on the album. The sound is varied, rich and wonderfully subversive with its dramatic use of Progressive Rock themes. There’s a subtle Middle Eastern influence that Mike, Charlie and Nick all use to their advantage by delivering some of the freakiest and hippest grooves on the whole record.
Pascere Lamia is a very good album indeed. It’s perhaps one I couldn’t listen to all the time as you need to be in a certain mood to fully explore and understand the message of the whole album. There’s some outstanding grooves and extended instrumental passages to be found but be prepared for the band to take you on a FUCKED UP PSYCHEDELIC TRIP of sublime intensity.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
