The Spacelords have released their sixth studio album Nectar Of The Gods on Tonzonen Records. As always, The Spacelords land in that sweet spot where cosmic space jams, stoner rock, and progressive interplay collide. There is a heaviness on the four tracks here that centers around the strong rhythm section, particularly the hard-driving drumming that sets the stage for the large sound. The title track kicks things off with a ten-minute jam that is sure to cause large amounts of neck pain and flying hair. “Endorphine High” follows with a more tightly structured shoegaze or post rock approach that focuses more on textures and tone rather than free-form jamming. “Mindscapes” kicks off side two with some heavy use of the toms for an almost tribal rhythm before the bass and guitars launch into a frenzy. The final long track “Lost Sounds Of lemuria” crawls around at a snail’s pace in a spacey, ethereal mode for the better part of five minutes before settling into its louder groove. For the most part, the record is rather subdued or should I say restrained? And I mean that in a positive way. The album never goes off the rails with overdone guitar craziness or ventures too far off into the heavy metal realm which for me, has always been what makes The Spacelords so good. They keep things heavy but focused on the groove allowing for a solid amount of free-form jamming without losing what was putting you in that trance-like state in the first place. Mentally, I am building a list of bands I want to see at the next Fuzz Club festival in Eindhoven and The Spacelords is certainly on that list. I can imagine that would be an epic set.
Released by Tonzonen Records (EU) available from Echodelick (USA) The Spacelords Bandcamp
