Naxatras is a modern hard psychedelic rock band from Greece that was formed in 2012. The group came across my suggestions on Apple Music recently after listening to The Sonic Dawn. There’s not a whole lot of info on the band online, though they did do a nice interview with the folks of Psychedelic Baby Magazine a few years ago. On Naxatras’ Bandcamp, the group has a total of six releases: three studio albums, an EP, a single, and a live album. This album, II (2016), is the group’s second studio album, and is listed under some tags like progressive rock, heavy psych, meditation, psychedelic rock, space rock, and stoner rock, to name a few. I’m pretty stoked to check out this album, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Oort Cloud” fades in with an interesting and lightly distorted drone, almost like a strange combination of a distant lawnmower and the hum of a refrigerator, and some more spacey siren-like effects reminiscent of Gong are soon added alongside some really mellow guitar work. Oh wow, there’s a really sweet guitar chord near the end of the track. Super interesting track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Proxima Centauri” drops right into place with a super groovy drum beat off of the heels of the previous track. The drumming almost reminds me a bit of Idris Muhammad. I really dig the mellow bass line that grooves along in a manner that reminds me of Justin Chancellor from TOOL during a gradually building track. In fact, the guitar work also makes me think of Adam Jones of Tool a bit as well. I’m really digging the track so far. Oh wow, the drumming seems to get into a bit of a countdown for a moment and then the track breaks through to some groovy hard rock riffs that remind me a bit of Geezer. Oh wow, I really dig the bass line when the track mellows back down. Overall this instrumental feels like a sort of inward, shamanic journey from a TOOL album, mixed a bit with the cosmic jams from Mythic Sunship. Each instrument: the drums, bass, and guitar, all keep pulling me further into the listening experience in a unique way. The jam breaks through again to some hard rock riffs that I really dig that seem to take on spacey effects as the track comes to an end. Great tune.
“Sisters of the Sun” gets grooving right away with some more smooth and heavy riffing from the electric guitar and bass guitar that have a hypnotic feel. Oh wow, there’s some vocals in this track that match the sort of spacey, smooth riffing from the bass guitar and the electric guitar. I really dig the percussion again in this track, which keeps the track grooving along with a sturdy beat. Oh wow, there’s some really sweet licks from the guitar during a solo that seem to give the tune a more melodic feel. This track feels like a classic stoner rock track reminiscent of groups like Dead Meadow, with a laid-back, heavy, and groovy rhythm from the drums and bass while the guitar some sweet and sometimes heavy and spacey melodies. Super sweet track.
“The Great Attractor” gets grooving right away with a quick and sturdy beat. The bass guitar nearly has a bit of droning effect with the repetition of certain notes. Oh wow, I really dig the guitar work in this track, which seems to take on a cosmic effect reminiscent of Fifty Foot Hose or even Gong. I’m really digging the guitar in this track; the playing alternates between crunchy and wavy flavors in a sort of hypnotic and psychedelic manner. Oh wow, the track is still building on itself, and is exiting the speakers in really groovy waves of hypnotic fuzz set to a sturdy beat. Oh wow, the end of the track takes a sort of Resident Evil turn that I’m really digging. Super groovy tune.
“Garden Of the Senses” begins with some really mellow guitar work that reminds me a lot of Adam Jones from TOOL songs such as “10,000 Days (Wings, Pt. 2)” from their album 10,000 Days (2006). Oh wow, the drums and bass keep taking the tune into stoner rock territory, and overall it’s become a fusion of the melodic and psychedelic shamanic metal/rock that TOOL plays with stoner rock flavors from groups like Dead Meadow, Dead Shaman, or even Geezer. Oh wow, I really dig the guitar licks that come in and seem to signal a new movement in the track. I’m very much reminded of Dead Shaman at the moment. Oh wow, there’s a bit of a breakdown with the drums taking the lead while the bass and guitar add in some wavy accentuations to this groovy, shamanic section. Holy smokes, the drum section breaks through to a distorted, melodic, and groovy movement from the bass and guitar that really remind me again of TOOL. Oh wow, the song gets into another breakdown of some sort and breaks through again to the distorted, melodic, and groovy movement, and has pulled me even further into the listening experience. Holy smokes, the track enters another movement with an interesting beat that seems as though the track has basically found its way back to the sweet, mellow, and melodic guitar work from the beginning of the track. Oh wow, I really dig this guitar work at the end of the track. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Evening Star” begins with some really mellow tremelo’d bass and some some sweet, slow, and melodic guitar work. Holy smokes, it sounds like there’s a saxophone in this track, which has really pulled me even further into this listening experience with some jazz sounds in a soundscape that make it feel as though you’re floating through space and watching the sun peer out from behind the shadow of a distant, forgotten planet. Holy smokes, I’m really digging this track. The light percussion in the form of shakers really adds to the jazz-like nature of this track. Oh wow, the droning/humming sounds from the first track enter the soundscape, almost like you’re receiving some sort of final transmission before you float too far away into the unknown. Wow, awesome track, and a great way to end the album.
Holy smokes, this album is sweet. The mixture of hard rock, space rock, and a sort of shamanic psychedelic rock made for a really sweet listening experience, and the final track brought in some sort of cosmic jazz flavors that make me want to hear the whole album over again. I was definitely reminded of TOOL, but I was also reminded of the cosmic jazz and psychedelic rock band Mythic Sunship, as well as stoner rock outfits like Dead Meadow, Dead Shaman, and Geezer. If you’re a fan of TOOL and especially if you’re a fan of stoner rock, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A