THE TREE THAT BEARS THE EQUINE FRUIT

Anta is a new band from the UK, formed by four experienced musicians that came from different previous bands. In 2010 they released their debut album entitled "The Tree That Bears the Equine Fruit" in which we can listen to five compositions whose starting point is the psychedelic rock, so be prepared to enjoy this 35-minute trip to ANTA's realm.

The album opens with "Abyssal Ibis", the first minute is calm, almost quiet with only a gong sound, then the organ, bass, guitars and drums appear and begin to created an excellent psychedelic tune with a strong mood, here in moments I would say this band could fit under the heavy prog genrem but well, the organ makes a great job, giving the necessary nuances to the track. Then it progresses and makes a change at minute five, creating a softer atmosphere, but without leaving the inherent psych tune.

"Needling Seamaw" starts with a gentle sound, with a repetitive organ that puts the rhythm, but what makes this song special is how the other instruments are adding figures, notes, textures little by little while the seconds pass. The sound of the bass is great, heavy, while the guitar riffs are like of a stoner rock band. It has different passages, though the rhythm is the same, there are moments where it is faster and more intense, while others are soft and charming.

"Firn" is the shortest track here, and it contrasts with the previous ones because what they offer here are four minutes of soft, atmospheric music that may put the words of post-rock or even new-age in your mind. After one minute and a half a beautiful piano is added, while the atmospheric background prevails. "Abtenauer Oak" continues with the same sound at least for the first minute, later the organ reappears and with it the psychedelic tune, though this song does never explode, it prevails calmed.

The album finishes with "Apical Dominance", in which the mixture of heavy prog and psychedelic rock is shown once again. After two tracks I can say I missed the heavy bass and the constant participation of the guitar. There are moments where they give more intensity and create a dynamic tune, this is a very cool song. Well, in general Anta offers a good album with this nice blend of heavy psych rock and with those two post-rockish moments, though I must say it is not a memorable album, honestly. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!