VISION AND AGELESS LIGHT

I ordered online a physical copy of Edensong's Years in the Garden of Years which arrived finally but with the wrong merchandise. Instead of the New York group's fine opus, I got and ultimately kept, a rather obscure CD from an American band called Eye, which I looked up and found to be potentially interesting. Upon listening to this "Vision and Ageless Light" 2016 release, I was overcome with a variety of impressions, most of which were rather surprising. Nominally a space rock/psychedelic group from Ohio led by talented drummer Brandon Smith , the de facto leader who has added new musicians for this mission, namely keyboardist Lisa Bella Donna, bassist Michael Sliclen and guitarist Jon Finley. Comparisons to fellow Yanks Astra is fair but there is also a pervading predilection for Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, Nektar and hints of heavier acts like Black Sabbath. That being said the opener does have some mellotron-infested swirls that recall early Genesis and sets the mood for an ambitious but grungy voyage into the distant universes.

The bruising "Kill the Slave Master" has a metallic heaviness that leaves no asteroid unturned, chugging into the cosmos like a spaceship superstar, sounding much like vintage early Hawkwind but lathered with shredding Jon Finley guitar pyrotechnics and spacy voices. The keyboard work is stunning, organ being the main instrument of choice, though there is an unexpected and yet splendid electric piano work straight out of Jazz-rock a la Soft Machine that will blow your mind. The bass bites hard on the pedal and the drum kit pounds furiously. A total winner. This segues immediately into the equally oily "Searching", even more vintage sound being shoved into the noisy mix, a thrusting vessel of shifting riffs, fluctuating drum patterns and uncontrolled insanity. The production has a raw feel to it, nothing overtly polished, which gives the experience a natural feel.

Things quiet down with the serene sounds of "Dweller of the Twilight Void" , a supremely spacy electronic feel not unlike vintage Gong , what with the Tim Blake-like synthesizer follies and the smooth quirkiness in the massed singing voices, escorted by resonating acoustic guitars, all involved for the ride. This all prepares for the magnum opus , the 27 minute+ "As Sure as the Sun" which displays a clearly Floydian utopia infused by dense psychedelia, acoustic guitar and floating voice setting the tone, mighty mellotron to follow. Lisa does real well on the keys, showing some Jan Hammer like fluidity on the synthesizers. This colossal epic takes different routes to the same galactic destination, Finley in particular oozing quite a Hendrixian influence in his scorching leads, full of grit and sizzle. Slower moments get suddenly propelled forward at warp speed, dizzying and barren playing a tennis game of sorts, alternate worlds, different galaxies yet all bathed in the same milky way. Drummer Smith even indulges in a mini solo, a rather classic mosaic in the space tableau and they even dare some massed voice chanting (Gong again) to add even more confusion to the mix.

I wouldn't call "Vision" a masterpiece but definitely a very entertaining and original sounding Space rock album that I am glad to now possess, even if by force majeure. It's an honest, truthful, unpretentious and clearly enthusiastic expression of musical ability.

4 Orbs