Hippie Death Cult first came onto Desert Psychlist's radar when they released a series of one off releases via the pages of Bandcamp, those releases later made their way onto the bands debut album "111" but not before they had garnered attention from the ears of all the right people. Those single releases showed a band who had a sound that was amenable to both those that still held a flame for the old school values of classic and hard rock and those whose bag was fuzzy stoner rock and up-tempo doom, a band who worshipped at the altar of screaming guitar solos and melodic vocals but could also get down dirty and fuzzy when a song called for it. The band followed up "111" with the excellent "Circle of Days" and all of a sudden Hippie Death Cult were being touted as one of the underground scene's new major players. Keyboardist Ben Jackson's vocals were an integral component of HDC's sound at this time, his clean smooth singing style harked back to a bygone age and served as a bridge between the bands more vintage sound and their more metallic leanings, unexpectedly "Circle of Days" turned out to be Jackson's last album with the band, and he was followed in 2022 by drummer Ryan Moore. Up until this point bassist Laura Phillips had provided backing vocals and only sung lead on the occasional song, Jackson's departure meant she was now the bands main singer, a daunting task given Jackson's part in the bands success. Phillips to her credit grasped the chance with both hands and her vocals and bass playing on the bands new album "Helichrysum" (Heavy Psych Sounds Records), combined with Eddie Brnabic's jaw dropping guitar pyrotechnics and new drummer Harry Silvers tight solid beats, take Hippie Death Cult's musical attack to a whole new level of sonic excellence.
In Desert Psychlist's birthplace of East London, UK we refer to courage as "bottle" and Laura Phillips must have had some "bottle" to step up to that microphone for the bands first gig without Jackson, it is however a mark of Brnabic's confidence in her ability that he encouraged her to do so and she pays that confidence back in spades throughout "Helichrysum", her vocals are powerful distinctive and possess a level of doomic gravitas not previously heard on a HDC release up until this point. First track "Arise" is a perfect example of this new found doomic depth Phillips brings in to play, Brnabic's dark toned guitar riffs and solos frame her surprisingly deep toned vocal perfectly while Silvers busy tight percussion locks in solid with her huge sounding bass motifs. Brnabic is an exceptional guitar player who can swap between old school feel and new school shredding without breaking sweat but who can also deliver subtle textures and colours, this he demonstrates on following track "Shadows" a slow burning tome with a penchant for sudden explosiveness, a song that sees Phillips showing us that along with depth and power she also has ethereal in her vocal locker, That ethereality also finds a home on the following "Better Days", a powerful torch-like opus that boasts, along with its superbly delivered vocal, liquid bottom end and on the button drumming and an absolutely mind blowing solo from Brnabic. "Red Giant" starts life serene and tranquil with Phillips crooning gently over shimmering arpeggios then erupts into a galloping groove reminiscent in places of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". Phillips vocal for this part of the song is tinted with touches of grittiness and she also throws in some feral harshness but it is the way the trio's musical chops compliment each other that is most impressive here, Silvers seems to be trying to smash the living hell out of everything in reach, Phillips low slung bass lines lock the groove down tighter than a submarines hatch while Brnabic's riffs and solos are on a level with some of the 70's guitar greats. You will probably be thinking you need a break after such an assault on the senses but HDC have no intention of allowing that to happen instead they dive straight into "Toxic Annihilator", Phillips giving free reign to the harsher side of her vocal prowess over another galloping rhythmic groove, this one even more strident and in your face than its predecessor. Given the ferocity of the previous two tracks it almost seems fitting that HDC throw us a bit of a curveball with their next track "Nefelibata" its elements of off kilter bluesiness and heavy psych giving the album a somewhat unexpected but welcome left turn. Closing number "Tomorrow's Sky" utilizes some of that off-kilter quirkiness and doubles it up with tribalistic drumming and elements of vocal ethereality, the song boasting an almost folkish dynamic in its initial stages moving up to an almost Thin Lizzy like Celtic swagger as the song progresses, Brnabic's searing guitar solos and crunching riffs the virtual cherry on a particularly tasty cake, killer stuff!
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