Desert Psychlist described Arbiter's debut full length release "Ambrosia", in a blurb on the albums Bandcamp page, as a "mind blowing mix of prog-metal, heavy psych and space that occasionally wanders into left of field and quirky territories", a description we stand by still and one that could just as easily be applied to the bands latest album "Towards the Burning Moon" only this time preceded by the words "an even more...". Arbiter, Caleb Blackwell (guitar/vocals); Robert John Garcia (bass/synthesizer), and Jonah Gonzalez (drums), are a band with sound like no-one else, a band who play music that always seem to teeter on the edge of chaos but never quite tips over, something you'll discover for yourselves when giving "Towards the Burning Moon" a spin.
Things begin with "Light The Torches!," a brief instrumental filled with droning feedback and sampled narrative, the piece setting the stage for the first track proper, "Black Lotus" a shape-shifting tome made up of grooves that merge heavy psych with proggish doom and elements of Middle Eastern exoticism, the results of which are decorated in "weedian" flavoured vocalisation. The next track, "The Deep Heavy" opens with a seductive bass motif, sparse yet effective guitar textures, and delicate drumming, only to explode into a throbbing mix of prog and stoner metal featuring vocals that transition from clean and phased to throaty and harsh beneath which an undercurrent of synthesized madness and refrain-driven mayhem holds sway.. For "Atop the Anthill," Arbiter incorporate quirky rhythms and off kilter riffs, reminiscent of Belgium's Gnome, to create an offbeat groove complemented by a swaying, playful vocal melody. "Form" introduces a new wave/punk vibe, while "Oh Spirit! Oh Mother!" showcases Arbiter's knack for pulling victory from the jaws of chaos with a song that constantly leaps between folkish prog languidity and metallic core-like cacophony. "Faustian Hymn" dials things back with lilting nursery rhyme-like melodies delivered over a backdrop of lightly picked guitar arpeggios and synth generated brass effects, Desert Psychlist will be surprised if we are not the only ones getting a "Wicker Man/ Midsommar" vibe from this number. Title track "Towards the Burning Moon" is probably the albums most accessible and straight forward song, its lilting clean vocal melodies are underscored by tight solid drumming and booming bass over which crunching power chords, searing lead and swirling keyboard textures combine to create a groove not too far removed from something you might find gracing a Green Lung album. For the albums final number, "Venus in Dido", Arbiter take that same straight down the line rock approach they opted for on the previous track but this time mix things up by splicing that straight-forwardness with elements of both metallic and neo prog as well as some of those off-piste and quirky essences explored elsewhere on this wonderfully schizophrenic album.
Arbiter's "Towards the Burning Moon" is an album that defies all conventional norms, an album packed with music that ranges from the exuberant and extravagant to the chaotic and angular. Listening to "Towards the Burning Moon" is like being taken to the top of a tall building and asked to admire a familiar view, only to suddenly find yourself being dangled out of said same window and asked to look at that same view from an entirely new perspective... a crazy, scary yet at the same time exhilarating experience.
Check it out ....
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