Land of Blood and Sunshine – Phlegm Realm 7″

Hailing from what sounds like the middle of nowhere in Marshalltown, Iowa comes LAND OF BLOOD AND SUNSHINE. These boys just released their first 7″ from the Seattle based Whoa! Boat Records so lets check it out.

With their first 7″ release, these barn-psych weirdos offer quite an odd sound that blends elements from both the psychedelic and folk side of the fence, with a heaping serving of bizarre obscurity and experimentalism that only a band like this could muster up. This eventually culminates into their own unique brand of weirdo barnyard psych-rock, a sound I can’t quite think of anything to compare it to (even if I wanted to). This is certainly a good thing despite what you might be thinking. A prime example reveals itself in “Fog Beat”, an aptly named track with it’s quivering organs, paving the way for a streamlined guitar mass that carefully exerts it’s energy in a forward, progressive motion. Rounded out by vocal chanting and an approaching sense of danger, these guys somehow create a strikingly authentic sound of medieval aggression.

Moving to the beginning, “Prestroy” is a dire sounding jam dominated by what sounds like urgent medieval chanting in a sky of looming danger, like you’re just about to enter a furious battle. “Bring Me Thunder” is like the time after said battle, where they’ve been victorious and now concentrate on the gods in the sky to bring them thunder and rain, for the hopeful result of a prosperous harvest. Closer “Phlegm” features more metallic medieval chanting, only this time it’s separated by a sedating yet perplexing primal flow, which eventually brings us to the end of this wild psychedelic journey, spanning both the mightiest crusades and strangest mutations of psych-folk. Please don’t miss it below, and head over to Whoa! Boat Records to snag your copy on ORANGE vinyl.

Prestroy –