Ancient Sky – T.R.I.P.S.

The debut offering from Brooklyn’s own ANCIENT SKY just might be one of our current favorite records. Their pulsing form of psychedelic rock reaches new heights with each passing track, eventually leaving us with an album of grandiose proportions.

There’s a bit of a lack of abundance of detailed information about this band out on the internet, but this debut LP “T.R.I.P.S.” totally makes up for that and then some. They released the LP on their very own Loud Baby Sounds imprint, as well as the Sons of Vesta label located in Italy just at the beginning of the new year.

Album opener “Towards the Light” just might be the greatest example of their sound, which surely makes it a fitting introduction to the rest of the record. The song opens subtly with glowing guitars that slowly but surely begin to take a grasp on the rest of the track. As things thicken and the momentum builds up, they reach the threshold and the track explodes in a fit of rage. Suddenly you find yourself in a mess of psyched-out guitars raining down from the stormy sky, scattered between relentless cymbal crashing and a swirling atmosphere.

This track seamlessly rolls over into the follow up “Wooden Ear” which sounds a bit more accessible right off the bat. This track sees us through a rock-solid rhythm of heavy bass lines and steady drumming, making for an unpredictable base for the guitars to trail off into psychedelic obscurity. These guitars swirl and come full circle with their gleaming nature, guiding us on through until the final two minutes which creeps along at a grueling pace. Now we find ourselves buried in this unexpected closing segment (just after the 3 minute mark), questioning what could possibly come next as these chilling guitars quiver and weep with their mysteriously haunting edge. In a section like this, the song is truly dripping with a menacing attitude.

Now that we can see what these dudes are all about, we can really start to dig in. “Snow in the Cemetery” shows the another side of the band we heard previously at the end of “Wooden Ear”. Slowly creeping, spacey and strung out are how things unfold in a track like this, with fat, punchy bass lines that create a gentle vortex that will carefully suck you in. Following that, “Trips” is an instrumental noise track that again brings another side of the band to the surface, showing off a troubling psychedelic soundscape that helps us characterize their perplexing sound even further. This prepares us for the nine minute suite “All Colors at Once”. It opens with a gritty guitar shimmer before leaving us to be bruised and battered by the psychedelic stomp that follows, made up of mangled guitar washes and grumbling bass lines that keep us moving along with the swift beat of the cymbal. Good luck keeping up with their staggering pace as the song changes directions a few times from here on out.

So now as the rest of the album plays out, it becomes clear that Ancient Sky are certainly a force to be reckoned within the realm of psychedelic rock. Whether it’s their slithery and haunting arrangements or their ability to bring us down an expected new path at each turn, Ancient Sky have put together an undoubtedly pleasing compositional output. Go and snag a copy of the vinyl from Loud Baby Sounds because an album like this is guaranteed to sound even better on the turntable. If you’re in Italy, grab a copy from Sons of Vesta – the first 100 come on “iced cherry” vinyl – see the picture below!

Towards the Light –

Wooden Ear –

Snow in the Cemetery –

Time is an Ocean –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Space Rock, Alternative
T.R.I.P.S. LP: Tracklist:
1.) Towards the Light
2.) Wooden Ear
3.) Snow in the Cemetery
4.) Trips
5.) All Colors at Once
6.) Ray Bradbury
7.) Oake Island
8.) Time is An Ocean
9.) The Wind

BUY the LP directly from Loud Baby Sounds – limited to 500 (US)
BUY the LP directly from Sons of Vesta – limited to 300, 100 on “iced cherry” vinyl (Italy)
OR buy the album digitally from the band on Bandcamp – just $5 !
Ancient Sky on Facebook