Psychedelic six-piece Jess And The Ancient Ones (now refered to as JATAO from here out) hail from Kuopio, Finland and well, they prove that once again, if you want some brilliant music, look no further than the northern reaches of Europe. Scandanavia has always been a hotbed for great music – it was the birthplace of the melodic death metal scene, it helped augment the notoriety of black metal and some of the best doom acts hail from the frostbitten northern countries. Now we can add Psychedelic Rock to the list. The eagerly awaited follow up to their debut full length in 2011 and EP in 2013, “The Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes” (Now refered to as The Aquarius Tapes from here out) promises so much. Let us see just what the second coming sounds like.

“Samhain” opens the album and right away, it’s like stepping back into the early 70’s. A blend of mysticism and classic rock with plenty of flair and dramatic vocal work combines fantastically. Blending sounds which can be likened to The Doors, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and the mighty Blue Öyster Cult, it is a storming rock and roll boogie filled track with plenty of trippy vibes emanating from it. With a real retro-rock boogie feel, full of swagger and flair in the delivery, the six piece really throw out a captivating track to begin with. The organ which sits just ontop of the vocals and guitar work really brings it to life and the power in the vocals really brings the track to life, especially with the big, dramatic Jim Morrison-esque belted out vocal sections near the end of the track.

“The Flying Man” brings a shade of Hendrix to the album. With its wah-soaked guitar and massive drum roll into a more darker and slower paced track, it is full of atmosphere. Once again, the lead guitar fills and organ add that extra edge to the track as they dance their way across it whilst the solid rhythm section and vocals really carry the track, hammering it home. Flair filled blues fills turn into a full blown tasty bluesy feel guitar solo and not to be outdone, the bass even gets in on the lead melody and has some soloing of its own towards the end which leads into the powerful final chorus with a real massive big vocal outro.

“In Levitating Secret Dreams” we get the pomp and bite of Blue Öyster Cult – trippy feeling rock and roll. With call and response styled vocals over a lightly overdriven rhythm, flowing classic styled lead and hypnotic drums, it takes hold like the early 70’s BÖC sound. Wild sounding lead fills accompanying the Vocals, the chorus has some great melodic sections and the second verse shows a more darker and sultry vocal delivery, showing just how versatile JATAO really are. It’s a short and energetic track with some real classic rock flair behind it. “The Equinox Death Trip” is a fantastic track. The rhythm section really stands out on this one with some solid bass and drums which lead to an infectious groove which I challenge you to resist. With cleaner vocal delivery and atmospheric guitar and organ interplay, it has a really mystical quality to it, kind of like The Doors but with a heavier edge. The beefy riffs and organ interplay round the 2:40 mark give a real great sound, especially in the organ solo but the real magic happens at the 4:20 mark where big vocal wails, frantic and loud organ abuse and a bass solo under a guitar solo just lead to a convoluted but majestic maelstrom of creativity and expression which hits the mark!

“Wolves Inside My Head” is more ominous and slightly harder in its musical delivery. Almost like it has been laced with Venom for some real impact, it opens up with an ominous rumbling synth under a soundbyte sample which goes into a quick lively burst before it eases off in the verse. With a punchy rhythm and real build up element to it in the verse, the lead guitar subtly mirrors the vocal progression as it enters the chorus and the spooky feeling organ sounds just make for a rich atmosphere to get caught up in. With some real storming grooves which are infectious as hell, it has that classic rock-come-blues boogie feel to it at times but with a darker tone and it eases off into a hypnotic bass/vocal combo to end it in a real solid display. “Crossroad Lightning” brings back the mysticism again, starting off with something which sounds almost Native American-like , giving it a slight ‘epic’ feel. With overarching synths over a steady and melodic verse, it has a big feel and the synths essentially dictate the dynamics of the track – as they grow louder, so does the vocal delivery. Round 3:40, the bass really kicks in and there’s some fantastic vocal work and bluesy riffs and as the track progresses, it picks up that BÖC feel again with the raw sounding riffs and a really good bass riff/solo spot. Round 5:40 we get a real big melodic moment with some massive vocals and piano before it starts to wind down towards the Native American sound once more to end it.

“The Lovers” is a short burst of energy. A bouncing feel rock and roll groove underpins the track as it’s infectious nature takes hold of you once again. With some great vocal delivery and solid synth voicing’s, it really has a kick to it, especially in the choruses where it gets louder and the vocal and lead melodies shine through before we get a real blistering paced solo. This then leads into “Goetia Of Love” which keeps up the lively feel. With some solid musicianship providing the energetic and slightly bouncy feel backing for the vocals which just roll off so smoothly, it’s got a great sound to it. The chorus brings the retro rock feeling back into full swing with some backing “oooh’s” and a memorable descending run for the main hook and later on in the track we get a touch of some Robert Plant styled vocal wails which really add to the sound.

This of course leads us to the final track of the album which is also the longest. Clocking in at just over 22 minutes, “Goodbye To Virgin Grounds Forever” is an epic in every sense of the word. Given how the rest of the album has had that big rock feel with a lively pace to it, this track is the polar opposite. It’s slower and more sorrowful in its delivery which in a strange way, makes it rather beautiful sounding. The track opens up with a lone piano melody which is joined by a flute and some periodic cymbal clashes to up the mood and to set the scene, building a sorrowful but captivating sonic landscape to get lost in. The rest of the band joins in and it is more bluesy – subtle bassline, vocal freestyling in the Plant wail delivery and subtle guitar licks and progressions steadily build up and the first real change in dynamic is round the 6 minute part. The drums pick up, the vocals get slightly softer in their delivery and the guitar becomes more prominent. This approach leads to a smooth bluesy solo before it picks up again round the 8:30 point, growing in volume and intensity, giving a sense of a bigger, more dramatic musical shift to come, especially when the vocal delivery gets more dramatic and horns and building feel drums join in, making it even louder.

Round the 10 minute spot, we find ourselves dipping into the BÖC style again and the rich bassline and strong piano really ties it all together well before it changes again. Easing off on the volume but speeding up with regards to some instruments, the 11:30 point leads to another major shift as the piano gets faster and it gets more frantic and the guitar and horns get a little more intricate. Cascading into a Hendrix styled section round 14 minutes, it picks up again and then two minutes later, it shifts again, with more power coming from the vocals and the twisting bass and turbulent drums, really shifting it more to the classic psychedelic stylings.

Eventually the track begins to slow down before the final major change – a near enough all vocal three minute outro with a folk-like melody which follows the vocal harmony lines to great effect. Initially this shift doesn’t quite work, but as it progresses, it works out rather well and brings a very dynamic track and album to an epic close.

Overall, “The Aquarius Tapes” is another astounding release from Svart Records. It’s got everything you want from psychedelic rock and blues – its arrangements, phrasings and progressions get you caught up in them so much you cannot help but have your mind wander through the rich sonic landscape which Jess And The Ancient Ones have created. With slick guitar chops, infectious and feel dictating synth and organs, a solid rhythm section and some magnificent vocals, JATAO have created a real hit here.

(8.5/10 Fraggle)

https://www.facebook.com/jessandtheancientones

Out 4th December!