Review: Sacri Monti - Sacri Monti

Now all that christmas/new year malarkey is out of the way, it's time to get down to business...i.e. music. The first post of the year, however, isn't a new album, it was actually released way back in the summer but I only got my greasy mitts on it a couple of weeks ago.....had I got it earlier than the 'Best of 2015' list would have looked different!

Sacri Monti are a Californian five piece who dwell in the fuzzy world of heavy 70's psych and who boast members of Radio Moscow and Joy in their line-up (respectively bass flinger Anthony Meier and drummer Thomas Dibenedetto). Brenden Dellar (vocals/guitar), Dylan Donavon (guitar) and Evan Wenskay (organ, synth) complete the line-up. Their self-titled full length debut, out now on Tee Pee Records, is a masterpiece of psychedelic fuzz, with heavy riffs complemented by some swirling organ.

Opener 'Staggered In Lies' starts softly, lulling the listener into a false sense of security, but the guitars come crashing in with some trippy 70's organ. It has the power of a Naam track but the organ embues it with a retro feel. Special mention must go to Dellar's vocals....earnest, spirited but clean and melodic. It is a track that says "buckle up, spark up and enjoy the ride". 'Glowing Grey' is heavier still, loads more fuzz and attitude. The vocals are wrapped in echo and the organ is still there in the background...it has the feel of a Harsh Toke jam session. The rhythm section keep everything on track but when the twin guitars are given their head just over halfway through the track becomes a full-blown psych freak-out....fantastic stuff! 'Slipping From The Day' starts in the same vein but with a more spacey atmosphere; some cosmic washes of synth complimenting the ever-present organ. 'Sittin' Around In A Restless Dream' is the shortest of the six tracks and sees the band harnessing their inner Led Zeps. The brevity of the track would be my only complaint...it has the feel of a track that could be extended into a huge psych rock jam...when it ends you just want more! 'Ancient Seas And Majesties' veers off into heavy blues territory with some electrifying slide guitar dueling with the organ...this is beyond 'retro', it sounds genuinely as if it was recorded in the late sixties/early seventies with the organ reminiscent of Iron Butterfly. 'Sacri Monti' closes the album...a twelve minute magnum opus. It starts slowly with the lead guitar playing some sultry psych blues but soon picks up, evolving into a proggy, trippy journey with yet more ace organ work and spacey synths over some thumping drums, all accompanying some reverb laden guitars laying down some psych infused solos.

In this day and age, where 'retro' is very much 'now', with bands trying to sound like their psych forefathers, Sacri Monti stand apart. They take the vibes and sounds of seventies heavy psych and weave them into a unique end product. It is a truly great album that has been a constant on the turntable over the Xmas period and will remain so for a while. Even after just one album Sacri Monti have honed their own sound and it's a good one! I wait with baited breath for the follow up. 'Sacri Monti' is available from the Tee Pee webstore in a funky purple vinyl or CD