Review: Asimov - Truth

Asimov are a Portuguese heavy-psych duo who, after two self-released records, are about to drop their new album, 'Truth'. No strangers to the psych scene Asimov have played some well known Portuguese festivals like Reverence Valada and Barreiro Rocks and have also supported some heavyweights in their time, namely The Cosmic Dead, Pink Mountaintops and Endless Boogie. It should come as no surprise then that 'Truth' is a heavy, fuzzy psych monster!

They pretty much start as they mean to go on, opening track 'Nothing In Return' starts proceedings with a chugging rhythm and some echoing psych guitar which reverberates round your head. After three minutes things get really interesting; the rhythm is maintained but the guitar becomes spacey and heavy. The vocals are heralded by some Jim Morrison-like whoops and hollers and culminate in a soul-wrenching scream. The tempo falls for a bit leaving spaces to be filled with some glorious feedback. The track is brought to a close with some more impassioned vocals and that fuzzy guitar. 'She's Heading West' opens with a garage punkesque riff before it all turns into another fuzzfest. It has more than a touch of Blue Cheer about it, which is obviously a very good thing indeed! 'The Second Floor' changes the momentum, some delicately plucked acoustic guitar....very Iberian...providing an oasis of calm in the maelstrom of fuzz. Normal service is resumed with 'The Major's Ship', with some ace wah-wah and crashing drums heightening the exhilaration. The tempo shifts down a tad and the band lay down some more seventies heavy psych, with the guitar wailing over a mountain of fuzz..great stuff. 'Onward' is a short number, less than 3 minutes, and is overtly psychedelic....the guitar and simple drumbeat resonating with eastern promise and sixties mysticism. 'Even Tame Tigers Bite Their Masters' is a rare vocal track that is out of blocks like Usain Bolt. It has a Sabbath-like doomy quality, the guitar moving from sounding like a broken gearbox to laying down some good ol' fashioned rock riffs. What it lacks in tempo it makes up for in heaviness and attitude. What sounds like an organ gives the track a retro, atmospheric quality, like Iron Butterfly's younger brothers. The album is closed with 'Don't Leave Me Demon' and some wonderfully evocative guitar than sounds straight out an arid mid-western soundscape. When the fuzz is turned up, the track still holds onto the atmosphere, the vocals adding a frantic urgency that does not overwhelm the lush guitar. It moves closer and closer to acid jam territory the further it goes with some more chiming wah-wahs, but never tips over the edge.....my favourite track on the album.

'Truth' is an album with a huge rhythmic backbone and some scintillating guitar work.....it's heavy, fuzzy and damn enjoyable and how they get that noise from just two dudes escapes me. 'Truth' will be released on 24th March, on tape by Ya Ya Yeah and CD by Raging Planet. Lead video, 'Tigers' will be released on March 1st, until then, feast your eyes on Asimov live at the Reverence Festival in 2014.