Hailing from Leeds, UK, AMON ACID formed in 2018 to make psychedelic doom metal. It started as a bit of fun between two people, jamming at home, but after self-releasing their first EP, which received a positive response, it became a serious mission. Indeed, the core duo of Sarantis (originally from Athens) and Briony (from UK) are serious, and all it took was one listen to their debut album, Paradigm Shift - released in February 2021 by HELTER SKELTER to widespread acclaim - to convert unbelievers into fanatics, so hypnotically addicting was their sonic drug.
Now, arriving nearly two years later is a longer and even stronger full-length: Cosmogony. Indeed, the devil's in the details here, as the title surely signals AMON ACID's headspace across this stultifying 64-minute trip. While trace elements of their sturdy stoner doom remain, the now-power-trio expand their sound into far more cosmic realms, building up a psychedelic experience much closer to classic Hawkwind than, say, Electric Wizard. Truly, to get lost in Cosmogony is an easy feat, as each of these nine world-expanding/eating tracks wraps their purple-velvet wings around you and refuses to let go until the blacklight of your darkest soul turns on and burns out all the stars in your nearest vicinity. Or, perhaps a cursory read of some of the album's song titles should show exactly what AMON ACID are about now and where they're going: "Demolition Wave," "Ethereal Mother," "Demon Rider," the very-telltale “Parallel Realm," and especially the closing 11-minute epic "The Purifier."
Massive, mesmerizing, and simply magnificent, Cosmogony handily eclipses the already-considerable heights of Paradigm Shift. But that paradigm has shifted yet more, and AMON ACID have now established themselves as space-rock titans with this ominous tome!
