For their third LP, Sundowner, Belgian band Angels Die Hard again bring together a multitude of influences to create another strange brew of heady, psychedelia infused genre bending Post Rock instrumentals. Casting their net far and wide for inspiration Angels Die Hard mix together early 70s Asian Psychedelia, Afro-Beat, Krautrock, shimmering Post Punk guitars and Electronica to stunning effect……... wide screen and expansive, Sundowner has a big bold sound crammed with layer upon layer of vibrant texture.
From the moment the needle hits the vinyl, Sundowner is a massive swirl of tumbling guitars, ferocious percussion and liquid bass lines with ‘Tears Of The Cobra’ and ‘Stray Angel’ kicking off a album of “whirled music” where the European Post Rock/Krautrock influences crash against styles and sounds from around the globe. A near comparison is former Lay Llama Gioele Valenti’s JuJu project where a melting pot of music creates a sound where uptown Kampala meets downtown Cologne. Sometimes stark and futuristic, sometimes raw and rootsy, Angels Die Hard elegantly mix their sonic palette to create vivid “sound pictures” with slashes of guitar, a powerful rhythm section and subtle Electronica…………. ‘Acid Beach’ is the perfect illustration of where Angels Die Hard are at with this record. Guitars slowly emerge from a haze of drifting synths and tribal drumming, dipping and swooping in a thrilling dance to the death as layers upon layer of six string squall twist and turn in a sacred space where Free Jazz and Noise Rock co-exist before abruptly crashing back to Earth. Amid the beautiful noise there are more delicate offerings such as ‘Dancing Algae’ where the primitive electronic soundscaping of John Carpenter meets the cavernous sound of Tangerine Dream, the Future Dub of ‘Gutter Glory’ which has echoes of Jah Wobbles more experimental recordings and the sublime LP closer ‘Dirty Sunset’. Beautifully constructed, Sundowner sees Angels Die Hard take Psych Rock towards an imagined future as far away as possible from the Neu!, Sonic Youth, Hawkwind axis that dominates much of modern Psychedelia. Another excellent release from Jezus Factory, a London label dedicated to all things Benelux, and well worth your time.
Sundowner will be released on 17/09/2018 on pink vinyl through Heaven Hotel (Benelux) and Jezus Factory (UK) with pre-orders being taken through all the usual suspects on line or direct from the Jezus Factory shop.
