Fuzztival Haul feat. ECSTATIC VISION and KANAAN

I just laid my to-do-list of reviews on the garden table and waited for a bird to shit on it. The poo landed on this post Esbjerg Fuzztival merch haul, which luckily - at least for this occasion - was quite overseeable with just the official festival shirt and one record a day.

KANAAN - Downpour (LP) (2023)

Buying the new Kanaan album from the merch table had always been the plan. And secretely I had also hoped to maybe see a surprise leftover copy of one or two other desired objects here, which were missing in my collection of the Norwegian power trio, because prices, shipping and taxes from outside of the EU aren't the cheapest. Well, at least I got this. And this is of course something!

As expected this album doesn't follow the epic cosmic exploration of the "International Space Station Vol.1" sampler, but rather continues on the heavy and ultra-fuzzy path of their 2021 release "Earthbound". Yet beside the gnarliest evolution of Blues, which opens the record with "Black Time Fuzz" and the Rock guitar ecstasy of "Amazon", which features the amazing Hedwig Mollestad, the instrumental band also goes back to the Jazzrock influences of their debut, not only with the odd santanaesque lead guitar here or there, but especially with the title track. Driven by super fast, sometimes almost chaotic drumming "Downpour" is a feverish Fusion fest, which goes through all stages of smoothness and heaviness Kanaan can offer. Loved this live in Esbjerg and absolutely dig the studio version as well.

Did I say this album is not that weltraumy? Ok, screw that, here comes side B with the "Psunspot" interlude and pulls out the analogue synth sounds. "Orbit" still mostly remains a maximum fuzzy Stoner stomper though.
But "Solaris Pt.1" actually is an elevating Psychedelic Rock trip, before "Pt. 2" closes the album by bringing all its krauty and blackholy elements together in one satisfying banger.

Yeah, these guys just always deliver.

ECSTATIC VISION - Live At Duna Jam (Yellow-Brown-Orange vinyl LP) (2023)

What a scenery! No wonder that Ecstatic Vision are offering their recent live album not only in this absolutely beautiful limited vinyl version, but also on BluRay. And it's also no wonder that after their crazy performance on the Esbjerg Huset stage, this was the record I just couldn't resist buying on Saturday.

With a very similar setlist this is probably as close as I can come to reliving that show in Denmark, even though the a small room full of Psychedelic projections is of course a different beast than a Sardinian sand beach in summer. But no worries, the high Hawkwind energy is defintely present at this rather exclusive Desert Rock tourist event, too. Rumbling bass, screaming saxophone, a never tiring beat and a manic frontman, ready to scream the waves back into the sea.

Ecstatic Vision are as rowdy and rapid as Psychedlic Rock can get. And the quartet knows how to make people "Come Together" for a party for sure. Short but sweet killer live album! 

And yes, yes, to complete the haul... Here's the Fuzztival shirt:

Hope you're happy now.