On the heels of an EP shortly after formation, Ontario’s AAWKS hunkered down to craft a masterpiece. An album for the ages. That one shining record that glows/glowers upon all beneath it. And lo, (((((Heavy On The Cosmic))))) was born, but the gods did not smile upon our champions, nay, nay! Cassettes are well and good, but what the public – well, at least what one Discogs member – was clamoring for was vinyl. Thusly, and at long last…
Hazed right out the gate, ‘Beyond The Sun’ clearly takes a tab from the early KYUSS, languid, lysergic and loving it. That sound you hear is acid dripping off the strings, and yes, the buttons on their Nehru jackets are made of peyote, and both give this tune the feeling of a less confrontational (but equally intriguing) Spine Of God-era MONSTER MAGNET, never a bad thing.
‘The Woods Mix’ injects a sense of groove, bit of DOMKRAFT here, pinch of UFOMAMMUT in its insistency, that is until the bottom drops out exactly one minute in, plunging us into underground lava streams of DMT. Those strange, alien entities you see, they are we. After being assured that ‘All Is Fine’, were galloping out from the caverns, an ‘Electric Traveller’, red-horsed and red-eyed, but chasing that dream. What dream? No idea, but we’ll know when we get there. An album not for the faint of heart, don’t expect any of the songs to stay in one place for long. To the credit of the foursome, though, AAWKS have a sense of flow, of true sonic shadecraft that makes it all seem natural.
Ending with the High Northern stomp of ‘Peeling Away’, fierce solo flame and mountain-moving rhythms collide and collude with us on our journey to the… Is this an album for the ages? Only the ages will tell that tale. But for those who appreciate what a rarity it is in music for a band to arrive fully formed and a worthy companion of the lifers, (((((Heavy On The Cosmic))))) is waiting.
Review By: Lord Randall
AAWKS
(((((Heavy On The Cosmic)))))
Black Throne Productions
4 / 6