Rise Above Records

To some the 1970's are long gone, and happily forgotten as an era of hippies and LSD, among other things. But to anyone who loves music the 1970's is one of the most significant decades (if not THE most significant decade) of the century for music - primarily, rock n roll. Rock n roll wasn't invented in the 70's, but the 70's is when it became adventurous, experimental, interesting, exciting, wild, and completely out-of-this-world awesome. Progressive rock combined the finest elements of various styles of music, art, literature and ideas and expanded the realm of songwriting to something never heard before, while its performers were recognized as serious and able musicians unwilling to settle for playing dumbed down rock, but unwilling to compromise the intensity of their sound. Of the countless bands that made a timeless name for themselves in the 1970's, one of the bands that stands out the most and even invented their own brand of progressive music (spacerock!) was Hawkwind. Now, this review isn't about Hawkwind, but it's about a band that, in every sense, worships Hawkwind and pays them a quality tribute in their sound.

Litmus sometimes sounds exactly like Hawkwind, down to the driving, proto-punk/pre-metal yet spaced out riffs, and the mellotron psychedelia, to the remarkably similar vocals, all taking you on a cosmic voyage with extended jams and spacey rhythms and melodies that serve to either complement or even substitute the effects of LSD on your brain. At other times, they are their own unique machine creating a sound that is in obvious homage to Hawkwind, but brave enough to do new things.
Aurora is Litmus's third album, and I must sadly admit it is the only one I have heard (though I am quickly working on fixing this). While it has some tendencies of metal, it is more of a progressive work of space rock than anything else. Its metal elements cannot be denied, though, just as Hawkwind's apparent influence on metal from the very beginning cannot be denied (where did Lemmy come from, after all?) Other than the crisp and modern production, and the hints of metal, this album could have come straight from the 70's, more or less. The riffs are evidently true to the form of trance-inducing progressive rock, growing from miniscule and simple patterns to fully elaborate, pounding fluctuations in spacetime. The percussion is powerful, every hit and crash timed to perfection to aid in making music that would be impossible without it. The mellotron is so prominent and very essential to this soundscape and is the core of the psychedelic gears that grind away in each track.

Three vocalists can be heard through out this album, which gives it such a complete feeling, like there was no detail left without great attention. They are reminiscent of what one might hear in Hawkwind, with echoed chants and layers of voices like a voice sandwich. The sound on Aurora is so rich and full that imagining it in a live setting gives me chills, as one must imagine this as being a wholely satisfying experience to witness on a stage. Some tracks are so fast and headbang worthy that there are times where it feels like anything but space rock, and like a full blown hard rock or heavy metal album, balls and all. And then in one moment they can shift to an ethereal, mind-warping extended instrumental that takes you out of the atmosphere, to observe Earth from a great distance. This is the music cosmic adventures are made of.

   1.  Beyond the Sun
   2. In the Burning Light
   3. Eos
   4. Miles Away
   5. Stars
   6. Kings of Infinite Space
   7. Ma:55 Degrees N Rift
   8. Red Skies

8.4