WELCOME TO LPCDREISSUES
Customers who bought this also bought:
Astral Sabbat is the three-track 2013 EP by Finnish psychedelic group Jess and the Ancient Ones. Released after their acclaimed self-titled debut, it develops the band's mixture of vintage hard rock, progressive arrangements, occult imagery and late-sixties psychedelic atmosphere.
The recording features Jess on lead vocals, Thomas Corpse and Thomas Fiend on lead guitar, Von Stroh on rhythm guitar, Abraham on keyboards, Fast Jake on bass and Yussuf on drums and percussion. The unusually large line-up creates a rich and layered sound in which interlocking guitars, swirling keyboards and forceful rhythms surround Jess's commanding vocal performance.
The title track opens with a hypnotic guitar figure before expanding into a melodic occult-rock anthem. Its shifting instrumental textures, dramatic vocal lines and concise structure make it one of the band's most immediately recognisable compositions.
“Long and Lonesome Road” is a reinterpretation of the song written by Robbie van Leeuwen and originally recorded by Shocking Blue. Jess and the Ancient Ones retain its memorable melody while transforming it through heavier guitars, atmospheric keyboards and a darker psychedelic arrangement. Guest musician Jani Karhunen contributes lap-steel guitar.
The entire second side is occupied by the extended “More Than Living.” Running for almost fifteen minutes, the composition moves through quiet psychedelic passages, progressive instrumental development and increasingly intense ensemble sections. Its scale allows each musician space while maintaining a carefully controlled sense of atmosphere and direction.
Produced by the band together with Tore Stjerna, Astral Sabbat bridges the direct occult rock of the debut album and the more expansive psychedelia of the recordings that followed. This original Svart Records edition is pressed on transparent red vinyl, limited to 400 copies and presented in a gatefold sleeve.
Track listing:
Side A
Side B
