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The Spacelords — Nectar of the Gods
(Tonzonen TON155, 2023, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-04-25

Nectar of the Gods Cover art

Having mastered the art of long space rock jams, The Spacelords have no reason to delve into anything else — at least not yet. Nectar of the Gods is my fourth encounter with this German band, and they have so far managed to maintain my interest even without venturing far from their established lane. This time out, we get four tracks in the nine to fourteen minute range, each exploring a slight variation on the idea of Hawkwind meets Pink Floyd. The title track has a really amazing tone from bassist Ekhard Kazmaier — not sure what pedal he’s using, but it has a cool synth-like tone that really fills the low end. On “Endorphine High,” Mattias Wettstein gets to indulge in some Gilmour-esque guitar licks during the quieter opening session, before working into a more distorted tone as the piece progresses. “Mindscapes” gives Marcus Schnitzler the opportunity to do something a little different on the drums, with its interesting pattern on the toms (Schnitzler is also responsible for the cover art). While some of their previous albums have featured expanded instrumentation — either keyboards from the core trio or from guest musicians — Nectar of the Gods goes with just guitar, bass, and drums, albeit with a generous use of echo and reverb effects to fill out the sound (and to be honest, I think there are some keyboards in “Lost Sounds of Lemuria” in spite of what the credits say). Overdubs are used to include multiple guitar parts, though they’re relatively minimal compared to what most bands do. And while I do miss the organ and synth parts, there’s something to be said for keeping it down to basics, and the compositions are good enough that any space rock fan should find lots to enjoy here.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): The Spacelords

More info
http://thespacelords1.bandcamp.com/album/nectar-of-the-gods

 

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