Saturday 22 August 2015

ACID FIRE - Spanish psych doomsters release four song demo

Acid Fire are a band bound to divide opinion, there are those of you who will dig their quirky stoner doom/psych grooves but there will also be others who will not. So what is it about Acid Fire that could cause such a division of opinion... Well it's the vocals. Artem Badassian's voice, heavily accented and with a hint of, 60's psychedelic blues legend, Captain Beefheart's rabid  growl, it is you could argue, an acquired taste. Speaking for myself though, I find Badassian's tone and delivery a thing of strange, eerie beauty. Aided and abetted by David Sánchez - Guitars, Álex Miranda - Drums and Adrià Puig - Bass, Badassian (who also plays guitar) growls and croaks his way around and over the four songs that make up this EP like some deranged storyteller sharing tales of demons and desert queens, colouring said tales with his deliciously malevolent vocal styling.
Underneath Badassian's eerie mutterings the band blend an infectious mix of stoner/desert fuzz with doomy acid psychedelics. Part old school doom, part  70's proto metal Acid Fire deliver vast swathes of dark colour and moody textures sprinkled with searing guitar solos and heavy rhythmic pulses  that create a dark atmospheric backdrop for the vocalist to narrate and croon his stories over.
Whether you fall into the love or hate category there is no denying Acid Fire are a little bit different in their sonic approach and if you are reading this you have no doubt listened and formed your own opinion. I love 'em but you might not....but then I suppose that's what makes music such a personnel experience, and long may that last.

BTW..only three songs are streamed on the bands Bandcamp page but you get the fourth when you buy and download the EP.

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