After mixing up their formula by adding vocals on 2018’s Black Heaven, Earthless‘ fifth full-length goes back to their usual brand of jammed out instrumental rock. The awesomely titled Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons (both Nuclear Blast) hearkens back to the format of albums like Sonic Prayer, consisting of three tracks each stretching to nearly twenty minutes of Heavy Psych informed by spacy Krautrock meandering. The title track is split into two parts with ‘Death To The Red Sun’ rounding things out.

However, this album returning to the band’s typical template doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a retread. While the band has always played into atmospheric textures, they usually aren’t this ominous. The guitar effects have a rather unnerving bent and the rhythms seem to have a more focused intent behind their buildups. It makes for an almost narrative listen compared to their usual fare, applying an established understanding of dynamics and flow to comparably linear structures.

On top of that, each track also offers its own flavor while playing into the whole. ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, Pt. 1’ opens in Floyd-esque fashion with its ethereal effects and cymbal washes before giving way to a tribal rhythm that seems to get more frenzied as it goes on. ‘Pt. 2’ plays up a sense of menace with a more straightforward layout, largely riding another percussive rhythm as the guitars emulate swirling winds only for the tempo to escalate into a full-blown cyclone. ‘Death to The Red Sun’ might initially seem redundant with the title track pair contrasting so well but evokes the band’s early work nicely with what may be the album’s heaviest riff set.

Overall, Earthless’ fifth album is another strong offering of spicy psychedelic jams. As cool as it would’ve been to see them continue pursuing the more vocal-friendly direction of Black Heaven, I can appreciate them approaching their well-worn instrumental presentation from a different angle. This is still very much loose, free flowing music designed for laid back disassociation but comes with a more narrative setup. It might have the makings of a bad trip with that darker subtext, but it ultimately makes for one hell of a ride.

Buy the album here: https://www.earthlessofficial.com/ 

8 / 10

CHRIS LATTA