Ray Temple
German stoner outfit Ray Temple dropped their self-titled debut album on April Fool’s Day.
Ray Temple
Formed in 2016, the Aachen, Germany-based band released two double-track EPs, “Galaktika / Manuka Honey” in 2018, followed by “Amber / Solid Nut” in 2019. The five members of the band describe their music as “psychedelic-Stoner, ‘70s-Fuzz.”
Comprising 10-tracks, the first track on the album is “Zampano,” opening on a thumping kick-drum, followed by down and dirty guitars. A rasping tenor backed by whoo-ooh radiating vocal harmonies infuses the track with plush flavors.
The best tracks include “Meteor,” a blues-infused number reminiscent of The Doors because of its psychedelic-laced hues. The melody rumbles with low-slung energy and ramps up to heavier surging colors prior to dropping down once again.
“Alpha” rides on a punk-flavored Mississippi blues melody, full of fuzzed-out guitars and a bass line that rattles windows. The song shifts back and forth from bluesy savors to tighter punk momentum. Grating vocals and the flow of the tune remind listeners of ZZ Top. Halfway through the harmonics take on oscillating psychedelic colors atop the murky guitars.
The best tracks include “Meteor,” a blues-infused number reminiscent of The Doors because of its psychedelic-laced hues.
“High Away” travels on a ferocious garage rock melody reminiscent of Buck Cherry, urgent and pulverizing. “Manuka Honey” opens on bluesy riffs riding loose percussion and then flows into a potent classic rock-flavored tune with lots of oomph.
The last track, “Desert Rain,” features a phantasmagoric intro seasoned with austere boiling licks and then flows into a psychedelic-blues-jazz melody with filtered, metallic-colored vocals. This track harks back to Cream jamming with The Doors, as the oily guitar pervades the music with all-out psychedelic tones that swirl and scream with strident force.
There’s a definite retro feel to the entire album, a heady blend of stoner garage-rock merged with elements of progressive rock mixed with beau coup bluesy psychedelic colors, like an LSD-induced trip full of hazy, muscular hallucinations.
Ray Temple is a good album, if you’re in the mood for brawny blues tinted with kaleidoscopic colors on the crest of raw garage-rock.
