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ACID KING
Beyond Vision
Blues Funeral Recordings
www.acidkings.com

San Francisco’s ACID KING is closing in on a 30 year presence in the industry. While band members have entered and exited its ranks, front woman Lori S. continues to fly the flag since day one. ACID KING has been labeled mostly as Stoner Rock or Post Grunge, but if you take the time to delve into their music, you’ll discover they are so much more.

It was 2015 when ACID KING released their last studio album Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere. Between that incarnation of the band moving on, and the chaos of global gig cancellations, Lori found herself with the time to finally be able to take up an old friend’s offer to collaborate (and experiment). For more, watch Lori’s interview with KNAC.COM HERE.

Lori teamed up with BLACK COBRA frontman Jason Landrian to put together what eventually became the latest album under the ACID KING banner, Beyond Vision. Their latest album is meant to be enjoyed as one continuous song. For tracking reasons, it has been broken up into seven segments.

“One Second Away” is the dark and ominous introduction to the album. Its booming bass is sure to rattle any glasses near your speakers. Fuzzy guitar tones cut through the haze about halfway through the piece. Clocking in at over 7 minutes, the shadowy track “Mind’s Eye” never gets dull. Lori drives home the track’s aura with a brief yet effective vocal melody.

Creepy sound effects sonically elicit the fear of certain doom on “90 Seconds”. The minimalist vocals are both trippy and chilling. “Electro Magnetic” is an epic synth-laden jam session that leads into the perilous quick bite “Destination Pych”.

While most of the songs to this point act as the instrumental background as the scene plays out, “Beyond Vision” could be considered the main theme song. It’s heavy on lyrics, guitar, and classic song structure. “Color Trails” shifts tempos to elicit the calm before the storm, the point of impact, and the sorrowful aftermath.

Beyond Vision is a haunting cinematic adventure with enough suspenseful twists and turns that even the most critical listener will be demanding a sequel.

4.6 Out Of 5.0