ALBUM REVIEW: 11Paranoias - “Reliquary for a Dreamed of World”

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/10/2016

Label: Ritual Productions

What sets 11PARANOIAS apart from other bands operating in the realms of psychedelic heaviness is the otherworldly atmosphere they conjure. Every note is enshrouded in a hazy fog that lends their music a darkly unsettling feel.

“Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Peripheral Metamorphosis

2). Destroying Eyes

3). Avallanius

4). Mutus Lieber

5). Meditation on the Void

6). Phantom Pyramid

7). Milk of Amnesia

The Review:

11PARANOIAS are a rare example of a super group that are as good, and possibly even better, than their constituent parts. Featuring Mike Vest (Bong, Blown Out, etc.) on guitar, Adam Richardson (Ramesses) on bass/vocals and Nathan Perrier (Capricorns) on drums, the band fully deliver on their impeccable heavy credentials, as demonstrated on previous LP “Stealing Fire From Heaven”. Expectations of greatness weigh heavy on new LP “Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” and 11PARANOIAS rise to the occasion and then some.

Opener “Peripheral Metamorphosis” wastes no time in getting down to business as the band launch straight into a huge, treacly riff. This track acts as a satisfying reminder of all that makes 11PARANOIAS great; minimal punishing riffs that bludgeon the listener senseless whilst elevating their consciousness to a higher plain, striking a delicate balance between hypnotic repetition and organic progression. What sets 11PARANOIAS apart from other bands operating in the realms of psychedelic heaviness is the otherworldly atmosphere they conjure. Every note is enshrouded in a hazy fog that lends their music a darkly unsettling feel. The band also show a rare grasp of dynamics, sometimes falling away to a hushed, restrained quiet that makes their ferocious onslaught all the more terrifying when it arrives.

11PARANOIAS marked themselves out previously by their inclusion of weirder elements that stretch beyond the standard boundaries of doom. “Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” sees them fully embrace these influences with incredible results. Monstrous, sixteen-minute highlight “Destroying Eyes” begins with their characteristic leaden riffs but as the track progresses the tempo slowly picks up until the track blossoms into a high octane stoner punk explosion. Relentless filthy baselines drive the track to ever-higher levels of intensity, a glorious racket that sounds like the Stoogesjamming with Acid Mothers Temple as Yobset the controls for the heart of the sun. “Phantom Pyramid” sees the band embrace extended periods of clean guitars to create an ominously intoxicating two chord slow burn that eventually erupts into molten distortion. This track sees them move away from doom to a more psychedelic rock sound although still crushingly heavy, like an iron-clad Bardo Pond.This bleeds seamlessly into the storming finale of “Milk of Amnesia”. Based mostly upon one churning riff of almost garage-rock simplicity, the band throws everything they have into a four minute adrenaline rush of primal ferocity. Its impact is all the more devastating in contrast to the longer, drawn out songs that precede and its unexpected immediacy makes for a brilliant end to the album.

“Reliquary for a dreamed Of World” is an incredible release from 11PARANOIAS. It sees the band raise their already impressive game to another plane with a cosmic onslaught on the senses that makes all other psychedelic doom bands sound like Oasis in comparison. This is the album that should make the band member’s other achievements irrelevant; what matters is that they were involved in the creation of this monumental record.

“Reliquary for a Dreamed of World” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook