Mystical, exotic and esoteric, the hypnotic thrust that urges The Edge Of An Era onward is nothing less than captivating. Obviously, the members of French three-piece Blaak Heat Shujaa have long been supping on psilocybin while consuming a steady diet of psychedelic, progressive and experimental music. Like a fervent dervish, each track and the whole album seems to be spiralling ambitiously towards some higher purpose, some greater meaning, some spiritual truth that transcends the mundane and can only be glimpsed in the exaggerated indulgence of rhythmic and melodic propulsion.
In terms of musicianship, Blaak Heat Shujaa are outstanding. Bellier’s guitar tone ranges from the fuzzed and dirty to the bright and gleaming, his use of the wah wah bringing a vocal quality to his trippy exploration of rich eastern scales. Drummer Michael Amster and bassist Antoine Morel-Vulliez work very well together. Amster’s lines are the constant, the driving, the persistent guide that draw the listener deeper into their numinous aesthetic while Morel-Vulliez’s bass-lines wrap themselves around every punctuated beat with dexterously crafted flourishes. Were there ever a competition between Bellier and Morel-Vulliez, it’d be difficult to predict who would win such are their individual abilities, yet both musicians push each other onwards and upwards towards that higher purpose sought in every moment of the band’s combined creativity.
Vocally however, Thomas Bellier isn’t great; while his approach lends itself very well to their sound, there are enough times strewn across the album (‘Pelham Blue’ in particular) when it’s apparent that Blaak Heat Shujaa could be better as an instrumental band, leaving the vocal parts aside completely and letting their musicianship music do the work or invite in the odd guest. One such odd guest here is Beat poet Ron Whitehead whose unsettling narration in ‘The Obscurantist (The Beast, Part 1)’ works perfectly, his wild-eyed diatribe against the illusion that is America setting the track up for some impressive jamming from the trio. Fortunately for Bellier, his guitar and keyboard work seamlessly blends with the colourful rhythmic backdrop of drummer Michael Amster and bassist Antoine Morel-Vulliez. Together, Blaak Heat Shujaa is an impressive unit that perpetually feeds upon itself and rejuvenates with ever-growing strength and vision.
As rewardingly self-indulgent as it is, The Edge Of An Era does wear thin occasionally and a few of the tracks could easily blend into one another but a lot less often than many albums of this ilk do. Though still in the same vein as their 2010 début and the 2012 EP The Storm Generation, their musical relationship has matured significantly and Scott Reeder’s production (yes, he of Kyuss and The Obsessed) has brought out the best in this band. Trance-inducing and uplifting, The Edge Of An Era is a striking piece of work.
7.5/10
Jason Guest
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