Jess and the Ancient Ones – Jess and the Ancient Ones (2012)

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With the current boom of Psychedelic Occult Rock/Metal bands like Ghost, Year of the Goat and The Devil’s Blood, it is not surprising that the next excellent band we listen to in this genre has to be from Finland. Jess and the Ancient Ones are finally delivering their debut full-length self-titled release this May and it features seven tracks spanning around 53 minutes of pure musical greatness.

Jess and the Ancient Ones sound is timeless and it evokes countless greats like Merciful Fate, Black Sabbath, Yes, and the more contemporary Jex Thoth and Sabbath Assembly. Opening with the extra catchy “Prayer for Death and Fire”, this release is off to a great start thanks to the band’s playfulness and excellent abilities to craft old-school sounding music but not sounding like a re-hash of any other band.

On “Twilight Witchcraft” and “Sulfur Giants (Red King)”, Jess, the band’s female vocalist, takes away the show with her firm and strong vocal powers. Fitting perfectly into the music, her singing is top notch and covers the perfect range for music like this. The guitar work is another thing to notice since it is very fitting from the musical period and we are sure that the band’s guitarists use old-school guitars and amps to get this sound just right. Same goes for the super awesome keyboard sections that mimic that old-school organ like vibe that gives that funky psychedelic edge to the songs.

The drumming on “Ghost Riders” nicely defines the momentum of the track and helps keep everything in check for another journey down memory lane. The excellent build-up of this song is nicely aided by the solo guitar work and the keyboards that keep the momentum rolling. Clean male vocals make their appearance in “13th Breath of the Zodiac”, and while good enough, we thought they could have been done without and just use some layering on Jess’s vocals.

Our favorite song on this release comes under the name of “Devil (in G minor)” thanks to its intoxicating Jazzy feeling. We particularly love the way Jess signs in this track and how well it fits with the keyboards and the calm mood of the song. Just before everything is said and done, the ballad-esque “Come Crimson Death” delivers the closing remarks of this truly excellent musical journey.

If you are a fan of the current revival of Psychedelic Occult Rock with some Metal influences, Jess and the Ancient Ones is another band that you need to keep your eyes on. This group of musicians have excellent chemistry and have managed to craft one of the most intriguing and well composed releases we have heard in the last few months, so don’t be shy and get this release (available on vinyl as well) before it is gone.

Band: Jess and the Ancient Ones Album: Jess and the Ancient Ones
Label: Svart Records

Release: May 23rd, 2012

Oficial Site myspace
Genre: Psychedelic Occult Rock/ Metal

Country: Finland

Rating: 92/100
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