Last year saw the occult sounds of the 70s back in a big way, popularised by fiendish phantoms Ghost and perfected by the equally enigmatic Uncle Acid. Swedish five-piece Moon Coven carry on this tradition, albeit in a much more upbeat manner.
Amanita Kingdom is a blissful trip, more heartfelt in its delivery than the wry theatrics of their aforementioned peers, but left wanting for the innate personality that suffuses those records.
The laidback swing of Ruler Of Dust confirms that this band worship at the altar of the almighty riff, harmonised leads and elongated jams, placing any fan of the genre within instantly familiar territory. The title track’s pop hooks provide the most engaging moments, played out with a bassline that would make Geezer Butler proud. Companion piece Amanita Kingdom II ups the melodrama with a torrent of elongated solos that attain perfection on East.
This is a record begging to be played on a hot summer’s day, a disengaged haze that dares to dream but does little else with a well- established formula.
