Church Of The Cosmic Skull
Science Fiction
Archly presenting themselves as a white-robed religious sect with an occult manifesto of universal spiritual unity, Nottingham’s Church Of
The Cosmic Skull draw their seven members from various psychedelic, sludge and doom metal bands.
Founded and fronted by beardy singer/guitarist Bill Fisher, their retro sound has its heavy moments, but this second album draws increasingly on the more melodic canon of 1960s and 1970s rock. Hammond organ, electric cello and multitrack vocals add up to a rich analogue blend that, in the band’s own winning phrase, “puts the
ABBA in Sabbath”.
While that goofy image could very quickly feel like a gimmicky pose, this Church is thankfully built on solid musical foundations. Revolution Comes With An Act Of Love builds from a folky jangle to a towering gospel choir of stacked vocal harmonies. Meanwhile, Cold Sweat recreates the summery sheen of vintage yacht rock, complete with a spindly, not-quite-reggae bass line.
But Fisher’s beaming disciples most impress when they play with all the colours of the rainbow, as on Paper Aeroplane & Silver Moon, initially a tender male-female duet that engorges into a galloping prog-psych epic. Then there’s the album closer The Devil Again, a slow fuzz-blues jam that billows and bloats into a thunderous power ballad of November Rain dimensions. Far out.
■■■■■■■■■■
stephen dalton