Jupiter Zeus ~ On Earth (2014)
From Perth, in Western Australia, Jupiter Zeus is a four piece, self proclaimed Psychedelic Space Rock band, which on the surface doesn't sound far off at all. Personally, I'd put them somewhere more in the Stoner/Psychadelic/Prog-ish category, but what fun would the world be without disagreements over music genres? Most of the tracks have different "vibes" throughout the whole album, but no matter what song you're on, you'll be greeted by super melodic riffs and harmonious vocals that are mesmerizing all on their own. Some of the songs have a very spacey feeling to them, not only in lyrical content, but in atmosphere. Occasionally giving the listener the impression that they could be floating in the great nothingness while the song plays on.
The album kicks off with the songs "Waves" and a deceivingly mellow guitar intro, interrupted by moments of thunderous drums until they finally merge and the riff really takes off at this point, turning the song into an absolutely crushing monolith of sound. I think it's the larger than life guitar sounds, and the vocals that remind me a bit of mid/late 90's Paradise Lost, which is a good thing in my opinion. The guitars and drums never really let up, keeping the wall of sound almost always at a constant maximum, which is a necessity when your first track sounds this huge. You can tell simply from all of the transitions and the song structures, not just here but throughout the album, exactly how meticulously these songs were put together. Which I'm sure translates into a lot of man hours in the practice space for these guys. The track "Psychotic Seeds" opens up with a heavy Stoner Rock riff, which lead into those same "air-y" sort of harmonic vocals that are so prevalent throughout the whole album, and are used well. This one takes all kinds of twists and turns as it goes through the motions, from Stoner Rock, to a really crunchy riff that could almost pass as Doom Metal, all the way down to a wailing, face-melter of a guitar solo.
It's hard to pin down this group, they're not quite like anything I've heard before, but at the same time pull certain familiar tones or sounds from all over the musical spectrum and meld them all together into an absolutely stellar 11 track album. While it's a digital only album at the moment, which you can pick up on the Magnetic Eye Records bandcamp, you can always drop 'em a line and show some interest in a physical release if you're digging the album that much.
~Skip
For Fans Of; Nebula, Pink Floyd, Black Space Riders
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