Five years after Earth Tongue burst forth in a buzz drenched in reverb and unseen truths, the New Zealand two-piece returns with Great Haunting. It’s an album that surges with everything a Satanic heavy psych/stoner rock fan would want—for better or worse.
Opening with the thunderous “Out of this Hell,” Great Haunting (via In The Red Records) quickly declares its intentions and inspirations. Touches of space rock, proto-metal, garage rock, and dark psychedelia flirt among the nine tracks. Guitarist Gussie Larkin delivers trudging riffs alongside Ezra Simmons’ floor-rattling drumming, resulting in an experience that is intense and enveloping (but never overwhelming; this isn’t a bad trip.)
With a supernatural sound set and surging forth, Larkin and Simmons’ joint vocals amplify the danger. They deliver lyrics of death, destruction, and damnation, sung in a way that it feels as if the sirens of Hell itself are serenading you. This is the most forbidden 1970’s grindhouse movie in album form.
But this is not just a pastiche. There are moments on Great Haunting that hit the way Master of Reality would if Black Sabbath was founded by Jay Reatard and fronted by Jinx Dawson. There’s some natural grit and an exhilarating amount of sexual magnetism woven throughout. This is clearly an LP that’s getting laid tonight, likely in a tantric summoning ritual.
Though a handful of songs hit the five-minute mark (not uncommon for the heavy psych genre), Great Haunting never feels like it’s dragging. There’s a punk energy to this album. Put it on the next time you’re escaping a group of murderous cultists in a stolen Trans Am.
While Great Haunting is a great listen from start to finish, it does lean into some of the more conventional sounds of the heavy psych genre. This seemingly comes at the expense of the more experimental moments of their 2019 debut, Floating Being. Great Haunting marks a natural progression for Earth Tongue. This evolution is not unexpected or forced. But the album is missing some of the quieter and disjointed moments like on “Microscopic God” or “The Dome.”
Earth Tongue have delivered an exciting sophomore release, one that proves that the hype is real. So is the devil. He’ll be playing Great Hauntings on repeat for the next 666 days. So should you.
Earth Tongue’s Great Haunting is available now.
