"We met in San Francisco after four months apart… not writing. In days to follow we found inspiration, and found a studio. We recorded for about an hour… thinking we might get a new song from the jam. We left with what would become Sun Worshipper." – Mark Dolmont
On their debut album, Leslie Low and Mark Dolmont line up in battle formation, summoning the powers of ancient spirits and riding on psychedelics to navigate the chaos of this brave new world.
Mixed from a stew of magic and distortion, chunky guitar riffs awake from primordial sludge and hefty drums tap to the beat of a primeval pulse as the modern world asserts its presence, leaking from found sounds leaping betwixt channels.
Evocative of natural cycles, embedded rituals and eternal battles, this is timeless music of a vital spiritualism.
Tracklisting:
1. CHAKRAVYUHA
2. VERTICALISM
3. SLOW BIRTH
4. FLOATATIONS
5. SUN GOD WAKE
6. CHINESE SPIRALS
7. RIDERS ON PSYCHEDELICS
8. SYNTHETIC WAVES
9. ANCIENT WORSHIPPER
Reviews:
“What can you say about this release by Magus […] that isn’t in the positive superlative?” – Christopher Toh, TODAY, 20 Dec 2011, T7
“[…] the guitar-and-drums duo dish out a delightfully visceral blend of instrumental metal/rock/trance that achieves what it sets out to do: Hypnotise” – Victoria Barker, mypaper, 30 Dec 2011, A15
“… a dark and spiritual brew of kraut-inspired psychedelia which makes for an addictively harrowing pilgrimage through the deepest of valleys” – Dan, i’m waking up to, 15 Nov 2011
"Naming one’s musical project Magus presents an interesting proposition: despite having various definitions behind the word, the basis of the term is deeply related to magic, wisdom and wonderment, be it the Christian sort, the paganistic type or one with a Zoroastrian origin. The duo behind this meta-Metal group, Leslie Low and Mark Dolmont, takes the horns of the Metal beast and tries to harness it with their bright-eyed experimentation and, along the path, they attempt to transmogrify it into something less associated with the usual Wagnerian bombast of most Metal music. Instead the album is a veritable valiant task to steer it more towards an introspection of modern day agnosticism." - Joseph Tham, s/pores journal, October 2012
“Cultishly good.” – Christopher Ujine Ong, JUICE, March 2012, p. 30
Album trailers:
vimeo.com/28934119
vimeo.com/28991282
vimeo.com/29225069
released September 16, 2011