September 2, 2019

The Ascended Master Teachings Of Suzuki Junzo and Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska (2xLP)

8.5/10

***Do not buy this record unless you are looking for psychedelic music!

Suzuki Junzo & Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska The Ascended Master Teachings Of Suzuki Junzo and Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska (2xLP)

Japanese guitarist Suzuki Junzo joins Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska for The Ascended Master Teachings… The mood is ritualistic acid rock jam for psychedelic stimulation. The insert states, “If you are looking for psychedelic music, do not buy this record unless you are looking for psychedelic music”. The album unfolds with one track filling each of the 4 sides, over 75 minutes of freak-out rock, full on!!

Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska were on tour with Suzuki Junzo when they booked studio time in Newcastle while on their EU tour. They collaborated on stage each night and that energy carried over into the studio recordings. The music slowly builds until it reaches full space-stoner rock territory and slithers forward ringing out until the psych guitars come back spitting flames and spawning The Teaching of the Ascended Masters.

The music is an inspired mix of stoner rock, space rock, post rock, krautrock and show-gaze. It reminds me of Acid Mothers Temple, Can, Yahowah 13, Vibravoid and Electric Moon. The third track on the album is titled “The Order of the Ash Ra Solar Temple” a reference to legendary 1970’s kraut-rockers Ash Ra Tempel.

Suzuki Junzo is a longtime guitar player in the experimental rock scene in Japan and has played in Miminokoto, 20 Guilders, Overhand Party and numerous solo albums. Snakes Don’t belong In Alaska are prolific have released several albums in a few years time with a changing line-up.

This rare collaboration is highly inspired and hopefully will not be the last. The music is cosmic and expansive; the driving bass lines and fractured acid rock guitar styling is ripping good. The album is completely instrumental with dynamics which bring texture to the compositions.

Enter into The Ascended Master Teachings Of Suzuki Junzo and Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska. This is long form psychedelic rock which has many extraordinary acid-kraut-rock moments which are futuristic and retro. Not for the faint of heart as the music goes there and back again leaving a trail of cosmic debris which sparkles like diamonds in the sky.