Jess and the Ancient Ones – Castaneda (Single)
Release Date: 2014
Label: Nuclear Blast
Jess and the Ancient Ones quickly became my new favorite band in 2014. Just like how all great bands are discovered, I discovered them by seeking out new music to listen to after being tired of the vast amounts of subpar hard rock and metal that makes it way to my inbox on a daily basis. I knew I was a fan of The Oath, Purson, and Blood Ceremony so I figured, “Hey, there must be a list somewhere that someone made of great occult rock/metal bands.” Sure enough, there was Jess and the Ancient Ones and after one listen to them I was captivated. The only thing that bummed me out was that the Astral Sabbat EP that I had just fallen in love with was released last year. This meant that it would probably be a while before I’d hear some new music from them.
Well, after their very successful opening stint as direct support for King Diamond’s US tour, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Jess and the Ancient Ones would be releasing a new single. After one listen I can honestly say that Jess and the Ancient ones is a diverse, unique, and very passionate band and this resonates loud and clear in their two new songs “Castaneda” and “As to Be with Him.” “Castaneda” is a sonic, facemelting dose of psycho surf infused occult rock that kind of reminds me a little bit of their song “Astral Sabbat.” It totally has that psychedelic groove that drew me in but it’s totally its own entity totally showing that they can pull off this style, do it very well, and not sound redundant.
While “Castaneda” is such an amazing song, I found the B-Side “As to Be With Him” to be a much stronger song in its own right. The song starts off with some crazy ass drumming which totally makes you think shit’s gonna hit the fan and that it’s going to be a rager but then all of the sudden, at the last minute it just melts into the warmest, mellow, groovy jam that just totally takes my breath away. Lead vocalist Jess delivers her sultry lounge style vocals over a lush, murky, and beautiful haunting composition that totally swept me away and had me feeling as if my feet were leaving the ground.
With “As to Be with Him”, Jess and the Ancient Ones also showcase their ability to expertly craft a song by taking the end of the song out into a whole new, uplifting kind of arrangement. As corny as it is to describe it this way, listening to this song is like falling very, very slowly and just before you hit the ground this net swoops you up and carries you to safety. Hey, I know it sounds crazy but it’s my fucking blog and I can only describe it the way I feel and hear it. Matter of fact, if you listen to the song I guarantee my description will make a lot of sense.
Jess and The Ancient Ones totally solidified themselves as one of my all-time favorite bands with the release of this single. With just these two songs, they prove themselves to be a band that knows no limitations. They are also a band that can write within the scope of a genre yet never sound like they are constantly repeating themselves. Both “Castaneda” and “As to Be with Him” are beautiful listening experiences that show so much growth in such a short time. These songs have me very excited to see just what Jess and the Ancient Ones have in store for us. I can’t fucking wait much longer so they better fucking hurry!
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