Typically, whenever I’m dealing with material out of Italy it’s from any of the numerous realms of extreme metal that I tend to find myself meddling amongst with plenty of entities, labels, and bands calling the country home as its underground scene becomes all the more cultivated with real passion and talent. That’s not always the case, however, as there is always more than a few select sounds to be heard in a country that’s as rich in artistic history and integrity as this one. The world of psychedelic rock is not something I was expecting to find myself in when I returned to the sound of Italy, but it’s with the latest record from Swörn that I find something of such quality and magnificence that I simply couldn’t find myself turning away from.

To drift amongst the many different planes of what the modern realms of psychedelic rock world have to offer, it’s hard to argue the fact that now is the best time to be a fan of this type of music. For all the different avenues and paths that can be taken, there’s always a band that manages to impress in some form or another with material whose power simply cannot be denied and whose intoxication factor is something not to be slept on. In the case of Swörn and all that was brought forth for the six tracks of “Keshan”, this is a far cry from the high ends of psychedelia that one would normally expect out of the likes of The Re-Stoned, but, rather, what we get here is a tantalizing display of further proof of what it means to pull back from the main draw of psychedelics that this style is all but known. Knowing that everything has its own place in any given record, “Keshan” has a fantastic balance of crunchy riffage paired right alongside cosmic sights and trippier atmospheres that only the best from the world of psychedelic rock are able to create in such a concentrated form. The end result is a real adventure of an album of a breed that we’ve all heard before from multiple different bands, and it’s yet again with what Swörn has accomplished here that we’re able to bear witness to irrefutable proof that the many different realms and depths of psychedelia are still able to be mastered by names new and old. In no small form, “Keshan” succeeds in such fashion that many could only ever hope to achieve.

In a world of extremes, it’s always tempting to see a work that doesn’t go to such length as inferior in some form or another, but that is never once the case with glory being able to found in all corners and under every rock should you simply look in the right place. When my searches brought me to Italy, I was certainly caught off-guard by what I found myself staring into, but it’s every shred of “Keshan” that is done so well that Swörn should be immensely proud of the adventure that they’ve crafted with this album.

LISTEN to “Keshan” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Swörn on Facebook here.