There are many tropes that have found their way into the various realms of psychedelia with much of them more pervasive than others depending on what particular corner of psychedelia you’re dealing with. When it comes to the heavier ends where the worlds of doom and stoner metal come into play, visages of mysticism, drugs, and mammoths are what immediately come to mind while lizards and tripped-out worlds are what are invoked when I fathom what the more rock-oriented reaches bring to the table. The classic images of the mysterious desert, however, are such that are nigh on inseparable with psychedelia no matter what pictures and animals may come to your mind over the years. It’s been too long since I’ve really felt lost amongst the towering dunes under starlight with the riffs and trippiness to match, and it wasn’t long into Abanamat’s debut album that I knew I was back in those sands for a tremendous adventure.

Apart from the cover art for this eponymous work playing an obvious role in the headspace for where this album takes you, the imagery is absolutely fitting for what Abanamat conjures forth in these six tracks that do far more than simply tickle the senses. Rather than merely tempt you into a different world, Abanamat fully throws you into their own little pocket dimension that is mostly voiceless for the whole of the album apart from a few key moments that make their impact known to a surprising degree while the instruments truly have the stage to their own for the vast majority of the performance. As entrancing as it is engaging virtually right from the beginning, Abanamat has immediately made its presence known without so much as a missed step or fumbled opportunity to really make their first album one that fans of psychedelia simply must check out. Every corner has something magnificent once you make that turn, all that’s needed is that you simply allow Abanamat to take you by the hand and lead you wherever they may.

True psychonauts are not an uncommon sight in our digital age despite what many may think, but few are able to start off on as promising a start as Abanamat has here with each and every facet of their sound something that more than earns respect without fail with the future looking exceedingly bright for this German quartet. There’s no other way to put it than simply this: here we have an album that is a must when it comes to psychedelia in 2023.

LISTEN to “Abanamat” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Abanamat on Facebook here.