By all accounts, there’s always more room for long-form pieces in the realms of both progressive and psychedelic rock. Each of those styles have become household name in their own right for different reasons, and there has always been a merging area between the two where both of their best features can be flaunted without shame nor compromise despite it not being terribly often that we’re able to witness that potential brought to satisfying fruition. It’s odd to think that given how well the two can easily go together given the right opportunity, especially given the vast state of the underground scene we’re lucky enough to be in today, but excellence rarely comes in such large quantities. With its latest performance, Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska shows us how such a concept can be done with this 3-track effort that does far more than scratch the surface of what’s possible in this territory.

Right away, it should be obvious from just the cover art that this is a creation whose mind-bending properties are not to be underestimated in any form lest you get lost in the twisting colors and unending expanses that stretch past the infinite horizon. Without a shred of compromisation nor any hesitation when it came to bringing their craft to life in rich detail, “Sounds of a Forming Planet” is an over 40-minute journey that is tripped out at all times and never once letting us down when it comes to the technique and stylistic prowess that this band commands at all times. Not since the last record from The Re-Stoned have I come across a work of this sound that is truly effortless to fall into. Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska maintains an almost purely instrumental approach outside of the final few minutes of the album, and that allows the very cosmos to open up like never before as the trio pulls from the teachings of names like Carl Sagan to bring us a scientific universe that is constantly teeming with life and truly popping with dazzling colors before our eyes. Between the riffs and immense atmospheres that know precisely how to entice, engage, and entertain the listener to the fullest, “Sounds of a Forming Planet” does not mess around from the very moment it begins. Paired with a mild progressive edge to really show us how potent this brand of psychedelia can be, to miss out on this performance would be a tragic mistake for any of us to make with it being clear at damn near every turn here that Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska has delivered something that is not to be underestimated.

The reaches of space have always been perfect for both styles at play here with Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska not only capitalizing on the sound at every opportunity, but they really show us just what can be brought to the table when an act comes around with the right mentality to deliver a piece with such a massive scope. “Sounds of a Forming Planet” checks off all the right boxes when it comes to any work be it primarily progressive or psychedelic, yet it’s in combining the two that this creation has made itself into something truly magnificent.

LISTEN to “Sounds of a Forming Planet” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska on Facebook here.