Understandably, many of us look for the big and up-and-coming names for performances in any given style that can impress us while always providing a damn good time. But, occasionally, we get something from an unexpected source born out of unlikely circumstances. A small token to some of us, but a landmark in the lives and experiences of musicians that could have very likely never been heard to begin with. That could have very well been the reality for Lost Realms after not having any new material since a demo from ten years ago. Recorded the following year but remaining dormant for an additional eight, the sole full-length album from Lost Realms is the definition of unexpected while never once losing the air of a work that defines a long lost album risen from the grave.

Pieces like this are the actual definition of a small window in time. I cannot speak as to whether or not anyone went back and re-recorded any parts of “Atmospheric Perception” in the nine years from its creation to its release, but if these four tracks are what was thrown down all those years ago then the mind goes absolutely aflutter wondering what could have been should Lost Realms have stayed the course. What’s given to us here could have very well put Lost Realms along the likes of Elder and King Buffalo for if the riffs, fuzz, tasteful heaviness, and glorious psychedelia are anything to glean from, “Atmospheric Perception” was but the start for something truly grand. All the pieces of an engaging work of heavy psych come together brilliantly in every minute of the record with there being more than enough to satisfy a modern fanatic of the sound with it all done exquisitely, brought to the table with real daring, and executed in a robust but laser-focused form that leaves the listener undeniably captivated once that first riff smacks them across the face. The talent that is offered to us here with what stands as the first and last step forward for Lost Realms is something that I cannot turn away for even a moment. What was kept in the shadows for almost a decade to finally see the light of day is a work that would have found a solid following should it have been released when it was completed, and that should not be any different now.

What may be a small blip on the greater radar for all things in the world of heavy psych, I cannot help but feel as though many should consider this a necessary stop in 2023’s growing catalog of heavy psych that isn’t just interesting or promising but something that knows how to deliver at every turn. “Atmospheric Perception” has so much to call its own from instrumental passages to striking vocals with it all reminding us of the bittersweet reality that this is all we will come to hear from Lost Realms, but there is majesty in such singularity and finality. Lost Realms clearly poured all they had into this creation, and it shows.

LISTEN to “Atmospheric Perception” on Bandcamp here.