Time is oftentimes the deciding factor for many. It’s what makes a name something that people look back on fondly or something that defines what a given genre can be. Is it the only factor in how a band is perceived? Of course not, but there’s always something that’s undeniably tantalizing about witnessing a name grow into something greater than what many of us were expecting if we were to look upon the name as it was at its inception. The vast underground has no shortage of such names with Kal-El one that is surely near and dear to the hearts of any who find themselves fans of stoner rock and adjacent sounds. Having risen the ranks to become a real force not to be underestimated, it’s now with their sixth album that the band has likely entered a new era for itself.

It can be a difficult thing to break another barrier and achieve even higher levels of momentum, success, and mastery over your sound when you’ve already been doing a superb job for over a decade across a constant release schedule whose quality is nothing to be denied. Kal-El is not a name that needs any sort of introduction for the modern stoner/psych/desert/etc. rock fan. These guys have propelled to the frontlines of the entire genre as the years have only added to their magnificence, but it is my firm belief that it’s with all they’ve summoned within “Astral Voyager Vol. 1” that Kal-El becomes the undeniable masters of their sound that they were always meant to be as this performance is of their absolute finest work to date. A supremely heavy performance that follows the story of an intergalactic bounty hunter riding amongst the stars to remove the filth that finds its way into every crevice of the universe, “Astral Voyager Vol. 1” sees Kal-El become the true embodiment of everything they’ve ever brought to the table in staggering nuance, efficiency, and raw captivation. You cannot help but be rooted in place as the magnificence of Kal-El washes over you in all that it has to offers from its riffs to its expansive atmospheres driven by an expertly pulled off layer of fuzz that’s as colorful as it is intense.

This is the kind of performance that bands always strive to achieve but aren’t likely to achieve in such an impressive form. All of their previous experience is brought together in such an overwhelmingly masterful form that you cannot help but be swept up by the majesty that’s at work throughout the whole of this creation. Masterpiece is a word that I’m sure many will throw around in regard to what’s been put forth here, and I’m inclined to agree with that sentiment. Supposedly the second volume is to follow later sometime this year, and I think it’s safe to say that the hype for Kal-El has never been high if that is the case for if the second volume is anything like the first then we’re in for a pair of albums the likes of which are destined to be hailed as modern classics.

“Astral Voyager Vol. 1” releases on May 16th via Blues Funeral Recordings and Majestic Mountain Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Astral Voyager Vol. 1” on Bandcamp here.

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