Are We Ape? & Ridge Split: "Magick Tongue" / "The Hidden Entities:The Cayuga Session"

 

 

 

Are We Ape? & Ridge Split: "Magick Tongue" / "The Hidden Entities:The Cayuga Session"
Ozium Records – 2023
Stoner, Rock
Rated: ****

You can leave it to the Swedish Ozium Records label to dive deep into the Swedish Heavy Underground and unearth long lost masters of stunning stonerrock releases. Releases and demos that at the time of arrival surely rocked our and perhaps your world! Well, now they can do so again and better yet, do that in brilliant vinyl form! Are We Ape? ’s demo from 2007 for instance and Ridge’s 2000’s full recordings of the The Cayuga Session, their Le Rodeo 69 release and more. All specifically remastered for a fine vinyl release, we get the original four tracks from Are We Ape? and even more from Ridge. That Are We Ape? demo from 2007 still stands up today, hot and sweltering, very Californian, surf, skater, touched stonerrock. And although the opening track back then was called Monsieur Falk and now Blast Radius, and the running was order different and Wouldn’t had a longer name, Wouldn’t You Like To Want To, the improved sound takes these four tracks into the present and even the future. In fact, these Are We Ape? tracks become so addictive, so fast, you will be praying this release will result in them getting back together, releasing new material, and touring the world… Like a few bands we all know and love have done before. And not to mention that it is quite an ordeal to switch to Side B and not play the A Side over and over and over again…

Ridge is rougher, grittier, overdriven… Especially the Fuzzed Out version of Firetruck that was present on their Le Rodeo 69 from 1999. This new, louder, blown out speaker version isn’t necessarily better, but definitely a righteous bang to end this awesome release with! The intro to Hombre Del Campo - The Baquero, (inspired by Madrugada’s The Riverbed perhaps?), starts very Americana, before exploding once again into stoner punk territory. Opener Speedball Mind, so gravelly, gritty and grimy, it’s a down tuned generator party paradise. Rodeo Excellencio stems from their Rehearsal Recordings demo from 2001 and starts off lazy and sunburned, before the power grunge and punk makes it all speed towards the horizon once again. Unknown and first time ever released track Appaloosa starts out soulful and you will that head bop and bounce that Ridge are blessed for, before the track becomes wilder, strong willed and spotted with energy. And then that final stretch, with that luscious guitar work, Ridge at its most brilliant! As is Ozium Records, whenever they take the shovel in their hands, and start digging, they find grandiose stonerrock treasures!

(Written by JK)

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