Satori Junk – Venezia

Satori Junk – Venezia
Industrial Ölocaust Recordings – 2024
Rock, Ambient, Classic, Prog, Doom, Psych, Instrumental
Rated: ****

Somewhere around 2012 we were ordered to go to Milano and do a travel story for a magazine about a rock and roll weekend in the grand old lady of Italy. Around the same time the four from Satori Junk started jamming somewhere near the many urban landfill sites of the wonderful but bandaged city. Those dubious smells and drifting grime have always been an inspiration for Satori Junk. Just listen to their earlier self-titled record from 2015 or The Golden Dwarf from 2018. But it might be ever so clearer for the new one track suite called Venezia. Inspired by all that human created filth and those questionable aromas they must see and sniff every time they enter their rehearsal space, they felt drawn to what happened in Venice all the way back in 1630. As the plague rushed through the canals and alleys of the city, killing approximately 50.000 people, the people searched for meaning and for a way to fight the disease. That horrific piece of history is translated into some damned beautiful music, that borders on going full prog rock constantly and especially during the ending segment. The rising tones, the guitar solo climbing towards the sunlight above, signifying the triumph over the disease. Damned beautiful music indeed. Damned, for not only the dubious sites around Milan and the old plague tale from Venice inspired the four Satori Junkies, Covid was surely and inspiration as well. For they started recording as the Covid pandemic hit Milan, and the first lockdown was announced. And that menacing and uncertain quality of what the future might hold can be heard throughout the first segments of Venezia. Charming, yet forlorn piano work offsetting these parts and signaling the flowing of the diseased ridden tides of Venice. A tale of horror translated into a grandiose piece of music, often feeling like this is the kind of compositions that Satori Junk will ultimately need to dive further into, the classic, prog and cinematically rich music that will make the listener envision all those crows picking at the bodies and the rats scurrying about…

Ps. And I love that artwork!

(Written by JK)

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Satori Junk – The Golden Dwarf

Satori Junk – The Golden Dwarf

Endless Winter – 2018

Rock, Metal, Prog, Psych, Stoner, Doom

Rated: *****

The Italian fuzzy foursome Satori Junk is back! Three years ago, they released the amazing self-titled record that brought us pure delicate and heavy gold. And now they return with a follow-up called The Golden Dwarf. On it they transform seventies psych and prog into something nasty, creepy and grimy. Full of electronic touches and a wall of fuzz their self-proclaimed acid horror comes to climax on the third track Cosmic Prison. Its sticks, it enchants, and it creeps you out like a crazed haunted mansion. What a song! And they continue that level though out the album with their very own take on psychedelic doom. This is the stuff that dreams are made off, or nightmares! Either way, The Golden Dwarf is your ticket out of this dreary world and into a land of magic and horror! I for one am laying my head down on the Blood Red Shrine to see what Satori Junk and The Golden Dwarf will do with it… They already have my head, heart and soul anyway!

(Written by JK)

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Satori Junk – Satori Junk

Satori Junk – Satori Junk

Self released/Taxi Driver Records – 2015

Rock, Doom, Stoner, Sludge, Psych, Space

Rated: ****

Hailing from that grand old lady of Italy, Milano is the foursome called Satori Junk who delivered their first calling card in 2013 and named it Doomsday. A rickety sounding, but beautifully crafted electrified stoner, doom and sludge four song experience lasting for almost half an hour. And now they follow that up with an amazing self-titled full-sized album that sounds like they’ve surely met the devil on a crossroad somewhere. Cause the improvement on all fronts is incredible. Satori Junk sounds like a wooly mammoth dancing pirouettes, jumping and landing on its toes. Cause even though it grinds and plows and is incredibly fuzzy and heavy, there is also so much delicacy going on. Just listen to the synthesizer in track one weaving and waving and bringing it all together. The intricate little details everywhere are what makes this album so wonderful. They seem to have want to put a different instrument in the spotlight on certain songs and the way the voice in the beginning and after the guitar ties the second track Spookie Boogie together is once again, incredible. There is no junk on this record, only treasures. Cause these guys have found and experienced their one through self and managed to translate it into grandiose music…

(Written by JK)

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