Time and experience is broadening for our wayfarers, whatever wears upon their souls or minds is easily dispersed by what the next ancient roadway or celestial gateway opened might bring. In deeper layers of warmly struck analog our protagonist(s) are encumbered by the settling of sands and the stoppage of time, faceted in glassy-eyed witness of the freeing of Narahmon by the Spacekeeper outside of time as they tarry on, beaming. Those crystal-cut eyes are eight as Thessaloniki, Greece-based psychedelic rock quartet NAXATRAS present their fifth full-length album, a conceptual continuation beyond their last which further expands their lore, stylized vision and greater reach. ‘V‘ is easily these fellowes most accessible, or, easiest approached record in that it condenses heavy progressive and space rock ideas down to quick-witted and briefly stated jams yet there is some notable depth achieved within the myriad details pouring from each.

Formed by way of fine arts/film students circa 2012 after having flitted between various band names (Dust, Temple, etc.) before settling on a core trio line-up (to start) and… with a more original name in hand Naxatras is the sort of band I’d often discover at the end of an internet rabbit hole which was only possible when the detested algorithm was a bit less precise. First contact on my part occurred roughly ten years ago in late 2015 as I’d went from exploring Colour Haze‘s discography to discovering All Them Witches via ‘Dying Surfer Meets His Maker‘ then eventually resided within the self-titled self-released debut (‘Naxatras‘, 2015) from these folks which’d been a strong endpoint to my exploration of what I’d consider shades of largely instrumental neo-psychedelia and bands with modern designs on psychedelic rock.

Today the quick and easy recommendation for Naxatras probably comes from King Buffalo or Earthless fans, especially the simpler bluesy psychedelic/space rock float of the first three records and their kinda crispy sound via an all analog process which persists today. If you’re looking for a bigger personality, some more pointed vocals and such go and skate through to their third LP (‘III‘, 2018) a triple album where the trio’d found a subtle signature between new and old sounds reaching from the early 70’s to the mid-90’s and parsing a path of least resistance within psychedelic rock jams and slow-handed blues built ideals (re: “On the Silver Line”.) This was the apex of their connection with the past as far as I see it, a band that’d finished tributing their original points of inspiration before taking on a flood of new interest(s) as greater capability arrived.

This’d directly channeled into the fantasy epic that’d followed via ‘IV‘ (2022) which’d drafted forays into what I’d consider 80’s prog rock exuberance, some trickle-down custom synth use becoming more prominent, and an exploration of what people have described as “ethnic” and “world” music ideation which is basically shorthand for the blending of various Asian and Arabesque modes; This is a band with great enthusiasm for the world music has opened up for them and in this sense they’re not a dread-sowing reaper, ‘IV‘ focused on upbeat songs (rather than jams) which’d reach for a heated rock moment or a big screaming solo here and there to deliver its high points. All of these traits Naxatras had nurtured back in 2002 now translate to what ‘V‘ is today, a heavier emphasis on synthesizers/keys (via Pantelis Kargas), a broadening palette of melodic ideas, and more space set between lyrical/vocal directed moments. — There are two major notes I have on the band’s discography heading into this new album: [1] The outcome of each album had previously scaled with the guitarist’s progress in terms of skill, reaching a peak level of complex weave on ‘IV‘. [2] I’d much prefer the raw edge of earlier productions, the slickness and over-warmed sound of ‘IV‘ no longer had that live-in-studio feeling I’d enjoyed early on.

Naxatras are a rare case of modern idealism and independence (w/distro help) lining up for each of their albums, all of them self-released (Evening Star Records is their own imprint) or associated with the fellow who’d recorded each (Jesus I. Agnew @ Magnetic Fidelity). I make this point because ‘V‘ has extremely broad and obviate appeal, and to the point that in my research for this review I’d found many old prog heads, of which I am arguably one, suggested that the band’s work wasn’t particularly flavorful often describing ‘IV‘ in particular as “elevator music”. If that’d been you, maybe consider that ‘V‘ is initially even more welcoming, easygoing with the slickest of floaty jams (“Celestial Gaze”) opening the gates and the quartet goes on belly dancing and sparking chimes throughout Side A before the weirder synth-whirling stuff (“Utopian Structures”) starts to kick in and the vocally driven songs awaken. If you can’t hang out with a record and must analyze it to death, this might not be the band for you, it’ll take a certain level of mental reverence to soak up, but there is depth to enjoy for those with some patience.

The real joy-buzzer and ear pricking interest found on ‘V‘ up front is clear enough as “Spacekeeper” is meant to be essentially a theme for the entrance of a key character in the suggested lore. This arabesque scaling piece is of course instrumental and might appear unremarkable ’til we find that it creates some semblance of motif for the ritualistic “Numenia” to flesh and found with its use of palm muted stretches to start and heady key-tapping jammed spiral into the tripped final third of the song. For my own taste the album is pacing through exposition at that point, finding neatly written pieces which feel like they were condensed breakthroughs sourced from bigger jams. They never lose their chill and in fact the eye-blurring sensation emanating from ‘V‘ only intensifies as we step into the synthesizer built gush of the aforementioned “Utopian Structures”. It shouldn’t yet be obvious what I’d find interesting about this album considering my taste otherwise based off of Side A.

A guitar riff, another “far east” melody in shamanic trance opens the second half of the experience via “Breathing Fire”, one of the strongest songs on the album for my own taste and probably the first time I’d consider a song from Naxatras pretty catchy beyond the depths of ‘III‘. The bassline around ~2:08 minutes in was the first of a few moments on this album that’d kinda pinged my brain, hoping these sort of harder turns or more actively bopping moments would find their way into these folk’s songs more frequently. “Legion” isn’t far off in terms of carrying this Arabesque theme into the electro-dipped synth/key happy muse of ‘V‘, a step beyond pure guitar music I’d not expected upon descent. From that point the band jet away for the final quarter of the spin, closing this portion of the narrative with the wiser and shred happy ease of “Sand Halo” before playing themselves out on the not-so involved exit of “The Citadel”.

Much as I’d been prompted to expect a throwback, a prog-rock opus, a grand concept album, and a stoney psychedelic rock joint in approach of ‘V‘ I’d walk away from Naxatras‘ latest wanting its space rocking fumes to be doubly voluminous and an exponent more indulgent in all of the wildly enriched old-and-new sounds they bring. The heavy layers of illustrative synthesizer work and increasingly conservative guitar-struck moments amount to a spaced demeanor but a lucidly enacted medium. The full listen is refreshingly linear, captivating in bursts but pressing enough as each of these five or six minute songs reaches a point of intensity which feels like it could become a rant (re: “Sand Halo”, “Breathing Fire”) before they wobble out of the moment and move on to the next. On one hand the album keeps on flowing through its ideas, prompting some more focused listening overall, and on the other hand there was no one moment “in the pocket” that’d stunned me dead in my seat for the sake of ultra-immersive wares. While I’d understand preferring the ‘extra’ indulgence of the prior LP this time around I find myself ultimately drawn to this succinct, focused set of ideas. A moderately high recommendation.

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