Californian psychedelic prog metal group Owl dropped their new full-length album »Geomancy«, out now via Lummox Records

Californian psychedelic prog metal group Owl just dropped their new full-length album »Geomancy« yesterday, February 17th, 2023 via Lummox Records.

Tracklisting:
01. Awaken The Mountain
02. Runes
03. Pyramid Builder
04. Khorus
05. Minion Of The Amethyst Cave
06. Jupiterian Ocean
07. Ghost Lanes
08. Runes Reprise
09. A King For Every Mountain
10. Floating Island
11. Shadow Of Ehecatl
12. La Luz Compartida

Courtesy of Earsplit PR:

Decibel Magazine is currently streaming »Geomancy«, the third full-length from California-based psychedelic prog metallers Owl. The premiere comes on the eve of the record’s official release, this Friday, February 17th, via Lummox Records.

Owl’s ambitious »Geomancy« long player enhances baroque elements of guitar composition while maintaining a defiant, barbed-wire anti-sociality. Ten-minute sagas erupt from inspirations bestial as cougar maulings, odes to Earth’s continued viability rend consciousness in humanistic terms, and trenchant dual guitar leads echo Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, and King Crimson.

Notes Decibel Magazine, “»Geomancy« is a full-on trip, bearing more similarities to Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and even Thin Lizzy as it does Sleep. Clocking in at over an hour total runtime, »Geomancy« sees the band really explore ideas, jamming on them for long periods without vocals and digging into psychedelia and stoner grooves with equal pleasure. The album ebbs and flows in its intensity but builds to two massive compositions in its later half: »A King For Every Mountain« and »Shadow Of Ehecatl«. The two ten-minute compositions, as well as the six-minute »Floating Island« sandwiched between, feel like the culmination of the album; they contain the heaviness of »Jupiterian Ocean« and the melodies of »Runes Reprise«, building into a spectacular prog-metal conclusion that quietly fades out as the outro track, »La Luz Compartida«.”

Stream Owl’s »Geomancy« exclusively at Decibel Magazine at THIS LOCATION.
»Geomancy« was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Justin Weis at Trackworx (Hammers Of Misfortune, Swamp Witch, Orthodox) and comes swathed in the cover art of Chris Corona.

»Geomancy« is released on 2xLP and digital formats. Find pre-orders at THIS LOCATION.

Photo by Amber Lynch

Owl was forged in 2007 in the infernos of proto-metal, twin harmonies, and doom. By 2010, an album’s worth of minimal demo(nic) riffage and draconian indulgence surfaced in Jackson, California, propagated by brothers Axell Baechle (guitars, vocals, piano) and Alexander (A.K.) Baechle (guitars, vocals) and piqued the interest of industrious local artist, drummer, and yes, third brother, Clint Baechle. Owl played their first show at a barbecue in the proving ground of Oakland’s then house scene.

Their self-titled LP followed in November 2012, as principal songwriter A.K. sweated out the resins of literature, the Bush years, and job loss. Owl toured for more than two years before releasing the full-length road-bomber Screech on tape in 2014 and vinyl in 2015. Original bassist Melanie Burkett eventually fled the band amicably to pursue endeavors outside of music.

Enter Jamie Sanitate, the ultimate Iron Maiden fan. Sanitate’s athletic, NWOBHM-influenced bass playing buoyed Owl through a period of intermittent touring while the band grappled with new ideas. Finally in 2018, »Awaken The Mountain« was released as a single, highlighting the band’s heavy-prog interests and the Pompeii-inspired songwriting of guitar animal, Axell. A true prog metal epic and cautionary tale of dwelling too close to volatile geologic formations, the track offered up a small taste of what would follow with this year’s »Geomancy«.

Owl is:
Axell Baechle – Guitars, Vocals, Piano
Alexander “A.K.” Baechle – Guitars, Vocals
Clint Baechle – Drums, Percussion
Jamie Sanitate – Bass Guitar

Additional musicians:
Danika Ingraham – Backing Vocals
Keenah Fassett – Backing Vocals
Laurie Sue Shanaman – Backing Vocals on »King«
Hailey Chase – Backing Vocals And Percussion on »Shadow«
Xaina – Backing Vocals And Percussion on »Shadow«

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well