The legendary Acid Mothers Temple lead a psychedelic parade at Will's Pub

THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND
Acid Mothers Temple, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan and Timothy Eerie, Will’s Pub, April 28

Musically and conceptually, the horizon of Japanese psych rockers Acid Mothers Temple is a wide one. Led by visionary Makoto Kawabata, they’re a collective whose door has been both open and revolving. Further obscuring their identity is their fluidity of form, which has often spun off into different incarnations and names. It’s impossible to contain all of AMT’s universe within the bounds of your head. And that’s probably the point.
On the psychedelic spectrum, AMT’s psychoactive music isn’t your basic high-times college drug phase shit here. A densely packed black hole of rock, psych, noise and prog, this is experienced tribal tripping that’s heavy, deep and ancient.
On stage, their cosmic reach is all there – from searing acid burnouts to outer orbit electronics – but it’s all channeled into a storm of singularity. And even though noise and frenzy are intrinsic fibers of their intense fabric, they’re woven with craft and precision. Look past their incredible whirlwind and you’ll see a band that rocks the pocket with deadly instinct. Or don’t and just bake in their heavenly fire.
Together, AMT are a band with few real peers. Out on a sonic frontier ruled by savage forces, their balance and control are marvels. Embodying a thrilling paradox of wildness and command, they’re lords of an outer realm where Blue Cheer tonnage and Lightning Bolt combustion coexist in exhilarating harmony. And experiencing them live will jack your senses, fry your brain and rewire your psyche.
Supporting tourmates Yamantaka // Sonic Titan come with their own incredibly involved concept and aesthetic. Also a collective, they’re Canadian by provenance but unmistakably Asian in identity.
A fiercely prog bouillabaisse of metal, opera, psych and tribal sounds, their stylistic range is already dizzying. But when it all comes at once with such force, this six-member cult can make you feel just as frazzled as transported. No doubt, though, there’s no slack in their attack. It’s a collision of extreme music and maximum theater that’s unchained, unboxable and beyond classification.
Opening the night was erstwhile local band Timothy Eerie. During their time here, the now Austin-based band and their trad-psych sound underwent many iterations. I’ve seen a good deal of them and they’ve ranged widely in angle and quality. But this is the most distilled and concentrated version of them I’ve seen yet.
Apparently, they’ve been putting in some hard, sharp work lately. Not only have they dialed in their sound and struck their marrow but they now also do it with both power and concision, no small feat for a psych band. And this was a performance of heft, octane and purpose.
Timothy Eerie showed early promise but didn’t always have the best compass, so it’s great to see them work through and finally lock the target. Whatever Kool-Aid these guys have been sipping on, well, bottoms up.

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