Kabbalah: Spectral Ascent

Kabbalah is a new band for me which formed a few years back when the Spanish rock band Las Culebras called it a day. Hailing from Pamplona, Spain, Kabbalah released three EPs over a five year stretch before releasing their full-length debut titled Spectral Ascent in 2017, which has now been reissued by our good friends at Ripple Music. There is a good reason the label sought after this band as this is an excellent debut. The all-female trio is:

Alba DDU (vocals, guitar)
Marja Malaria (vocals, bass)
Carmen Espejo (vocals, drums)

The short instrumental title track with what sounds like chiming bells, shrouded in a moody psychedelic haze, really had me guessing where the album would go from there. With “Resurrected� the band combines retro ‘60s/’70s flavoured pop with slow, full fledged doom. Such a unique combination and very cohesive, which is not easy to achieve. The vocals soar (they are a highlight throughout the album) and when the distorted doomy riffs enter it was a 'holy cow' moment for this reviewer. Outstanding stuff! One of my favourites has to be “Phantasmal Planetoid� with its sinister and fuzzed out bass and doom-laden heavy rock. Another highlight is the rocking “The Darkest End� with its chugging guitar and retro feel. Some of the guitar parts reminded me of the great Blue Oyster Cult. The last track “Presence� ends the disc with an excellent chugging riff and heavy forays into doom metal. Simply outstanding.

Spectral Ascent is one of those albums that is hard to shake, the tunes worming around in your head until you spin it once again. Hopefully the band can continue the momentum and release more great music in the future.

A Rebel Waves Records release, under the umbrella of Ripple Music.

Track Listing:
1. Spectral Ascent (1:22)
2. Resurrected (3:27)
3. Phantasmal Planetoid (4:42)
4. The Darkest End (3:29)
5. The Reverend (2:59)
6. The Darkness Of Time (3:36)
7. Dark Revelation (5:02)
8. The Shadow (3:57)
9. Presence (4:23)

Added: December 13th 2023
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 227
Language: english

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