Naxatras - V - review
Naxatras - V - review
Tracklist
01. Celestial Gaze02. Spacekeeper
03. Numenia
04. Utopian Structures
05. Breathing Fire
06. Legion
07. Sand Halo
08. The Citadel
A review by
musclassia March 03, 2025
Perhaps a change had been inevitable for IV; its predecessor (titled, you guessed it, III), arguably took the band’s initial approach as far as it could go, going all in on the 10-minute odyssey songwriting approach. To follow it up, Naxatras cut the song lengths down, dialled down the stoner elements in favour of more prog rock influence, and made vocals more central to their sound. V continues in this vein, with subtle tweaks to the formula and occasional novelties, while still remaining broadly recognizable as the act they initially made their name as.
One thing that this new album does change compared with its predecessor is a reduced range of song durations; while IV had 3-minute cuts alongside 9-minute behemoths, every song on V is 5-to-6 minutes. While there’s no grand range in song structure or scope, however, there’s plenty of variety between the contents of each track. First, for those longing for the psychedelic/stoner rock of the band’s earlier days, the most obvious places to look first are “Spacekeeper” and “Breathing Fire”. The former is the ‘jammiest’ song on the record, as elliptical electronics swirl around a fast, slick drum rhythm and guitar groove; it's a really fun song that does a good job of reminding you why some will long for the days of III. “Breathing Fire” is a bit more of a stoner/retro rock cut in the verses, but there’s more trippy, bouncing guitar work and psychedelic mind alteration in the song’s delectable bridge, and neat raga twang to the closing minutes.
Beyond these songs, there’s a psychedelic core to the rest of the album, but it does emerge in different forms. Opener “Celestial Gaze” has a bit of a retro serenity to it, particularly when the vocals harmonize against blissful synth backdrops, while “Numenia” blends in World music influences, from the hand drum percussion to the Middle Eastern woodwind and string melodies. A bigger departure comes with “Utopian Structures”; while synth/keyboardist Pantelis Kargas has had plenty to do since joining the band in 2021, it is on this song where his contributions take centre stage, the guitars only making faint accompanying contributions around the mélange of keyboard melodies and synth soundscaping. Naxatras pull the approach off well; I’d be happy to hear more songs with a similar focus on the electronics in the future.
My review of IV relied primarily on comparisons to prog rock bands to underline the evolution the group were undertaking; V is arguably less indebted to such acts, with a greater affinity for psychedelic rock and space rock over prog. That being said, some of those elements have been carried over here, and no more is that apparent than on “Sand Halo”, during which bassist/vocalist John Vagenas seems to transform into Mariusz Duda; the song in general has something of Shrine Of New Generation Slaves, but it is the vocals that really emphasize the similarities with Riverside. It’s a fun change of tack that is rendered even more effective by a luscious guitar solo; arguably the most beautiful moment of the album, however, comes with closing track “The Citadel”, a slow, patient endeavour that bursts open with dark, heavy distorted riffing in a mid-track climax before rounding the record out with a truly tender and heartfelt piano outro.
While it was a broadly successful and enjoyable release, there were perhaps a handful of minor teething issues with IV and the new trajectory it represented, but V feels very assured, taking a couple of successful risks with new elements which encapsulating many of the strengths of what has come before. The emotionality of “The Citadel” is a particular surprise, and it’s fascinating to think what might be possible if following efforts explore that facet further alongside the group’s effortlessly cool psychedelia.
Written on 03.03.2025 by
Written on 03.03.2025 by
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Good review. Ya, I was disappointed with their last album, but after hearing this one, can understand the change and appreciate the evolution of their music. Also very excited to see where they go from here.
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