The Obelisk is currently streaming Solace, the towering fourth full-length from Chicago-based heavy psyche sorcerers REZN, in its entirety. The premiere comes on the eve of the record’s official unveiling, Wednesday, March 8th.
By exploring more delicate and introspective emotions within their lyrics and instrumentation, using the feeling of empty space to build into towering moments of maximalist density, REZN continues to obscure the boundaries of their psych and doom labels. The appearance of piano, flute, and acoustic guitar are intricately woven throughout the record, and their dynamic range seems expanded even at the heavy end with odd time signatures and thicker, more colossal walls of sound built by the rhythm section.
Writes The Obelisk in part, “…Solace [is] intended to be taken in full and invariably positions REZN among the US’ most resonant purveyors of heavy psychedelia. In every turn and contemplation, it is ‘next level’ craft, concept, and performance — no minor achievement, considering their first three long-players — and offers a progressive stylistic path forward that others hopefully will follow, using heft and repetition and scope and melody as tools toward the greater purpose of its expression, rewarding those who take it on through the internalization of its magnitude and the comfort complete panorama.”
Read the full review and submerge yourself in Solace today, exclusively at The Obelisk, at THIS LOCATION.
REZN’s Solace was recorded in July of 2021 at Earth Analog in Tolono, Illinois, engineered, mixed, produced, and reduced by Matt Russell, and mastered by Zach Weeks at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. The record features cover art by renown illustrator Adam Burke/Nightjar Illustration.
Solace will be available on March 8th on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl. The vinyl will be available in “Ice” and “Snow” as well as a third unannounced variant that will be sold exclusively at shows.
Find Solace ordering info at the band’s website HERE or the REZN Bandcamp page HERE.
REZN recently announced their Solace North American Tour this Spring. Set to commence on May 20th and run through July 22nd, the tour will feature special guests Oryx and Grivo on select dates. See all confirmed dates below.
REZN – Solace North American Tour 2023:
5/20/2023 Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
5/25/2023 Black Circle – Indianapolis, IN **
5/26/2023 Portal – Louisville, KY **
5/27/2023 Sabbath Brewing – Atlanta, GA **
5/28/2023 The Pour House – Raleigh, NC **
5/29/2023 The Camel – Richmond, VA **
5/30/2023 Pie Shop – Washington, DC **
5/31/2023 Silk City – Philadelphia, PA **
6/01/2023 The Broadway – Brooklyn, NY **
6/02/2023 O’Brien’s – Boston, MA **
6/03/2023 Turbo Haus – Montreal, QC **
6/04/2023 The Garrison – Toronto, ON **
6/05/2023 Bug Jar – Rochester, NY **
6/07/2023 Spacebar – Columbus, OH **
6/08/2023 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI **
6/09/2023 Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI **
6/10/2023 Cactus Club – Milwaukee, WI **
7/05/2023 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN ^
7/07/2023 Hi-Dive – Denver, CO ** ^
7/08/2023 Aces High Saloon – Salt Lake City, UT ^
7/09/2023 The Shredder – Boise, ID ^
7/11/2023 Substation – Seattle, WA ^
7/12/2023 High Water Mark – Portland, OR ^
7/13/2023 John Henry’s – Eugene, OR ^
7/14/2023 Eli’s Mile High Club – Oakland, CA ^
7/15/2023 Permanent Records Roadhouse – Los Angeles, CA ^
7/16/2023 Yucca Tap Room – Tempe, AZ ^
7/17/2023 Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM ^
7/19/2023 Mohawk – Austin, TX ^
7/20/2023 Club Dada – Dallas, TX ^
7/21/2023 Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA ^
7/22/2023 Drkmttr – Nashville, TN ^
** w/ Oryx
^ Grivo
The seed for REZN’s megaton riffs and psychedelic journeys was planted when guitarist Rob McWilliams and bassist Phil Cangelosi began jamming together at age twelve in the DC commuter town of Leesburg, Virginia. They relocated to Chicago in 2015, recruited local sound engineer Patrick Dunn to play drums, and, after just three shows together, set about recording their debut album — the molten amp worship service, Let It Burn. They invited their friend Spencer Ouellette into the studio to round out their bottom-heavy sound with the hum-and-squall of modular synth, and the added textural component immediately became a key facet to their sound.
The band’s 2018 sophomore album Calm Black Water created an aqueous atmosphere of molasses-thick guitar-and-bass punishments with soaring minor key vocal melodies, but Ouellette further pushed the dreamscape envelope by supplementing the synth duties with blissed out saxophone passages. REZN’s 2020 offering Chaotic Divine continued their melding of gargantuan heaviness and lysergic calm, as well as the band’s penchant for tying the music to a new visual landscape. Here it became apparent that their use of saxophone was more than just a cameo, letting the instrument’s richness shine confidently in the spotlight throughout the record. It’s yet another device in REZN’s sonic arsenal that makes classifying their sound into a genre even more challenging.
“REZN have proved they can make elements as disparate as doom metal and smooth jazz work together like peanut butter and jelly (or some other flavor combo you find enjoyable)… On the brand-new Solace, the four-piece further refine their craft, expertly shifting among moods and colors. It’s one of my favorite new albums to come out of Chicago so far this year, and REZN waste no time drawing the listener into their compelling vision.” – Chicago Reader
“…musical ayahuasca at its finest…” – Everything Is Noise
“Complex, intriguing and beguiling, Solace is the perfect album to get completely consumed by. It is a beautifully hypnotic and surprisingly cathartic album that makes you fully invest your time into exploring its multitude of deep and fascinating layers. REZN have once again taken heavy psych to whole new level and outshone themselves in the process.” – Distorted Sound
“Solace is REZN’s leanest and most atmospheric album, carrying their most kickass moments and complex songwriting.” – Boolintunes
“Each of these six pieces count towards the greater total yet maintain admirable focus, flowing into one another with the purpose of rest, reflection and steeping in the sonic luster they’ve managed to full effect.” – Grizzly Butts
“…a musical artifact of elegant, nimble beauty. A delicious, mysterious doom-metal journey that’s candy for the ears.” – Ghost Cult
“…the most adventuresome face REZN has managed to date…Balance is key, and the manner in which these four manage to blend worlds on a record like Solace not only pushes the genre forward, it speaks to the impressive dexterity of each player involved.” – Last Rites
REZN:
Rob McWilliams – guitar, vocals
Phil Cangelosi – bass, rainstick
Patrick Dunn – drums, percussion
Spencer Ouellette – sax, synth, piano, flute
Additional:
Marie Davidson – spoken word on “Webbed Roots”
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