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Stoner rock masters KAL-EL have returned to earth once more to grace us with the cosmic adventure that is their new record, the appropriately titled Astral Voyager Vol. 1. After forming in Norway in 2012, the band soon set their sights on another universe altogether, and on their way they have established their cosmic sound, combining the spacier end of the stoner genre with the more traditional tropes of blues rock and heavy metal and sprinkling it all with a sci-fi theme.
The album kicks off with the title track, which opens with one of the most satisfying grooves 2025 has produced thus far. A mountain of riffs precede the verse, spiralling from a mournful, galaxy-spanning swirl of guitars down to a punchy, earthy head-nodding chug underpinned by the masterful rhythm section of Bjudas on drums and Knutsen on bass. A sprawling nine-minute epic, it’s an ambitiously long song to open an album with but fans wouldn’t have it any other way and it’s a suitably celestial sounding first track to an album that very much aims to take you on a journey with it. Aside from the grooves and the riffing of guitarists Josh and Doffy, The Captain’s soaring vocals provide the real stand-out moments on this song, and when the multi-layered harmonies hit as the chorus opens up it truly feels like you’re no longer quite on this planet anymore.
Second track B.T.D.S.C. is a more uptempo affair, with a riff that’s a cross between peak FU MANCHU and Once More ‘Round The Sun-era MASTODON. It’s a more immediate, uptempo number that contrasts nicely with the opener and showcases another side of KAL-EL for those unfamiliar with their oeuvre. It’s less expansive and mind-bending than the title-track but provides the album’s first true headbanging opportunity and third track Void Cleaner follows in a similar vein, this time the four-to-the-floor vibes driven by the constantly fizzing bass guitar before once again crashing into a chorus surely too catchy to find itself on a stoner rock album. The riff that opens Void Cleaner is also definitely a contender for metal riff of the year, capturing as it does the Black Album swagger of early 90s METALLICA but if James Hetfield had been more a fan of the cane than the grain.
Cloud Walker changes things up, coming over like an uplifting, bluesy space rock ballad, if you can imagine such a thing. It’s still heavy but is infused with a sun-kissed vibe in the melody and lyrics that speaks to the life-giving power of nature. The album is sprinkled with moments like this, so that even at its heaviest you can be sure that Astral Voyager Vol. 1 will leave you with a smile on your face to go with your aching neck.
Dilithium returns to the slow, driving groove of the title track, its main riff providing one of the most satisfying hooks on offer across these six tracks, before galloping off into a brilliantly KYUSS-esque middle eight section. Album closer Cosmic Sailor caps things off nicely, ending with a cacophony of pounding drums and fuzzed up guitars that sound like the engines of a rocket straining to cope with a difficult atmospheric reentry.
While only six tracks long, there is enough material here to keep even the keenest of stoner rock fans going for a long while. Excellent production, massive grooves and soaring melodies mean Astral Voyager Vol. 1 will go down as one of KAL-EL’s finest achievements. If you’ve ever enjoyed the work of MASTODON, MONSTER MAGNET or the hugely underrated ELEPHANT TREE then you’ll find a whole universe of things to love with this one.
Rating: 8/10
Astral Voyager Vol. 1 is out now via Majestic Mountain Records.
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