Bong – S/T – Reissue CD 2012

Bong - S/T – Reissue CD 2012The UK’s trippiest doomhounds Bong scored great acclaim earlier this year with their latest album Mana-Yood-Sushai, (described on this very site as ‘two tracks of their characteristic one chord raga drone’) which earned them rave reviews from the international press, not to mention a thunderous performance at the 2012 Roadburn Festival that left the audience speechless.

Riding on the back of such deserved success Ritual Productions has taken the step of re-releasing their 2009 self-titled debut. Originally manifested on limited vinyl and again consisting of two lumbering compositions (“Wizards of Krull” and “The Starlit Grotto”), October’s reissue will see them finally come to life on CD and digital formats and will also include an unreleased track, “Asleep’, to pull in completest and serve as both a reminder for existing fans and an introduction to the first stirrings of Bong’s darkly psychedelic meditations and heavy vibes for the uninitiated.

This revitalised collection will remind people of the bands beginnings, when their early meditative hymns were first committed to wax. As such the mammoth length CD can now reach a the wider audience that it deserves and allow more people to indulge in some of the finest droned out doom the UK has to offer. These tracks move at the rate of a continental drift, taking in monk like vocals, ringing chords and great hulking dirty riffs. The bonus track is a rare treat too, witness BONG at their darkest, most mournful and most psychedelic.

Overall, a great collectible and an interesting comparison to their new material. These jams still sound so utterly entrancing and all encompassing, more like soundscapes than pieces of music. This is a creative process born from an altered state where the mind is reaching beyond the consciousness and transforming the ideas from individual elements to a complete musical stew.

Ultimately this is a journey of discovery and rediscovery, those already riding the high will relished the opportunity to get their hands on this CD in a more portable format and are rewarded by the addition of yet another slab of THC laced, epic length doom, those just taking their first hit will no doubt be left dizzy from the experience and wanting more.

Label: Ritual Productions
Website: www.facebook.com/pages/BONG-DOOM/173658429382728

Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden