It’s Not Night; It’s Space – Bowing Not To Knowing What

It’s Not Night; It’s Space – Bowing Not To Knowing What

Self Released via Bandcamp

Firstly, what a fantastic name for a band. It suggests to me the boundary line of being on Earth and not being on Earth, or perhaps the boundary line of mystical consciousness, as the mundane gives way to something more wonderful and imaginative. In some respects, this sums INNIS (as they shall be referred to from now on) up well. There is something of the cosmic and mystical contained within their feverish grooves. Imagine the muscular, loping riffage of Earthless bound together with the more esoteric elements of Grails and then you are perhaps some ways to picking up on what INNIS are putting down. This is very heavy Raga rock for Ragnarok! Hailing from Upstate New York, INNIS have quickly progressed from their excellent ‘East Of The Sun, West Of The Sun’ EP from late 2011 to record this crowd funded debut. Over $5000 was sourced by hungry fans willing to call down ‘Bowing Not To Knowing What’ into physical form.

The album opens with the ritualistic groove of ‘The Gathering’, which (if I’m correct) features a sample of the lilting tones of the Machine Elves’ Earthly spokesperson, the late, entheogenic Terrence McKenna, which is very in keeping with the tone of the album. What’s great about this album is the graceful way that songs on this album can change their pace on a sixpence. It puts me in mind of the great Kogumaza debut from 2011. Although they have very different approaches and sound, the spiritual hum of both bands is very similar.

‘Magus In The Valley’ shows at least a passing knowledge of the first few Sabbath albums and ploughs the same golden furrow that Earthless sagely describe as ‘the cosmic nod’.  ‘Painted Serpent’ zig-zags in a similar manner to the solar worship of the likes of the My Sleeping Karma’s of this world, whilst ‘Blue Mountain Freedom’ and ‘Vibration Eater’ step it up a gear with an intensity that borders onto ‘Dopesmoker’ territory. The Raga theme reasserts itself in a manic fashion as ‘Palace Of Bees’ takes us to the finishing line.

This is instrumental music that is neither all head nor all heart; it is probably a Chakra somewhere inbetween.