The Insektlife Cycle - Temple of the Soul

Self-released

This is a brand new release by the instrumental psych rock quartet called The Insektlife Cycle from the Philippines. I first heard about them in 2015 when one of their tracks was used for Fruits de Mer's rare festival-only split single that I reviewed in here. Temple of the Soul includes four long jams edited from a two-and-a-half-hour improvisation session recorded live using a 4-track cassette recorder at the Sound Carpentry Studio in Pateros, Metro Manila, Philippines and sounds rather wonderful.

The almost ten-minute, mid-tempo "Unmentioned Motions" starts the album with a bit pop-like vibe in 3/4 time signature. The tempo speeds up later on as the band is on fire and gets wilder. "Sonic Sermons" is an over 14-minute jam that has a slower, bluesy touch. This is a bit weirder, noisy piece but like the opener based on just two chords. My favourite is the next, title piece "Temple of the Soul" where one of the guitar players has switched to organ giving the track a bit more atmospheric vibe. There is a psychedelic freak-out section in the middle AND at the end, though... Wow, great! "Manilament" is the most gentle and melodic track but still not totally soft or anything. It does get more energetic, faster and wilder later on... Another killer jam! There is apparently a very limited edition lathe-cut LP of this release as well but I think it deserves a proper vinyl album release for sure. Check it out!

theinsektlifecycle.bandcamp.com