The American instrumental band El Supremo is back in a big way, with the album ‘Acid universe’ for the Italian Argonauta Records.
Their musical proposal is a mixture of acid rock, psych, stoner and metal, a highly additive mixture that penetrates your cerebral cortex and does not let go. Psychedelia of a higher order, their compositions grow like summer sunsets, they are sinuous and enriched by an organ that, as in the best American psychedelic tradition, surrounds everything but is also an underground protagonist.
The group from Fargo started years ago as Chad Ellis’ one-man band venture, and in 2008 released a self-titled debut with contributions from Tom Canning and Neal Stein on lead guitars. After this record Chad joined Egypt together with Neal Stein and the El Supremo project was temporarily suspended.
After Egypt disbanded in 2018 Chad and Neil resurrected El Supremo to give vent to their desire for heavy psychedelia, strongly related to hard rock and classic rock metal but there is much more to it. “Acid universe” is a temple of instrumental songs with a long development, five beautiful journeys that can serve as meditation to expand one’s thoughts or as a soundtrack for consuming psychotropic substances.
The sound of El Supremo is a sweet nectar that is drunk by those who want to project their consciousness elsewhere, and it is a nectar that lulls and strongly stimulates the synapses. What strikes the listener most is the great mastery of the development of each of their compositions, in the sense that you can hear that it is a jam but it is more than that, it is a continuous change made with great class and without losing the heavy touch.
The band can count on a large and very loyal following that loves their sonic raids that belong to and extend the American psychedelic tradition that is still thriving today and evolves continuously while remaining faithful to its principles.
In essence, it is a very pleasant, stimulating record, played and composed in a sublime and very elegant manner and the cover art reflects the record very well.
