ACID ARNO - Terra (Review)

Written by: The Administrator 

I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain it is impossible to look at this album cover and imagine it attached to anything other than some comically distorted and trippy psychedelia. Y'know, the good stuff.

Terra is the debut album from Acid Arno, a self-described "loud trio" out of Berlin, and the three track contained within do not disappoint when it comes to rich fuzz and expansive acidic leads. I'm in love with this poetic and extremely apt description lifted from their promo material: Terra combines "layers of bowing deep fuzzes, lysergic delays supported by stone primal percussiveness set down in a dilated dark-trip composition." If that isn't enough, their bandcamp description states that they are "grounded to space."
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And yeah. I couldn't agree more. All of this is exceedingly accurate. Well said. 

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The lengthy "Terra I" indulges in some borderline drone, stretching the trippy guitar in all directions like staticky putty. But while this particular utilization does feel prominent, the album offers more than mere undulating fuzz. "Terra II," for example, brings in some extensive acidic wah-wah-wah soloing for the second act, letting the guitar roam and ramble with a loose fluidity. Acid Arno eventually bring it back to basics with a massive rock-solid bassline, and then the squirmy soloing emerges once more with an increasingly improvisational flair. The track closes out with some sludgier riffing and finally some thick drone. This track in particular feels very jam oriented, and that is in no way a bad thing. The flexuous approach keeps things from feeling too bogged down, and helps keep the lengthy instrumental runtimes interesting.
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While my enjoyment of the exploratory guitar and prominent dirty bass are a given, I'm a particular fan of the percussion on Terra. Andrea Totaro keeps things smooth and steady, but also provides a grounded heft that prevents Acid Arno's formula from ever feeling too lethargic or disconnected from reality. This is relaxing stuff, but has a strong backbone.

Terra would clearly sound immense and delightfully immersive in a live environment, a fact demonstrated by the inclusion of live recordings on side B, which is uploaded as a separate release on Bandcamp. And I'm sure Terra makes for a pretty gnarly soundtrack mid-trip. But! That's all extraneous. I'm perfectly content listening with nothing more than my headphones and a comfy chair and a decidedly sober state. After a long week, this is exactly the kind of meandering fuzz I'm in the mood for. If you have a tolerance and/or a longing for long-form psychedelic distortion, I recommend giving this one a listen. Find it here!

Acid Arno - Terra was released Oct. 15th, 2024.

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Acid Arno can be found:
Bandcamp
Instagram