Microsurgical Anatomy And Surgery of The Central Skull Base

Described as "Occult Pop" for fans of ELO, Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac and Queen, the 9 track record from the Nottingham based "spiritual organisation" sees an expansion on the prog/psych/retro stylings and hook-heavy songwriting of the critically acclaimed debut "Is Satan Real?" (2016). Piano and vintage synths have been introduced alongside the Hammond organ, electric cello and six-part vocal harmonies, resulting in a sound that truly "puts the ABBA in Sabbath".

Church of the Cosmic Skull are a seven piece from Nottingham. The band describe themselves as an actual church, a religious movement who "seek to free mankind from their material possessions and unify all living beings into a singular cosmic whole…". You'd be forgiven for thinking this all sounds gimmicky and not exactly original; we've had bands in robes and such before, trying to reel us in with their cult-ish vibes and the promise of faux spiritual reveries, possibly followed by orgies and spiked punch. Plenty of bands have gotten mileage out of the 60’s and 70’s countercultures experiments and investigations into the great and spooky invisible, some continue faithfully in the same vein like Jess and the Ancient Ones and some revel in its glamour and darkness like Uncle Acid on their Mind Control set…

British faux-gospel prog rockers Church return with this splendorous fourth album. It’s an entirely enigmatic project led by singer/ guitarist Bill Fisher, and the band’s mystical origins and white-robed stage attire carry all the trappings of an early-70s hippie sex cult, but their sound is rooted firmly in crunching classic-era arena rock…