Montibus Communtias and Ø+yn: Offerings For The Destroyer Review

Review of Offerings For The Destroyer, "the long-awaited collaboration between Peruvian psychedelic collective Montibus Communitas, and Argentina's premier improvisers Ø+yn" - Written by Daniel Sharman. 

{Read our interview with Anthony of Montibus Communitas here}

Released in: October 2013

Genre: Roots Psychedelia

Record Label: Sky Lantern Records

Medium: Digital download, Cassette

Recorded at: Live at Círculo Bar 

The first thing to note before anything is said about this record is that it is not your archetypal album in any stretch of the imagination. It is, more simply put, a somewhat insane, and abstract piece. To go into it with ears that expect conventionality is altogether misguided, and to a greater extent, prohibitive to a desired listening experience. 

Offerings for the Destroyer is most unlike some psychedelic LP's you may hear this year, and this particular aspect works most certainly to it's favour. The record consists of only a single song, or what should better be referred to as free-form jam, clocking in at 35:42. For some, this duration may seem slightly short, when compared to some other psychedelic offerings, but Offerings for the Destroyer, or to give the recording its actual name, Prepare the Bhang at Dawn, actual feels quite epic, and endless, in its length. Time melts away, and you are graced with a wholesome psychedelic atmosphere to surround yourself with, one which is notable for its ability to clear the mind of current issues, and ideas, and replace them instead with emotion, and feeling.

Recorded live, in the early hours of the morning, Offerings for the Destroyer adopts a totally fluid approach to instrumentation. The recording features no real editing, and certainly no overdubs or added effects like reverb, and this once again adds to the experience. If anything, it provides a real breath of fresh air in a psychedelic community that normally focus too heavily on effects, and sonic manipulation. Furthermore, the instrumentation being played is very intuitive, and the raw skill of both of the bands playing is clearly shown for all to see, never is the sound too abrasive, or the instruments being played to conflicting. 

However, it is worth noting that this is not a record that you can be quickly listened to off the cuff , or even digested in a single sitting. Offerings for the Destroyer offers a rich and immersive experience which will require multiple relistens before it can be fully appreciated, and is best enjoyed in a relaxed environment in which it can be heard in its entirety. 

Critic's Summary: If you are finding yourself pining for a more raw, and true, psychedelic experience day after day, Offerings for the Destroyer could very well be the perfect record for you. It's minimal editing, total lack of formality, and fluid instrumentation makes for a sonic delight that is not easily topped by its contemporaries. If in one of these hot, summer nights, you find yourself with a free half hour, do not hesitate to lay back, peel open a banana, and chow down on this seriously psychedelic, rootsy recording.