The mysterious American desert rockers, Hashishian, emerged from an undisclosed desert location to release their debut self-titled album in 2022. Heavy underground fans likely know about this act, probably because one of their biggest inspirations is Sleep’s iconic Dopesmoker album.
Hashishian is a Stoner Rock band making music for stoners, and they mince no words when describing themselves and their love of the ganja. They recently released Kingdom of Kush on April 14th, featuring three new tracks for the stoned masses.
About Hashishian
This band keeps a low profile. They’ve done an interview with It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine, where I learned the most about them. They’re a three-piece band that apparently doesn’t tour and just focuses on recording music.
Hashishian is heavily inspired by sci-fi books and films, especially Frank Herbert’s Dune, and the Stoner Rock heroes Sleep. Their self-titled debut is 40 minutes of dank-ass riffage that fans of Weedian will adore.
The Bandcamp page for Kingdom of Kush describes this new offering as “3 new songs from Creedsmen of Bong and Blade from the Riff-Filled Land.” A second full-length album is in the works and possibly coming this year.
The Songs
The title track is the first song, which opens with a heavy middle eastern vibe. After a minute of exotic stringed instrumentation, the first ominous riff creeps in and prepares us for the Kingdom of Kush. The growling vocals don’t start until the two-minute mark, continuing the dark feel. The whole track has all the hallmarks of great stoner metal, and you may get high just listening to it.
Sleeper Awake comes next, only slightly longer than the title track at five-and-a-half minutes. The riffs are slowed and caked with scuzz, a type of dirty desert rock that will appeal to many. The vocals are a bit harsher on this one, but it didn’t bother me much. The vocal delivery is also in a chant-like quality that reminded me of the sacred stoner music that OM makes.
Caravan Sensimillian is the last track and opens with a much lighter and more atmospheric tone than any of the other songs. The listener is lulled into a sense of safety by the initial sweet sounds before a killer riff blasts in. The drums are much more prominent in this one, and there are several sections where the guitar takes a backseat to feature the vocals. This is also the longest song at seven and a half minutes, and the one played with the most energy, in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
I feel that most Stoner Rock and Heavy Psych fanatics already know a bit about Hashihian. If they don’t, this is a band you’ll want to hear. Any band that takes Sleep’s Dopesmoker as their main well of inspiration is one that certainly deserves the attention of a stoner rocker.
That being said, loving Dopesmoker is a given for stoner bands, and not all bands can replicate that style in a convincing way while remaining true to themselves. But after listening to Kingdom of Kush, I would say that Hashishian is the real deal. I plan on going back and absorbing their self-titled debut, and I imagine their second full-length album coming soon will be highly anticipated.
Support Hashishian by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram).
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