The Third Eye

I sometimes like to think of the global psychedelic music scene as a map. This is not an original thought, of course. Humbead’s Revised Map of the World reimagined the world through the perspective of the West Coast folk scene and the emergent hippie counterculture starting in 1968.

Created by Rick Shubb and Earl Crabb, two Bay Area music nerds, Humbead’s Map didn’t follow the geographic laws of latitude or longitude. San Francisco and New York City captured the largest portions of the Pangea-like continent, which was supposed to represent where hippies were most emerging.

If we were to create a revised map for psychedelic rock in 2023, many scenes would be prominent. Surely Austin, Texas, would hold an outsized position and many spots throughout the U.S. But I’d argue Hungary in Central Europe would deserve a significant chunk of land mass. This is because of excellent labels like Psychedelic Source Records and also bands like The Space Huns.

About The Space Huns

This long-winded intro brings me to the topic of this album review: the new album by Szeged, Hungary-based stoners The Space Huns. Legends of The Ancient Tribes was released on June 22, 2023, containing eight delicious tracks of long-form psychedelic and stoner blues jams. It’s nearly an hour’s worth of heavy psych goodness with riffs thick as molasses.

I can’t find much written about The Space Huns, though they appear to be a newer act. Their Bandcamp page doesn’t go into much detail about their background or grand artistic vision and their bio simply states: “Just Space Huns jammin’ the stoner blues on a distant ranch.” They also tell us this is their very first real long play stuff. The new album, Legends of The Ancient Tribes, is listed on Bandcamp at the enticing Name Your Price option. What a deal!

Before I get into the music, a bit more background on The Space Huns. They’re a three-piece consisting of Mátyás Mozsár (drums), Tamás Tikvicki (bass), and Csaba Szőke (guitar). This core group has released a smattering of singles since 2019, and an excellent 2022 four-track EP called Swirling Waves, Moons and Tides. I suggest you give that a listen, too. They also let us know on Bandcamp that there’s “no AI-generated thing” on the album at any level. So, if you hate AI in art as much as some people do, these guys are for you.

The Songs

Let’s get to the music! It’s difficult to comprehensively review a long instrumental record, especially for a non-musician like me. And I will not go into great detail on all eight tracks. I simply set out here to offer some broad strokes on an enjoyable and high-energy instrumental psych/stoner album.

“Sgt. Taurus on Coke” opens the album, and like most songs, it’s way past the six-minute mark in length. The lead guitar is pure acid-drenched bluesy madness, like a Hungarian reincarnation of Hendrix. The entire song acts as a vehicle for what feels like one extended, killer guitar solo. If you’re a heavy psych fan, there’s not much to dislike. The drums are also powerful, combining to create a jam of monster proportions. And this is just the first song!

“Goats on a Discount Private Space Voyage” was another favorite of mine. As you can tell by now, the track titles are random, clever, and silly as shit. It lets us know The Space Huns are serious about their musical craft, but they don’t take themselves too seriously – always a plus in my book.

The “Goats …” track is another long one, as are all the songs, and it starts slower. But give it some time, and it heats up with guitar explorations you’ll get accustomed to on this record. “It’s The Small Things … Like a Quest For Beer and Snacks” brings a jazzy groove and a distorted, wah-wah guitar tone that I enjoyed. “Burial Knights of Distant Sands County LTD” follows a familiar template on the album but brings us new riff variations.

“The Wooden Vegetable Container Box (Will Be Painted Brown Probably)” closes the album with some guitar feedback and a more noticeable bass line. It builds up slowly before exploding into another space/psychedelic rock jam where the improvised electric guitar hits us from all angles.

Final Thoughts

Legends of The Ancient Tribes is not meant to be a super-sophisticated psychedelic rock record. The Space Huns have created stoner blues jams for you to get stoned to and space out to, and it’s as simple as that. This record will be pure gold for people who like that kind of thing.

Do many of the songs sound alike? Yes, sort of. But I listen to records like this when I want to chill or as background tunes while working. I may not be giving it my undivided attention, but it supplies an excellent soundtrack to whatever I’m doing. I think that’s the intent of long, instrumental jam records like this, and I’m glad The Space Huns made this one.

This is not to say The Space Huns aren’t great at what they do. Judging from this record and some other stuff I’ve listened to from them, all three of these Hungarian stoners are very talented musicians. So, if you’re looking for an hour’s worth of excellent stoner blues/psychedelic instrumental music, Legends of the Ancient Tribes is for you. And better yet – you can grab this on Bandcamp at Name Your Price and support great music.

Find Legends of The Ancient Tribes by The Space Huns on Bandcamp here.

Support The Space Huns by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook).

Parting words: “I’ve noticed that when people are joking, they’re usually dead serious, and when they’re serious, they’re usually pretty funny.” – Jim Morrison

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