The Third Eye

Sometimes I’ll discover a band and not be able to find any information about them, which is highly frustrating when trying to write a review. This has been the issue that I’ve run into with Herbarian, a Russian heavy psych band that recently released their self-titled debut album.

About Herbarian

As I mentioned above, this is a Russian heavy psych band that has just released a six-track album. I have yet to learn who the members are, how many there are, where they come from in Russian, or any other pertinent information I usually would give you here. What I do know is that this band has created a captivating, heavy psych style that will have listeners wanting to hear more.

The Songs

1. Aspid (04:22)

I like it when bands open their albums with a song with the “standard” runtime; it helps me dig into what the band in question is doing and opens me up to longer track lengths later in the record. This is an example of what you can expect from Herbarian, a heavy fuzz tone, excellent use of psychedelic influences, and fantastic production. I enjoyed the Middle Eastern flavor that runs throughout, as it adds an almost exotic vibe to the overall feel of the music.

2. Wine (05:10)

I love how “Wine” begins, as it takes on a jazzy, progressive, stoner, blues, and jam band approach and sound. The guitar work is very nice, especially the solos, but the rhythm parts are equally as good, sometimes reminding me of a Stevie Ray Vaughn track whose name eludes me. Herbarian switches things up about halfway through with a series of grooving stoner riffs perfectly paired with what we heard at the song’s onset. This is genuinely killer stuff from start to finish!

3. Going There And Back (07:00)

This is the first of the three longest songs on the album, which coincidentally are all right in a row on the tracklist. Here we see Herbarian taking their time a bit more, gradually leading us into the meat of the song, which is the wise thing to do when writing a seven-minute track. As expected, they blend heavy psych, stoner, blues, and more to convey their message. I love seeing them put in their penchant for sizzling lead guitar work, as this song has the slickest leads up to this point in the record. I also found that Herbarian prefers to avoid repeating parts, opting for an approach with a few different sections, and when things repeat, they tend to be changed from their original form.

4. Roots (06:34)

This is a beautiful track that harkens back to the sounds that bands of the 60s and 70s had, as well as remaining modern in its overall tone. I hear a bit of The Doors going on during certain parts of the track, an influence that I never tire of hearing, but the most entertaining aspect of the song is that it focuses on the psych side of Herbarian. The guitar tones are wonderful with little to no fuzz pedals (the last section does incorporate some, though), but with the type of effects that make the clean tone bright and psychedelic being utilized. The playing is incredible across the board, with each member instinctively knowing what and where to play it.

5. Alley-Oop (09:18)

The title immediately reminded me of basketball, and the first riff we hear is energetic enough that I kept thinking about it. These initial guitar tones are ultra thick and fuzzy, but Herbarian soon switches it out in favor of a more bluesy reggae type of sound, again bringing Stevie Ray Vaughn to my mind. As with “Going There And Back,” there isn’t an overabundance of repeating parts, and the entire nine minutes end up being extremely enjoyable, especially the sections that begin at marker 04:06 and end at 08:06; there’s a touch of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” in there that I absolutely adore.

6. Drift (04:15)

Ending the album with this type of song is yet another wonderful choice by the musicians in Herbarian. There’s a serious emphasis on their psych and blues leanings, but don’t worry, they still bring in their share of catchy, groovy riffs for us to latch onto. A little over halfway in, they throw us a piece that reminded me of Tool, which happens in several spots across the record. And as per their normal, minimal repetition is heard. 

Final Thoughts

My final thought is that I wish I had been able to find any information about the background of this band, but at the same time, that’s all right, too. Not many bands have any mystique attached to them, and that is an element of music that is missing. We have all learned too much about our favorite musicians thanks to the internet’s widespread use, which has taken some of the shine away. On the flip side of that coin, we have also learned what artists we shouldn’t support in the process, so it’s more of a double-edged sword than an outright drawback. 

My other thought is that Herbarian truly deserves to have all ears pointed towards them, and their music is the perfect mix of heavy riffs and extended psychedelic interludes, both being executed with a flair towards the 60s and 70s but with a modern twist. So head over to Bandcamp to listen to this album, as it is not available on Spotify or YouTube, and let yourself go with the sweet psychedelic sounds of Herbarian! Enjoy!!

Support Herbarian by finding them on Bandcamp.

This review was written by Tom Hanno, who has been writing reviews for the last 7 years but has been sharing his love of music for the majority of his life. Originally starting out at the now-defunct Chimera Magazine, he is currently contributing to Doomed and Stoned, The Sleeping Shaman, The Doom Charts, Tom’s Reviews, and The Third Eye. Read more of Tom’s reviews by checking out his Linktree.

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Parting words: “I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky, from Notes from the Underground

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