Independent doom rock

Concept Unification is the newest record from Texas-based band Pinkish Black. After losing their bassist, Tommy Atkins, back in 2010, Daron Beck and Jon Teague plunge forward into experimental and psychedelic rock.

“Concept Unification” opens up with a fuzzy warping synthesizer. When the drums come in and the crashing cymbals strike, the song dips in for Beck’s vocals. His vocals are so purely washed out and warped within the beat you can’t understand most of what he’s saying, and this is intriguing. The song draws you in and reads like a drugged out nightmare. “Until” continues with a shifting space-like synthesizer, and hard crashing drums. The song is like doomful rock and is extremely intense in its rebellious nature.

The band is impressive in the way they genre-bend and make any familiar melody sound their own. “Dial Tone” is melancholic psychedelia, then “Petit Mal” follows in dark ambiance. However, the tracks sometimes ride on too long for being just instrumentals, and never fully grasp you.

“Inanimatronic” is cool with its glitched-out ‘80s nostalgic flare, serving a bit of needed nostalgia in the record’s dark mood. A powerhouse track that is 11 minutes long, “Next Solution” finishes with ominous piano chords as Beck sings out “We waste our time wondering why / and still we try until we die.” A cued in heavy guitar rings in, and all goes chaotic, with sharp-edged drums eating away at over-psychedelic undertones. It’s riveting and relentless, and the aftertaste painfully delicious.

Concept Unification may not fully reach the level of Pinkish Black’s preceding discography; however, it certainly plays the same game. The ability to create emotions of anxiety, freedom, fear and happiness in one record is by no means underwhelming. Beck and Teague capture a genuine authenticity in their sound for a brilliant listen.