It was just last year that Vancouver’s Seer put out Vol. 1 & 2, which we gave a 7.5 to and commended the band’s unique sound, which is sort of near Mastodon with its spacy sludginess and progressive leanings, but also a bit more good time stoner rock-y. But also kinda none of that at all, and this new album shows the band locked in, hard, to all that, 10-minute opener (!) “Ancient Sands (Rot Preacher)” nailing a groove but also stopping to get expansive (they’ve got time); tempting to file this next to Anciients, but while they’d make a great double bill, the sonics aren’t as similar as they sound like they should be when viewed on paper. 

Some excellent vocals on that opening cut as well, which showcase the great songwriting dynamics the band has improved upon since last time (there are certain four-second parts of this song where it could be a particularly good Cult tune). “Burnt Offerings” also has some excellent, soaring vocals, which both sound great and serve to emphasize how ineffective the screamed vocals are; they could go entirely and Seer would be just fine, if not all the better, for it. Last time around, the interlude-y stuff bored me, but here “Spirit River” is a fantastic little acoustic instrumental placed at song 6 of 8; sounds like an interlude to me, and works just fine. So, Seer keep forging ahead with their own personality here, this album definitely ending up more solid, more listenable, more cohesive, just generally more mountain-moving and enjoyable to listen to than their already-good Vol. 1 & 2.