(Psychedelic Rock/Christian Rock) Sabbath Assembly - 2012- Ye Are Gods (web-release), FLAC (tracks), lossless

Rating 3.22 from 56 ratings according to RYM

"...This is Sabbath Assembly's second recorded outing, and one that comes as a bit of a surprise to anyone who paid attention to their first release and the ensuing spate of live shows and festival appearances that followed. At first, it seemed as though Restored to One would be marked down in the book of rock history as a one-off project, albeit one of its more intriguing entries. Even founder and helmsman David Nuss seemed unsure about the band's future in inteviews, but as it's become apparent, there's plenty more source material to mine and corners of the world to invade with song and strangeness. "Ye Are Gods" features a new singer, Jamie Myers (Hammers of Misfortune, Wolves in the Throne Room) whose breathy, saccharine vocals replace Jex Thoth's more throaty delivery. The primary focus of the album is its message, conveyed through lyrics and proclamations, so Myers' voice is front and center. The musical accompaniment meanders through genres and decades, taking a hit of 60s psychedelia here, gently ripping off Coven there, raising up to gospel heights and cruising back down into poppier territory. Oddball neofolk acts like Nest, Lasher Keen, and the Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud seem to serve as an inadvertent influence, and while groovy classic rock forms the bedrock, Nuss and guitarist Imaad Wasif play around with all manner of tones and sounds to achieve that eerily mellow vibe. "Exit" opens with a moody organ overture before going full-on Pink Floydian stomp, while "We Come From the One" is all creepy bongos and ominous spoken word. "Bless Our Lord and Master" starts off with tinny chimes and a warm-voiced chorus, then builds into unexpected bombast before fading out into the delicate, thrumming folk of "We Give Our Lives". "Christ You Bring the End" is a nearly acoustic ode to the bringer of doom, and the mass keeps going-- but you're still on the edge of your seat instead of asleep on your pious grandma's shoulder. The penultimate track, "Transcendence", is a spoken word piece narrated by an original Process Church member Timothy Wyllie, who quotes from the book Gods of War by Process Church founder Robert DeGrimston. The words themselves are unsettling and end on a low, dry note. Sabbath Assembly clearly chose to close the ceremony in this fashion in order to throw one last spotlight onto their purpose and source material. The message is everything, and on Ye Are Gods, its messengers have once more done a fine job doing God's-- and the Devil's-- work."
pitchfork.com

Jamie Myers - voice
Dave Nuss - drums

GuestЫ:
Genesis P-Orridge - voice
Daniel Shuman - bass, guitar, voice
Richard Bennett - guitar, organ, voice
Georgia Haege - voice
Imaad Wasif - guitar/voice
Eyvind Kang - viola
Kevin Hufnagel - guitar
Dave DeMotta - piano, organ
Dan Hockstein - bass
Kevin Rutmanis - bass