There’s only a few instrumental outfits these days that pack as big a sonic punch as Causa Sui. These four guys from Denmark have been making trippy, mind-altering rock and roll for a few years now, and every time out they up their musical game a bit. They go from psychedelic, acid-fried drone(Pewt’r Sessions 3) to face-melting, deep-throated riffage(Euporie Tide) just like that. The heavy guitar jamming in less capable hands can become pretty boring after awhile, but when Jonas Munk, Jess Kahr, Rasmus Rasmussen, and Jakob Skott get together to hash out songs it’s anything but boring. They each have their own side gigs where they can let their own personal freak flags fly high, so when they do come together in the studio they’re coming in fresh and ready to blow minds. Causa Sui have come together and made Return To Sky, a five song nugget of brain melting rock that could be their heaviest and most fully formed record yet.
Return To Sky opens with one of the heaviest tracks yet from Causa Sui, the gargantuan groove monster called “Dust Meridian”. It’s a tour de force in rhythm and riffage as bassist Jess Kahr and drummer Jakob Skott lock in together and bulldoze their way through ten minutes of sheer rock and roll bliss. Guitarist Jonas Munk brings in his signature guitar prowess and does Tony Iommi better than Tony Iommi has in years. Rasmussen adds some psychedelic organ to the mix to give “Dust Meridian” just the right amount of late 60s kaleidoscopic vibe. This is the good stuff, folks. Just as you’re getting your bearings, “The Source” comes rolling in. It’s six and a half minutes of steamrolling riffage. It’s like Sleep, but without all the residue and coughing. There’s something very raw and visceral with this record, and this song in-particular. The songs are as well-produced as they’ve ever been, but there’s an openness sonically this time around that I’ve never noticed before. Skott’s drums sound like they’re right next to you. You can practically feel the cymbals splashing right next to your face. And Munk’s guitar sound is freed to stalk and roam like an unchained beast. Causa Sui are taking no prisoners this time around.
“Mondo Buzzo” is reminiscent of “Garden of Forking Paths” off Pewt’r Sessions 2. It slowly rises like the smoke from incense before going all California stoner rock in the middle. One of Causa Sui’s superpowers is their ability to dial down when needed, and bring things back up to 11 at just the right time. They seem to be able to speak that unspoken language between the four of them. Instinct takes over in the studio as amps buzz and the IPAs start to flow. “Dawn Passage” is a sweeping track that flows along a jazzy rhythm and Pink Floydian guitar inflections before a dissonant panic erupts in the middle. Space-y guitar and percussion take over the proceedings to add an earthy, organic vibe. “Return To Sky” is a detuned Goliath of a song that opens like an explosion before simmering into a pleasant daydream of a song, leaving us in the hazy ether of our minds.
If you put together all of the records the individual members of Causa Sui have put out, as well as all the Causa Sui records they’ve made together you would have yourself a hefty chunk of incredible music. What’s amazing is that even after Munk, Skott, Rasumussen, and Kahr have made absolutely stellar records on their own they can still come together and put out something as good as Return To Sky. It doesn’t feel like one of those “well, we need to do something as a band” kind of things. It feels like a band that’s at the top of their game and have no intentions of stopping. Return To Sky is yet another amazing record from Causa Sui. What are you waiting for? Go get it.
