SMOKEMASTER are releasing their new album In The Temple in June!

Smokemaster are a psychedelic rock band from Cologne. Following their self-titled debut albumand its follow-up, COSMIC CONNECTOR, the band are releasing their third studio album, IN THETEMPLE.

“Packed with the sounds of the 60s and 70s. Stoner rock meets psychedelic meets blues. All witha handmade charm, sweat and passion,” wrote eclipsed Rock Magazine about the sound of thedebut album. You probably couldn’t sum it up any better.

Since May 2020, their debut album SMOKEMASTER has been available on vinyl, CD and digitally,and quickly became a crowd favourite. In thefirst month, the YouTube video for the album hit10,000 views and thefirst run of physical copies sold out. “Even we, as a label, hadn’t expectedthat,” explains Dirk Raupach, owner of Tonzonen Records. “After all, Smokemaster was acomplete unknown up to that point and we were in the middle of thefirst Covid lockdown.

”In the meantime, a busy touring schedule took the band all across the country: their travelsincluded the Burg Herzberg Festival, the Trafostation 61 Festival near Cologne and the LottFestival near Koblenz, western Germany. A particular highlight for the band in the summer of 2022was their performance at the Krach am Bach festival in Beelen, Westphalia. Finally, in autumn2024, Smokemaster had the honour of accompanying the scene legends COLOUR HAZE on theirBalkan tour. Nine dates took the bands from Ljubljana to Athens and back again. However, theband attracted the most attention with their 2021 performance at the WDR Crossroads Festival,the in-house festival of the WDR Rockpalast at its home venue, the Harmonie in Bonn.

Following the departure of singer Björnson Bear, however, the bandfirst had to reorganise for thealbum production and, fortunately, after an intensive search, managed to secure Jack McAfeefrom The Miracle Seeds as a session singer. The Scot’s intense, melismatic voice is highlydistinctive and lends seven of the nine songs a solemn, hypnotic quality. Once production wascomplete, Patrick Rose joined as the permanent singer, restoring the line-up to a quintet.

IN THE TEMPLE is the most ambitious Smokemaster project to date. It sees the band move in acompletely new direction - leaning into the sounds of 60’s psychedelic pop. They have capturedthe same creative spirit of that era through the wide range of sounds and instruments heardacross its runtime. 

 The guest vocals of The Miracle Seeds’ Jack McAfee give an entirely new sound to accompanySmokemaster’s musical shift. The softly-sung, warm vocal melodies and three-part harmoniesprovide memorable hooks that blend seamlessly with the band’s catchy guitar riffs and colourfulorgan lines.

The album constantly shifts in intensity, taking you through a full spectrum of emotions from starttofinish, exploring themes of love, isolation, existentialism and nostalgia. When you embark onthis cosmic ship, you will be rewarded for diving headfirst into the Ether. Smokemaster wishes youa pleasant journey.

1.No Other One IN THE TEMPLE kicks offwith a bang. The opener is a lively declaration of love, featuring a guitarmelody that’s instantly catchy and invites you to whistle along. In the solemn choruses, the banddeliberately slows the tempo down without ever becoming melancholic, creating a delightfulcontrast to the upbeat verses. This is how every successful summer evening should draw to aclose.

2.Sounds from the Ether For Smokemaster, Sounds from the Ether is an exceptional track. Guitarist Jay sings a song ofloneliness, loss and self-destruction, reminiscent of melancholic folk songs. He is accompaniedby a detuned pub piano until the curtain falls and all the pain vainly seeks a way out in an intenseclimax. Meanwhile, a radio programme that the author has picked up on his amplifier playscheerfully in the background. There is probably no better way to portray the insidious nature ofaddiction.

3.Do It Again An intro riffthat sounds like it’s coming from a broken radio plunges the audience into a drivingbass groove: “Just one little drop of honey helps the potion down,” states singer Jack, whilst theband takes a step back before building up to the fanfare of thefirst chorus. Do It Again culminatesin an ecstatic solo, before taking offinto a wall of sound and a kaleidoscope of synthesisers.

4.Down in the Salt MinesThe song begins in a relaxed manner with a call-and-response between vocals and a playfulsynthesiser. But it descends into the underworld and the path still lies in darkness, so that thestructure soon fades into nothingness. The band skilfully draws this section out, building tensionand creating an eerie, almost oppressive atmosphere from ghostly noises, snippets of sound andflute interludes. The tensionfinally breaks abruptly and a wall of guitar leads the audience backinto the light of day.

5.In theTemple The title track of the album is a tribute to the good old hippie days: a dreamy voice recountsfading memories, whilst the band plays a danceable tune led by an inviting melody. It makes youremember the good things and want to move to the music, go outside, laugh, and not let yourselfget annoyed about bumping your knee in the morning. In the Temple is not only the title track butthe very essence of this album: thanks to the many musical references – some hidden, some quiteobvious – the track immediately sounds familiar and accessible, yet proves varied the nextmoment when the band’s sheer joy of playing comes to the fore. It is as if memories are surfacing,but they are not just one’s own. You can intuitively get into this song andfind yourself wishing thateverything in life were just as simple.

Stream / Buy / Download the album on Bandcamp

6.Under the Sun The band, together with singer Jack, paints a tranquil picture. A delicate guitar melodyflowsgently over an accompaniment of strings and Indian tanpura. It’s time to relax. Under the Sunfeels like summer and like arriving in the here and now, preferably in nature. If you have a garden,that’s the best place to listen to the song. Everyone else will get their money’s worth too; for them,Smokemaster have captured their own vision of nature’s beauty on record in the interlude.

7.Peace of Mind Art rock, gothic, psychedelic: Peace of Mind is an intense blend of melancholy and optimism. Aguitar motif and a steady tom-tom groove unfold like a canvas. Against this backdrop, the bandpaints an entire orchestra of intricately produced sounds, weaving in the ethereal vocals ofguitarist Jay alongside those of his friend, soul singer Emily Manera. The song oscillates betweendarkfilm music and contemporary psychedelic songwriting, 60s garage and 80s shoegaze,classical rigour and restless drifting – a piece to be felt like a theatrical gaze out of the window.

8.Electromagnetic The foundation is an earthy riffplayed by bass and organ, interspersed with psychedelic turns.Tablas and sitar complement Electromagnetic, creating a down-to-earth 60s psychedelic trackwith a meditative, laid-back feel. The song culminates in a drawn-out sitar solo and fades outgently.

9.Citrus LeavesIt begins gently with a delicate intro of acoustic guitar and bass, until the vocals slowly kick in. Amelismatic voice drifts longingly into the distance. The lyrics get under your skin; the drums kickin, but the tension remains. The climax comes after a brief interlude: a massive wall of guitar,accompanied by organ and backing vocals, propels a snotty guitar solo forward until,finally,everything has been said and the curtain falls. Fans of classic 70s hard rock in particular will prickup their ears at this song!

Line-up:

Jerome „Jay“ Holz – Guitars / Vocals / Flute / Sitar / Screwdriver

Tobias „Tobmaster“ Schmidt – Bass Guitar

Jack McAfee – Vocals

Lukas Bönschen – Drums / Vocals / Percussion

Tobias Tack – Organ / Synth / Keys / Sampling

Smokemaster:

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Thank you very much Tonzonen Records

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