Sunday Sesh: A Live Reinterpretation

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The great minds behind Toilet ov Hell’s always lively and colorful disqus field have exerted a concerted effort to answer a variation of this question before, but today I call upon the brain trust to help me imagine a brighter future. One where our favorite bands are joined onstage by our favorite musicians to breathe new life into an old production. Today’s question, then, is a re-imagining of an old think tank we’ve queried before: What musician would you recruit for a live re-imagining of a particular album?

This post is brought to you courtesy of Hashshashin‘s brilliant new record, nihsahshsaH (adj​.​), a live rendition of nihsahshsaH with the addition of guitar work courtesy of improvisationalist Simon Dawes of Instrumental (adj.). In case you’ve been sealed within a crypt deep beneath a forgotten pyramid and are somehow unaware of Hashshashin, let me refresh your memory with some words from our resident sun-bathing lizard.

“Experimental psychedelic Eastern-themed instrumental nirvana. From the moment I heard about the concept of this band/album, I was eagerly awaiting its release. Everything about that combination of tags made it seem like this release was specifically targeted at me. And even though I was reticent to let the hype instinct take over, potentially setting me up for disappointment, it was difficult to contain. Thankfully, Hashshashin’s debut delivered on all fronts. The Sydney trio’s debut will take you on a journey through a series of unique sonic landscapes; from deep meditative drone, spirited staccato stab riffs, psychedelic mind-warping shred, and everything in-between. Containing guitar, bass, drums, bouzouki, didgeridoo, and even field recordings taken by Lachlan Dale on his journey through Nepal and India, nihsahshsaH presents an eclectic mix of Eastern sounds with Western sensibilities.”

It’s hard to improve upon such a wondrous experience, but improved it is nonetheless with Dawes’ inspired lead work. His solos and melodies and interesting phrasing add a greater depth to the band’s sound you never realized you wanted. Those rising dunes in “Moksha” now crack and sizzle with a divine heat and a piercing wind. Those meditative moments of introspection in “Prostration” now beckon you to look deeper within with a nigh-spiritual resonance. It isn’t that Dawes was the missing element, but rather that his guitar voice magnifies the power of what was already on display.

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But our Sesh today is more than just Hashshashin, so again I ask. What artist would you like to see join your favorite band on stage for a live reinterpretation? Would you like to see Obsequiae‘s harpist Vicente La Camera Mariño waltz onstage to add even more zeal to a Nocternity performance? Would you enjoy seeing Barney Greenway sing all of Master of Puppets while backed by Dream Theater? Is Matt Pike’s gravelly tone what Blood Mountain is missing live?

Sound off in the comments below.

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