ALBUM REVIEW: Vision Beyond Horizon – Big Scenic Nowhere

BIG SCENIC NOWHERE is a collaborative project which emerged from the Taco-fuelled friendship of FU MANCHU’s Bob Balch and YAWNING MAN’s Gary Arce.

In 2019 BIG SCENIC NOWHERE was first put on the map with the debut EP Dying on the Mountain, which showcased the talents of both guitarists, with accompaniment from an assortment of notable rock and metal alumni, including Nick Oliveri of KYUSS and MONDO GENERATOR, Per Wiberg of OPETH and SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, and Lisa Alley and Ian Graham of THE WELL.

On paper, the project bears comparison with THE DESERT SESSIONS: a transient collective built around Josh Homme, and featuring a revolving door of contributors, which produces spontaneous arrangements from intimate psilocybin-laced jamming. BIG SCENIC NOWHERE takes a more considered approach, though. There is less of a see-what-sticks tone to their work, and a more meticulously crafted demonstration of the member’s talents. Balch and Arce write and arrange the basic structure of the songs before courting contributions from others. As a result, BIG SCENIC NOWHERE‘s sound is more immediately recognisable; distinctive, even. There is always a lingering question-mark hanging above such supergroups, though: to what extent are their member’s talents additive, complementary – compatible, even?

Bob Balch cut his teeth writing and playing driving, groovy guitar leads in FU MANCHU – and there are oodles of fuzzed-out riffs on Vision Beyond Horizon, their first full-length. In particular, The Glim and Shadows From The Altar exhibit the kind of blues-focussed riffing that Balch has become known for. Elsewhere his playing is lent a soaring psychedelic dimension with Gary Arce‘s contributions, especially Then I Was Gone and Tragic Motion Lines. The album’s mellower moments allow the guest contributions to shine through: Tony Reed, who will be familiar from MOS GENERATOR, and Per Wiberg contribute mellotron and keyboard performances to exquisite effect on Mirror Image and Hidden Wall respectively. Lisa Alley and Ian Graham reappear on Then I Was Gone and Shadows From The Altar, adding their vocal talents to the psychedelic melange. There are some moments on Vision Beyond Horizon which feel positively disjointed, though. The thrashy pace of The Paranoid and the soporific mournfulness of En Las Sombras don’t sit easily alongside the mood of the album more generally – enjoyable as they are in themselves. Closing number, The War Years, is reminiscent of PINK FLOYD’s Wot’s … Uh The Deal? to its credit, and stands testimony to Balch and Arce’s capacity to write collaboratively and effectively in different styles more generally.

With Vision Beyond Horizon, BIG SCENIC NOWHERE have elaborated on the dynamic established on their debut EP and consolidated their experience of writing and playing together. They have wrought a circle from the extremities of the desert rock spectrum – fuzz-laden riffing and overdriven leads – with some success, but more often than not the listener is offered everything but the kitchen sink rather than an outright fusion. That is not, in itself, a criticism of course – especially for those who are happy just to hear some of their favourite musicians making music together, without the weight of legacy of their main bands bearing down on them – but speaks volumes about the additive, rather than complementary, nature of supergroups in general. Vision Beyond Horizon offers a scenic ride through desert textures, guided by many visions, but arrives nowhere in particular.

Rating: 6/10

Vision Beyond Horizon is out now via Heavy Psych Sounds.

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