The Norwegians have practically cornered the market when it comes to modern progressive rock, so why not desert/stoner rock as well? Kal-El has in just over a decade carved out a very nice discography of hard, anthemic rock that straddles stoner metal, doom, desert rock, and even some subtle shades of psychedelia. Full length number six Astral Voyager Vol. 1 wraps the band’s vibe in a grand science fiction concept as well as some killer album art, with Vol. 2 promised for later in the year. This is my second release from Blues Funeral Recording’s PostWax Unlimited series, and a welcome surprise that has me eager to dig deeper into the band.

Before diving into the music, let’s talk packaging for a minute. Much as I admired the complex packaging and dioramas that made the up the Vol.2 series (not to mention it introducing me to the fantastic Mammoth Volume), as physical releases they were unwieldy at best, and rarely come out of their sleeves. The new releases share a common slipcover that’s etched and designed specifically for the release, and it’s an overall easier, user-friendly experience (I miss the liner notes, though).

But we’re here to talk about the music, and Astral Voyager Vol. 1 ticks all the boxes off: fuzzed out guitar riffs, a growling bottom end and a lot of swing and groove to everything. Vocalist Ståle “Cpt Ulven/Captain” Rodvelt has a reedy, pitched keen that recalls vintage Ozzy but with a more rounded, flexible edge to it, and on the opening title tracks his voice carries through the ten minutes of dusty menace and solo breaks guitarists Kristoffer “Doffy” Ranaweera and Azul Joshua “Josh” Bisama lay over the proceedings. There’s some good old-fashioned rock and roll on “B.T.D.S.C.” and it brings that Sabbath influence even closer to the front, but with a desert swagger I insist upon in my favorite bands. “Void Cleaner” has that same groove, and I hear some 90s grunge, specifically Alice in Chains in that opening guitar break and then in the flattened notes in the verse riff.

Moving to the second side “Cloud Walker” reaffirms my belief in Kal-El inhabiting the Sabbath/AiC spectrum and it’s a lovely space to drift off in. The song lays back, the wah pedal in full effect again and getting almost pretty, except for those moments in between the chrorus and next verse where the band can’t help but throw a few twists in the riff. “Dilithium” brings the dirty stomp back, and though its title refuses to NOT make me think about Star Trek, its grooves and rhythm refuses to let me not swing my head, either.

“Cosmic Sailor” closes Astral Voyager Vol. 1 out, and while it doesn’t stray from the formula laid out earlier, it’s another great solid song, full of swing, tasty notes and a nice hook in the chorus, drummer Bjørn “Bjudas” Stornes’s cymbal work really accentuated. Kal-El have a real solid first half of the concept, and I look forward to hearing how they land the thing later this year.