Portuguese outfit EARTH ELECTRIC were formed in Almada in 2014 and debut this year with "Vol. 1: Solar". Interestingly, my first thought was of Chuck Schuldiner's sadly short-lived project CONTROL DENIED, given the somewhat muted old-school production mated to the deceptively simple plam-muted guitar work. A much better analog, though, is the mid-period work of late Australian prog metal outfit and the only psychedelic band I can unreservedly call good, ALCHEMIST. The hazy Eastern mystic solar aesthetic certainly helps. The use of marimba and Hammond organ combined with a hypnotic approach to the riffing composes the sonic element of the picture. The intro to "The Great Vast" is particularly illustrative.
At times, the use of loud palm-muted chords sounds a lot like LEPROUS.

 Simões' vocals remind me a lot of Anneke van Giersbergen, particularly in her most recent work with DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT (especially on "Set Sail") - possibly owing to Simões' own gothic background in Portuguese institution MOONSPELL. The sliding, warping, stretching fretless bass work evokes a milder brand of OBSCURA's madness, notably on "Sabbatical Moons". The choral vocals on "Earthrise" lend a frisson of DOL AMMAD to the mix. The title track "Solar" is probably the most uptempo, driving outing here, blending all of the aforementioned influences with a bit of Dan Swano's style in the mix of lead and rhythm guitar parts.

If I can level one criticism it's that the problem with the hypnotic approach is that musically a swinging pocket watch gets a little boring. The first three tracks of the album turn out fairly monotonous, a situation rectified by the mostly stronger latter half. Other than that, it's a solid album. The tracks largely have their own identity but fit with the broader context of the album. Anyone looking to imitate ALCHEMIST better have some good musical chops, and chops EARTH ELECTRIC have got.