How could SLIFT top ILION and UMMON, you ask? They refuelled their spaceship with unfathomable riffs, drums, vocals, and synths to take you on a psychedelic trip beyond Andromeda to FANTASIA. Strap in.
Release date: June 5, 2026 | Sub Pop Records | Bandcamp | Website | Instagram
SLIFT aren’t a band you forget quickly once you’ve spun their records. Seeing them live, performing those songs with enough energy to make diamonds from coal, you will be itching for another spin as soon as you get home. Their tasty blend of progressive psych-rock-punk-metal is out of this world, with some of the best traits of French prog-rock making its way into the front and centre of a lot of songs. I regularly say they are like if Ni went on a cosmic bender with Elder, with a French version of Liam from The Prodigy fronting the band.
FANTASIA is SLIFT‘s fourth album outing, with the band pivoting to create a concept album that drives a message of overcoming international upheaval. Whilst many of SLIFT‘s records are massive in scope, FANTASIA takes that up a notch. The band have dialled back from their usual one-hour-plus rituals, allowing the message to hit harder, but also, I found, making tracks more unique than on previous records. What I mean by this is that I usually just put on UMMON & ILION and drift into the ether. On FANTASIA, you are met with colossal tracks like “A Storm of Wings” that are huge step changes from the last. In the aforementioned albums, you’d find these tracks blended, with long, winding build-ups, in FANTASIA they hit like a train.
In previous records, too, the vocals sat deeper in the mix, not as prominent and in your face. Jean Fossat’s whole approach to his vocals seems to have been elevated too, with arguably way more range than before as well. His screams are blood-curdling at times, then suddenly become cinematic and huge, like he’s leading a vanguard into battle. And supporting him are perfectly executed rock and metal riffs that accentuate and embolden his roars. You don’t hear too many soft moments from him, but when he does, the melodies flow beautifully.
Synths are always a huge part of SLIFT‘s sound, but in FANTASIA, like the vocals, they have been elevated, taking on more of a star performance, whilst not encroaching on the other instruments. When they hit, they add really meaningful layers to the track. In the opener and title track, the arpeggio effect they drop is a treat for the senses, with the doomy, bassy background atmosphere contrasting epically against them. In “Corrupted Sky”, which is arguably the most similar track to those found on UMMON and ILION, they flit in and out of the mix, which makes their impact so much more impactful. However, the real star of this track is the mental guitar solo that hits midway, building up to an immense crescendo and finale to the track.
Here and in other moments in the album, I can really hear the full force of that French sound coming through. The bassy yet muted grooves from the guitars sound so much like fellow psych-doomers, Wormsand and Dahuz, two of my other favourites from across the channel, that I was immediately gripped even more. The tone these three bands are delivering on their records is super unique, a sludgy sound that delivers the oppression of the genre, whilst not overwhelming the senses and forcing the overall direction of the music into a doomy, angry place. FANTASIA is the opposite, the number of stunning sunny walks I’ve had to this album makes you want to go and experience the world, rather than be sat behind a screen or on your couch.
“The Village” reminds me heavily of the theatrical album by HMLTD – The Worm. The vocals sound like a story being told, and it is easy to get distracted by them. The real star of the show, however, is the truly incredible drumming by Canek Flores. The slow buildup of the song to a cacophony of noise is out of this world, and on repeated listens, you’ll be left stunned by the sweeping patterns that Flores layss on the kit. The aforementioned “A Storm of Wings” remains my personal favourite on the album; it somehow keeps escalating, and I think its position just after the similarly paced “The Village” really helps drive up your energy in this track. After that, though, tracks return to being uniquely different to one another.
And as always, SLIFT know how to finish off an album well. The final track feels like a collection of everything that came before, wrapped up nicely with a bow. FANTASIA is an album I expect in my top five at the end of the year, but it also certainly has its time and place. It isn’t as easy listening as their previous, but when you’re in the mood, it hits much harder than anything in their discography. This is definitely one of the most important albums in progressive/psych-rock and metal this calendar year.
