Satyasena is a new band founded by Pej Mon of Secret Chiefs 3 and Ghoul, and their upcoming self-titled debut album was engineered, mixed, and produced by Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Tool, etc), and features three bass players–Jeff Matz (High on Fire, Mutoid Man), Joe Lester (Intronaut, Secret Chiefs 3), and Rusty Kennedy (Wax People, Red Fiction)–plus keyboards by K.J. Karam (The Locust, One Day as a Lion), guest vocals by Sonja Selenite, and acoustic/electric tar by Salmon Mohammadi.
“I pushed myself to the brink in order to get to the truth of who I am and what I experience into this music no matter what,” Pej says. “This was an emotionally brutal, but incredibly cathartic and healing experience for me. Whether I am sharing about the pains of not belonging, self doubt, struggling to find my way, hitting dead ends, falling outs, striving to heal in conflictual relationships, the anger of ancestral wounding that lingers, or the indomitable spirit to rise and heal through any pain, or spiritual themes of oneness, surrender, and trust, I strived to represent the full range of myself, not just one side. Even musically, the process of learning and writing music on new instruments especially at this point in my career kept me constantly not just technically but also emotionally challenged and pushed to the edge. I often didn’t know if I would make it to the end of this album, or if even I could handle the intensity of transformation the recording and musical re-birthing process was forcing me through.”
They recently released lead single “My Passion,” and we’re now premiering second single “Vibrational Hydration,” which is one of the songs with Jeff Matz from High On Fire/Mutoid Man. It’s a sludgy, psychedelic, avant-rock song, and here’s what Pej tells us about it:
Having the epic bass presence of Jeff Matz (High on Fire, Mutoid Man) on this album was an incredible honor for me, as he’s not only a great friend (having played in bands together before), but one of my biggest musical inspirations. To my ears, his tone, feel, and sensibility are some of the heaviest that I’ve ever heard. So I definitely get ecstatically pumped hearing him bring it hard on this track. Musically ‘Vibrational Hydration’ with its big trance-like heavy syncopated grooves seemed to be a perfect fit for his style to stomp and sing around. This track also features K. J. Karam, the keyboardist from the Locust, who actually played synths on every track. Being a fan of the Locust for many years, it was another huge honor to have him play and grace the album. This music can be pretty dense at times even without keys in there, but it was a blast to see how he seamlessly worked his parts in, adding psychological depth to the music. His playing on this album will be something the listener will hear overtly at times, and at other times it will require closer listening to be heard, but always felt.
Check it out and see Satyasena’s list of upcoming shows below.
Satyasena — 2023/2024 Tour Dates
December 1st – Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell w/ Action Friend, Family Members
February 2nd – Los Angeles, CA @ Genghis Cohen
