Heptaméron 七日譚 is an unusually assured debut, one that embraces the vocabulary of progressive rock while refusing to remain within its boundaries. Built around a fantasy narrative structured by the symbolic recurrence of the number seven, the album unfolds like a journey across an imagined landscape of dungeons, mansions, abysses and forgotten kingdoms, each track functioning as a distinct location within a larger world. Rather than simply borrowing fantasy imagery, Acid Brain 酸腦 use it to organise the album’s musical architecture, allowing motifs and textures to recur, mutate and reappear as the story progresses.
The opening “…noise (Heptaméron)” eases the listener into this universe with an unexpectedly gentle flute melody recalling classic progressive rock before “Seven Steps Beneath Dungeon” subjects the same material to a sludge-metal transformation that gradually expands into post-rock. Elsewhere, “Into Mansion” continually shifts its internal momentum without losing its hypnotic pull, while the experimental “Gnome (Interlude)” interrupts the narrative with percussion and electronic chaos. The paired “Abyss I” and “Abyss II” anchor the album firmly within stoner rock, one seeming to decay before reassembling itself, the other acting as its distorted mirror.
The emotional core of the album is undoubtedly the sixteen-minute “Maru”. LILLIE CREATURES’ ethereal vocals introduce an unexpected shoegaze inflection before gradually taking on an almost incantatory quality as the piece passes through repeated dynamic transformations. The closing “Requiem”, featuring saxophonist Li Zenghui, pushes the album towards free improvisation and noise, ending not with an overwhelming surge of collective energy.
Throughout, Acid Brain 酸腦 demonstrate an impressive command of pacing. Their willingness to juxtapose drone, sludge, post-rock, stoner metal, free jazz, electronics and even chiptune could easily have resulted in a fragmented listen, yet the album remains coherent because every stylistic shift serves its fictional geography rather than functioning as a display of eclecticism.
The striking cover artwork by yShin perfectly complements this vision. Depicting a humanoid skull fractured into porous, coral-like structures through vivid psychedelic colours and digital distortion, it occupies the same psychedelic territory as the music itself. Anatomy dissolves into abstraction, suggesting both bodily transformation and altered consciousness. Much like the album, the image constantly oscillates between organic and synthetic, decay and regeneration, marking it as a visual extension of the record’s hallucinatory world.
Recorded largely in bedrooms and rehearsal spaces with a DIY ethos, Heptaméron 七日譚 never sounds constrained by its circumstances. Instead, Acid Brain 酸腦 transform limited resources into a remarkably ambitious statement. It is a debut that feels fully realised, confidently mapping out a sonic universe whose borders extend well beyond the conventions of heavy psychedelic rock.
To get a taste of Acid Brain 酸腦, here is one of their live sets from 2024.
Acid Brain 酸腦 are: Shawn Lee 李想 – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, flute, tin whistle, bass, synthesizer, samples, piano, strings, vocals (tracks 1–9), Eric Lai 賴慶禧 – electric guitar (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9); synthesizer (track 5), Chiayu Hsu 徐嘉佑 – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, samples, vocals (tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9), Yilin Tsai 蔡易霖 – bass, vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9) and Isaac Jiang 江以撒 – drums, percussion (tracks 1–9).
To find out more about their album we got in touch directly with them via IG.
Heptaméron 七日譚 feels remarkably ambitious for a debut album. Across its nine tracks, you move through drone, stoner rock, post-punk, chiptune, free jazz, post-rock and metal, yet the record never feels like a simple genre exercise. Instead, it unfolds like a coherent fantasy world with its own internal logic.
How did the album take shape conceptually, and were there particular books, films, games, myths or musical influences that helped you build this universe of mansions, dungeons, abysses and strange landscapes?
From the moment the first song was completed, we decided that this would be a concept album set against a fantasy backdrop. We enjoy embedding symbols within our work, which is why the entire album revolves around the number “7.” The main riff of the opening track is driven by a 7-beat meter, and excluding the intro and interludes, the album consists of exactly seven songs. We are deeply fascinated by the rich world-building in fantasy works, ranging from The Lord of the Rings to The Witcher 3. Influenced heavily by progressive rock concept albums, we wanted to construct a universe of our own. Each track functions like a different location on a vast map, making the entire album a grand tour through this fictional Middle-earth.
Although Acid Brain 酸腦 are often described as a heavy psychedelic rock or metal band, Heptaméron 七日譚 incorporates elements that many listeners would not immediately associate with those traditions: flute, tin whistle, synthesizers, chiptune passages, free improvisation and collaborations with artists such as LILLIE CREATURES and Li Zenghui. How did these collaborations come about, and what did those guests bring to the album that you felt could not have been achieved by the band alone?
We were completely captivated by Mr. Li Zenghui’s performance when he toured Taipei with Omnipotent Youth Society in 2023. Around that time, he also staged a personal experimental theater piece in Taipei. We fortunately had the opportunity to open for him, which allowed us to extend our invitation. For the album’s finale, “Requiem”, we expanded several sections upon the original foundation to give Mr. Li room to play, and ultimately arranged a free-tempo noise segment, creating what we consider a truly epic ending.
We also caught LILLIE CREATURES performing in Taipei once, and we knew we wanted to collaborate with her even before the album was finished. Although we didn’t deliberately tailor the writing to fit her style, the song naturally left space for her. Partnering with her was full of surprises, and we feel incredibly lucky to have her vocals on “Maru”.
One of the most striking aspects of the record is the way repetition and transformation operate throughout the album. Pieces such as “Abyss I” and “Abyss II” mirror one another, while “Maru” and “Requiem” continually evolve through changes in instrumentation and texture. Were you consciously thinking in terms of narrative and world-building when composing these pieces, or did the sense of journey emerge naturally from the music itself?
Halfway through the writing process (“Seven Steps,” “Mansion,” “Requiem” were finished), we mapped out a complete storyline for the entire album. Ultimately, the narrative and the music influenced each other reciprocally, shaping the final piece into what it is today.
Acid Brain 酸腦 emerged from Taipei’s underground music scene with a strong DIY ethos, recording in bedrooms and rehearsal spaces and releasing music on your own terms despite the band’s young age. How would you describe the current underground scene in Taipei, particularly for heavier, experimental or psychedelic music? Do you feel that a new generation of Taiwanese artists is developing its own identity, and what role has that community played in shaping Acid Brain’s sound and outlook?
There is a band in Taipei called Bremen Entertainment Inc. They are a heavy psychedelic band and our seniors, who won Album of the Year at our independent music awards. In their acceptance speech, they mentioned that their winning album was also recorded entirely in bedrooms and rehearsal spaces. We loved that idea. In this day and age, everyone should be able to produce the coolest records out of any underground setting with a low-cost approach.
(Gianmarco Del Re)