This week I was venturing often with three friends who came up from Salt Lake City, my hometown. We were all eager to see SLC, one-man-band, Jacob T. Skeen (@jacob_t_skeen), whose new album, Telestial, is so good. This was a set that felt very intentional, from the way the lights were set up so they bounced off of the pick-up and bridge of his guitar, to the ambiance of the stage set-up in general… it was all fully conceptualized. Skeen who plays guitar, effect and analog pedals, and drums, all at once, delivered an energetic set that was as heavy and rocking as hard as full bands out on the scene.

The lights, the smoke, the vocals… everything about Skeen’s delivery felt like an embodiment of rock and roll. The engineering aspect of the drums and pedals alone were impressive, yet Skeen also delivers their guitar playing and vocals with such soul. I couldn’t help but wonder why Skeen, despite being a top-notch monoband, is performing alone. I know I always struggled to find bandmates in SLC, and if you are a musician in SLC actively not making music with this artist… you are insane. Skeen is an enchanting and talented musician who should be protected at all costs. I also hear he is a wonderful person. Listen to Telestial here.

Jacob T. Skeen
Telestial

Discount Mirrors Studio
Street: 03.28
Jacob T. Skeen = Middle Class Rut / Royal Otis + Isaac Rother & The Phantoms

When’s the last time you picked up a kickass rock ‘n’ roll album? The problem with the modern rock album is that it revolves around sending a message. Whether the record takes the darkly preternatural ambiance similar to Berlin’s Rammstein, the madman-rambling punk approach inspired by Black Flag, or the out-of-date butt rock you hear unbroken on Pandora, all seem to take the stance of becoming a statement piece. Gone are the days of lacing up the Sharpie-scratched Chuck Taylors and full-blown moshing to sheer energy alone (God, I miss Warped Tour so much). However, fresh off the electric high of SLUG Mag’s 35th Anniversary Party, the safety pin Marathon Man Jacob T. Skeen fires off punk-experimental mortar rounds at every bystanding listener to mosh for cover in his new album Telestial.

Sanctioning himself as a punk-rocking lone commando, Skeen flares his passion and talent through an idiosyncratic sound. This molten potion of garage metal and industrial science experiments overflow with a lively energy. Amidst chunky guitar strums, brass-knuckle drum bashing and rustic vocals—that’s all Skeen’s doing! Telestial blows out the stereo speakers with rough-housing vibrations, while spotlighting Skeen’s sharpened experience through the local punk scene.

Heavy tracks like “Come Home” and “Chronic Gut” spark a teenage angst drawl, yet retain a sense of maturity through their unadulterated rawness. It’s this almost garage band style that causes a wildfire of nostalgia, like a Howitzer missile aimed directly at you. One listen to the beginning of “Come Home” with the lengthy guitar incline will shoot you back to a more energetic time—maybe back to your first Kilby Court concert on a hot August night or watching Airheads (1994) for the first time. The music is high-pressured, headbanging fun that keeps listeners ready for an electrifying slugfest. Just leave the steel toes at home when you do…

With each powerline track that gassed up my primal rebellion, there are some tracks that cross into psychedelic territory. “You Try to Take My Life” and “Please Keep Me Awake” sound almost influenced by the Santa Cruz surfer rock of the ‘60s. The rockabilly, tracker-beam introduction in “Please Keep Me Awake” would be perfect for skateboarding in in abandoned swimming pools, making the wavy instruments feel like actual tidal waves to carve through. That’s not to say the change in tone becomes daunting. In fact, it’s the type of deviance needed to show Skeen’s range through rock in general. I’ve always hated using the word “vibes” as a description, but Telestial fits the sheer reanimation of the punk genre—feeding off the vibes, but not making every song a hot take statement.

I would say Jacob T. Skeen really outdid himself with Telestial, but once the guitar chug fades to white noise, the aura of something missing lingers. Each track is less than four minutes long, with “Please Keep Me Awake” merely grazing the one minute mark. The record is a candy bowl filled with only bite-size snacks—delicious, but I’m not exactly satisfied yet. I want more riffs to fistpump to without hanging on each lyric like this will reshape my whole personality. It’s a great rawhide journey for those wanting to experience the true meaning of the movie SLC Punk! Any inspiring rocker should give this a quick listen and reassure themselves that purest energy will light up any venue more than lyrical commentary. In the simplest terms, to quote SLUG Senior Staff Writer Parker Scott Mortensen, Telestial is “something to cut your teeth on.” –Alton Barnhart

Jacob T Skeen

Telestial

Self-Released

Release: 3/28/2024

Jacob T Skeen has at last released a new record. It’s called Telestial. The meaning of which comes from the Mormon theology describing the lowest of three heavens in the religion’s afterlife. It’s the home for those who are deemed to have renounced the gospel, are last to be resurrected, and therefore cannot reside in the presence of Christ or God. So, perhaps it is most appropriate that this EP boasts a sound driven buy the pounding sensations of garage rock twisting with the psychotic reaction bound by punk infused psychedelia. Thus is the kind of music that one could only succumb to the lowest of sensibilities of depravity.

Without missing a stomping beat Telestial kicks off with the track “Come Home.” The intro leads in with a kind of retro angelic aura then rapidly deteriorates into fuzz driven stomping desolation. This is extenuated by Skeen’s haunted howling. It’s a wild concoction of the superbly maddening nature.

Building on this trend is “Chromic Gut.” Fuzz laden with a pounding beat, this track mixes in psychedelic despair. It’s a track that is short and sweet.  However, with the right kind of illicit assistance this one will leave the mind wandering among the edges of the abyss.

“You Try To Take My Life” is perhaps among my favorites on this EP. This is the kind of primitive garage punk like that would be found on the Voodoo Rhythm label. It’s savage and chaotic. When playing this track be sure to boost your receivers. This is is the kind of music that invites one to dance to the uncontrollable distress of a corruptible mind. Beware.

In comparison “Underground” captures the delightful feral essence of garage punk. Fast and heavy this track shows off Skeen’s keen ability to deliver the primordial blow in all things  rock n’ roll. Much like the previous songs, play this one loud. It’s a banger and anything less would be a waste.

In all Telestial is a brilliant EP. Skeen does not disappoint and this demonstrates his evolved sound that is faster, harder and leaves one a lasting effect edging toward a certain psychosis. If it is an indicator of things coming down the pipeline, then the future looks devastatingly bright for his future releases. Waste no time. Pick up Telestial and celebrate being in the lowest heaven among fellow degenerates.  

For more about Jacob T Skeen visit his Bandcamp here!