The Riffs Must Flow – II
Well. Número 2 and I find myself hearing to all new material for me. Never have I heard these bands before, so it was a journey of discovery. I must say that at first listen (just a couple songs from each album to get a taste of it) I wasn’t impressed at all. But it was totally my state of mind at the time. When the weekend came and I could get myself to run some Ks with these albums in the rotation I embraced them with gusto!
Band: The Hÿss
Title: Hound
Label: Independent
Release Date: 07 June 2019
Country: USA
Format reviewed: Digital Promo
High energy fat fuzz driven riffs. This ain’t the classic Sabbath worship that is pretty standard in the stoner doom domain. The influence is still there but there are other things too, the approach is much in your face fast rocking attack with a live feel.
The type of record that should start your heart pounding with its frontal assault. No time wasted in intros or building up tension. You get what you came for from the start. And it’s only 15 minutes long. Before you realize it ended, you find yourself listening all over again.
Energetic.
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Band: Slomatics
Title: Canyons
Label: Black Bow Records
Release Date: 14 June 2019
Country: Northern Ireland
Format reviewed: Digital Promo
My fave from this bunch? Probably. It has grown on me with every listen. Heavy mid tempo riffing, super tight rhythm section that sets the pace like a sleepy atomic clock. Synths add depth and also helps set the inescapable eerie space atmosphere that the music exudes. Clean Vocals that are pressed with urgency and reminds me of Cathedral’s Lee Dorian style singing. That of course is nothing more than just another reason to dig this band. Lovecraftian vibes are strong. Some old forgotten God has been sleeping for eons and Slomatics deep space sonic pounding is awakening it. Behold!
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Bigcartel
Band: Witchfinder
Title: Hazy Rites
Label: Black Bow Records
Release Date: 01 April 2019
Country: France
Format reviewed: Digital Promo
Everybody knows that it’s Tony Iommi who coughs his lungs off after inhaling too hard the fumes of the sweet leaf. Then the guitar riff kicks and Ozzy’s high pitch “Alright now!!” gets us going into the first ever Doom/Stoner album. Many many bands have traveled that path since and many more will continue to do it. That’s why we are here and we love it!
So, the French band Witchfinder is not going to win groundbreaking album of the year, this is just Master Of Reality’s recipe in slow motion with high doses of THC and the inescapable fuzz in the guitars. The vibe here is occult and satanic with sexual and drug references. Mix with harmonized layered vocals that seem to take forever to finish a word. Lamentations, that is what it feels and it works really well. This is a long record that manages to not bore you at all with its slow pace because it is heavy and the riff changes (not much the tempo, although it builds a little pace in a couple of songs) will catch your attention before you get lost in the hazy state it induces… yep. Really tasty slow mo sabbath worship. Approved!!
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Band: Silver Devil
Title: Paralyzed
Label: Ozium Records
Release Date: 11 February 2019
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: Digital Promo
I know I have used fuzz too many times now, but I don’t know what to say, this is fuzzy as hell too! 🙂 and this is another really great fuzzy (sorry) Sabbath Worship album! just listen to the song that gives its name to the album: Paralyzed. The Good Lord save you if your head or feet does not move at the hypnotic (yet pretty fast) rhythm imposed by the band. Well, it must be said, that uptempo pace is present during the whole album. At first, listen to some it may feel like it’s a bit repetitive. But still the songs have their own characteristics and with more listens you start to enjoy the whole run of the album. Vocals here are flying high above the music like in a different layer, and also there is not much urgency to spit words as there is to sing them pressing and sustaining the vowels. Yet again, lamentations. It is raining here in Montevideo, as I finish writing this, and rain is a constant sound during the opening and ending of the songs on this album. Connections…
Till next time.
Perrö
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