Chris Van Etten's Reviews
I hadn’t given Down a chance before listening to this, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Mostly, I didn’t realize how strong the Southern Rock element there would be. I think it’s debatable how much of a Stoner Metal record this is. In fact, I wonder if it would make the list if not for two songs (although “Jail” sounds like Planet Caravan, so I guess that counts). That being, this is GODDAMN good shit. I think it kind of comes down (no pun intended) to whether or not you can hang with the Deep South vibe or not. Most of the tracks are really well developed and elaborate with lots of hooks to keep things interesting while still keeping the format on ground base. Imagine “Saturday Night Special” by Lynyrd Skynyrd but put through the sludge machine. Say what you will about Phil Anselmo, the guy’s got a hell of a range and I challenge you to find me a better vocalist of his style. “Eyes of the South” is exactly what it sounds like. Dirty, sweaty, roughneck shit for driving drunk off road and getting devoured by mosquitoes in 110 degree heat. I think you get the idea. I guess I’d pick “Lifer” if I had to choose a favorite. I don’t like Pray For the Locust though, sounds like they we’re trying to hard do a light instrumental like Sabbath would do (think “Fluff.”) Other then that, Hell yeah boy.
My Threnody is the brainchild and one-man band of Jefferson Britto, formerly of Brazilian band Silent Cry. Based on what I’ve heard, Silent Cry (at least during Britto’s tenure) was Black-Doom, but I think My Threnody is much better categorized as Symphonic Metal. It’s mostly slow, but it’s also drenched in orchestral-style keyboards. While this is a little out of my usual territory (I haven’t delved in this genre much outside of Emperor’s “IX Equilibrium” LP), I can appreciate a good record as a good record, but “An Angel and the Eternal Silence” left me a bit dry. There’s sound effects or rainfall and bird chirps, as well as spoken word segments, with lots of changes and dynamics. The problem is the parts aren’t very interesting. Too many of the more somber moments are just really bland. I also feel that a lot of the guitar riffs could be improved with some slight tweaking, like switching from a major to a minor key, that sort of thing. The less heavy moments also take up way too much of the record, to where it sometimes feels like mellowness being offset by the occasional metal, as opposed to the other way around. The music will start to get going, and then go into a piano break. I want to re-emphasize how prominent the keyboards are, they really soften things up a bit too much for me.There are only a few parts that are straight-up cringey ( the opening lyrics to “ As the Autumn Comes...” are like something out of a 14 year old goth girl’s diary), for the most part this record is just forgettable. The only track I can see myself coming back to is “Tulip” ( the title alone should tell you something about this record), which has a pretty cool denouement that is, of course, very sappy but also pretty catchy, with some good layered vocals. On the positive end of things, Britto does have a pretty cool “clean” voice, and when he sings like that (and the lyrics aren’t too shitty), those are probably the best parts of the album. His growl is just okay. Considering how elaborate a lot of the compositions are - It definitely sounds like a concept record - it’s a shame the end result isn’t more memorable. To put it simply, I wish it was more DARK.
“Streetcleaner” is probably Godflesh’s most praised release but personally, I don’t consider it one of their best. It’s definitely their most brutal LP, and was certainly groundbreaking in 1989, so I understand why it’s held in such high regard. It also starts off VERY strong with “Like Rats” and “Christbait Rising,” the latter of which is one of Godflesh’s all time best tracks. But the rest of the songs just aren’t as good. Everything sounds awesome -the guitar break joining “Devastator” and “Mighty Trust Krusher” is creepy as hell-but most of the album just sounds like a sequence of really cool parts, but no standout songs. Also, one of my favorite elements of Godflesh is how Justin Broadrick switches from a tough, barking vocal style to a more somber melodic one. On “Streetcleaner,” he only uses the melodic vocal as a harmony for the shouts. Again, it does sound good, but I wish it wasn’t the only time it was used. My theory is the clean vocals sounded so bad on the first LP ( which I still like) that he avoided doing them again. For me, Godflesh really hit their stride with their next three albums (and concurrent eps) . This album is undeniably powerful, but I rarely revisit it other than for “Christbait Rising,” which is worth it by itself.
This is the shit. Bleak and moody Industrial Metal for the Post-Apocalypse. Not much is danceable here (except maybe the first song “AEP”), this is more the sort of thing you listen to on headphones with your eyes closed than while driving. From what I understand, Red Harvest started as more of a generic thrash band (I listened to a little of their first LP and wasn’t impressed) but they evolved into something unique at this point. I definitely hear some Godflesh and even some Voivod in the guitar, and the overall vibe remains me a little of Neurosis. I don’t think those examples really give Red Harvest justice though. It’s NOT droney, or even sludgey. But a lot of it is slower and very melancholy. The setup is vocals, guitar, bass and (real) drums, with the synths playing a slightly more subordinate role, but coming to the forefront from time to time. The synth actually takes over completely on “Desolation,” and it’s awesome. The performance is great across the board, but I think I’m most impressed with bassist Thomas Brandt. I’ve been listening to this fairly regularly for the past few weeks and I’m still noticing things he plays that I hadn’t noticed before. They do a cover of “Dead Men Don’t Rape” by straight-up Industrial act G.G.F.H., which took a few spins to grow on me (despite the weirdness of the original, I think it’s the most straightforward track), but I think it would have made for a great single, if such things mattered in this arena. The reason “Sick Transit Gloria Mundi” gets a 5/5 is because I really can’t really find any flaws or weak points, and hell, I just like it. Why hasn’t this ever been released on vinyl?
So this is the first I’ve delved into KMFDM in a long time. I bought “Angst” back in 1993 since I liked the track “A Drug Against War,” but was disappointed because the rest of the album wasn’t as fast or aggressive. “Nihil” is closer to what I was expecting, but it still doesn’t grab me. I think the problem (or one of the problems) is that it leans a little to close to techno/house/rave music. I have nothing against music being danceable, and it’s really par for the course for everything on this end of the Industrial spectrum. But at times it’s just straight dance music without any heaviness, as opposed to late 80s/early 90s Ministry, which works in the disco AND the pit. There are a lot of clean female backing vocals, sometimes they blend well, but at other times they contribute a lot to the music just being too poppy: I do not like “Juke Joint Jezebel,” for example. Thing is, if the songs were catchier, I’d be fine with the pop element, but the whole thing is kind of bland. “Flesh” and “Search and Destroy” are okay, thrashier and more uptempo, kind of what I was pursuing to begin with, but nothing special. On the plus side, I do kind of like “Revolution” and “ Trust” towards the end of the album (this is where I think the femme vocals blend well - still really poppy though). Overall, I’ll pass.
This is the second LP from Welsh band Acrimony. I don't know anything about this band beyond the general information of Discogs and Wikipedia, so I'm just going to talk about the record at face value, which is kind of how I like to approach these things anyway (I do think it's cool that this is pre-Iron Monkey though). When it comes to Stoner Metal, "Tumuli Shroomaroom" is on the spacier end of the spectrum. This is absolutely music to get high to, sitting in a dorm room illuminated by black lights and and a lava lamp. It's plenty heavy, but also super chiiilllll. There is some serious wah-wah action on this disc, as well as well a fair amount of droning, and lyrics about aliens and being ancient. If any of this sounds disparanging, I honestly don't mean it to be. I appreciate how thick it is in these regards. Acrimony doesn't work the way a Matt Pike or Wino band would. It's too slick for that, but that's also what's good about it. The production is gorgeous and the bass tone and playing rules (thick and slippery, hee-hee) - I think that's half the reason I gravitate towards this stuff. Vocalist Dorian "Dexter" Walters is probably the MVP in my opinion. He actually reminds me of Paul Di'Anno. Maybe not an exact match, but he has similar skills, if you know what I mean. He makes the songs a lot catchier than I think they would be otherwise. Overall, the music reminds me of Kyuss but more metal, mixed with some of the more accessable Melvins stuff. But again, a lot spacier. Half the songs are about 5 minutes long and the other half are about 10 minutes or more. They do drag it out a bit though, past the point of being hypnotic to just overdoing it. However, I'm talking about songs getting boring after 8 minutes but being good up until that point, so that's still a good achievement. There's also the obligatory short acoustic instrumental... I have to admit I'm getting kind of sick of those. So that and that fact it does drag is why "Tumuli Shroomaroon" gets a good but not great grade from me. Whatever. It's growing on me though, so I may have to raise the grade at some point. I also gotta say to their credit, I really can't think of an exact match for Acrimony's sound: the comparisons I made above are fairly general. I can't think of a band that is this heavy while being simultaneously being so... pleasant? And not unappealingly so. The title to the song "Heavy Feather" (one of the longer and better tracks) may actually be the best decriptor.
This is some sick shit. Although Italian trio Ufomammut seem to get tagged (to the best of my knowledge) as a prog-Metal band, this record is gloriously Stoner. Like, Hardcore Stoner Metal. Ufomammut are heavier than most Stoner bands, and there are no soft edges or sugar coating. The sound is HUGE. Interestingly, the vocals are way down in the mix and effects drenched, putting them underneath the bass and guitar, and more or less on the same volume level as the keyboards. Yes, keyboards. Don’t let that scare you, the keys are used mainly as sound effects and accents, and they work quite well. As pummeling as “Godlike Snake” is, there is room for groovier moments, like on “Snake” and “Smoke,” the latter of which has a buildup which sounds a lot like Hawkwind, so I guess I get the prog thing. This is also the only track which really has any sort of jammy element. Otherwise, when the tracks stretch out, they tend to be more monotonous and droney. However, it never gets boring. Well, except maybe in the middle of the last track, which has nothing but a heartbeat for about two minutes. Small complaint though. Much of that track (a 19 minute epic entitled Hozomeen, which is either one song or two, depending on the version of the album) rests on a two-note bass line. I’m impressed by how Ufomammut keep things so minimal, so simple. One mistake musicians often make is to play to the extent of their abilities, to avoid playing things which may be too “easy.” Ufomammut don’t do that, and there is power in the simplicity. My favorite track is “Superjunkhead,” which starts as one of the more brutal numbers, then rips into an awesome two note bass line (they’re good at that), not unlike Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” (What’s a Stoner Metal review without a Sabbath reference, and a Dio one at that?). Highly recommended, and I’m looking forward to delving into their later releases.
Killing Joke are one of my favorite bands. “Hosannas from the Basement of Hell” is their 12th studio LP and features the band over a quarter century into their career. While Killing Joke started off as being comparable to a post punk band, they beefed up their sound on 1990’s “Extremeties, Dirt, and Various Repressed Emotions,” and have been on the heavier end of the spectrum ever since. They’re still absolutely the same band as on their first LP. However, Killing Joke’s music is based on repeating rhythms. They are not the type of band that has dozens of changes in a song. The approach taken by vocalist Jaz Coleman and guitarist Geordie hasn’t really changed, it’s just that the sonic foundation they play over has become more, well..., Metal. The point is, if you enjoy this record, you would probably enjoy the early records as well. It’s not the same contrast as dealing with early vs. later Ministry records.
So onto this specific slab. “Hosannas” is not a bad place for the uninitiated to start delving into Killing Joke’s music. There are two caveats though: the songs are LONG, averaging at about 7 minutes. Again, this wouldn’t be excessive for a band that has several changes in their songs, but you pretty much know everything you’re getting into within the first 30 seconds. So technically, most of these tracks could be functional at half the length. That said, this is the sort of music you sink into. I like where these songs take me and I don’t mind staying there. The other is the track “Invocation”, which I HATED the first time I heard it. While it doesn’t bother me that much anymore, it’s not so much it grew on me as I just got used to it. It has a grandiose vibe similar to Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, although a bit more Arabic sounding. There are a couple of similar tracks on their 1994 Pandemonium LP, and I like those, but this sounds like they were trying to create a movie soundtrack, and I just don’t like it. It probably has to with the guitar being too minimal and the vocals being too sparse, and those are the essential ingredients to Killing Joke’s sound. Plus the main part/riff just sucks. The reason I’m spending so much time talking about the one dud instead of the eight gems is because that song repelled me from this record for YEARS. So it was a pleasure to revisit this later and realize the rest of the album kills.
While it’s not my favorite KJ album (that honor goes to “Fire Dances”), Hosannas has all the elements that I love about the band. Geordie is a one of a kind guitarist: melodic and chiming but abrasive, armored in sharp distortion and reverb. His style isn’t far off from post-punk guitarists like Public Image Ltd’s Keith Levine, but it’s much more brutal. Jaz Coleman is a great frontman, a true weirdo. His voice ranges from smooth and spooky to gruff and aggressive. Despite the longer song lengths this one of the band’s faster records. Previously mentioned dud notwithstanding, this album charges from start to finish. The rhythms may be repetitive, but they are pummeling and awesome. My favorite track is probably “Implosion.” While the record warrants many words, I’m not sure what else to add. Just listen to the damn thing! And avoid the 1988 LP “Outside the Gate” unless and until you become a completist.
I’ve gotta say, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Back in the day ( the 1990s), I wrote Marilyn Manson off pretty quickly. They were coming from the Nine Inch Nails camp, as opposed to the Ministry camp (i.e. my team), and I just didn’t like a lot of the aesthetics involved. I thought old Brian Hugh Warner took himself a little too seriously (and the story about the rib removal, well...) But anyway, fast forward to 2020 and I gave “Antichrist Superstar” a chance, not worrying about any of the minutiae that dissuaded me in the past, and just listened. What I realized is this stuff isn’t supposed to be taken that seriously. Or maybe a better way to put it is that it’s not music to put you in a dark place. This record is supposed to be, and for the most part is, pretty damn FUN. Yes, the lyrics are over the top and purposely offensive (an N-Bomb is dropped within the first two minutes) but the music is poppy as hell, and in a good way. The sound is similar to a lot of the heavier alternative rock of the period, but the slutty, hedonistic vibe differentiates MM from their contemporaries. The theatrical aspect makes the music simultaneously more artificial and more entertaining. This music isn’t deep, but it’s cool the way a good stupid horror movie is cool.
It goes without saying there is a huge Glam influence at play here, particularly inspired by Alice Cooper and David Bowie. The former is evident in the vocals. Mr. Manson does a pretty damn good Alice, especially on “Tourniquet,” which has a super catchy guitar riff and chorus which has been getting stuck in my head lately (not a bad thing). The Bowie influence is most evident on the album format and structure. It’s a concept album, but instead of Ziggy Stardust, it’s the Antichrist. The fact that the lyrics go back to being about the same guy/thing ties everything together nicely.
One of the things that I can’t help but focus on with Industrial Metal records is the production. It sounds like the band had a huge budget for “Antichrist Superstar” and they had a lot of fun with it, and I love that. Every track has different effects, different panning etc. which makes the listening experience quite grandiose So why only 3 1/2 stars and not more? Well, like I said, this is bubble gum metal, no more, no less. I enjoy listening to it but I don’t think I’d need it on a desert island. And, as is so often the case with good-but-not-great records, there are a few too many songs. This is basically a double album, so they could have easily dropped the five weakest tracks and still have had a complete LP. Whatever. To wrap it up, I’d have to say my favorite part is the double-header of “1996” and “Minute of Decay.” The latter is a moody piece was a really cool, drowsey bass line. The former a super-anthem that would probably kill live. It also includes the lyric “I am the faggot Anti-Pope, ” and I can’t help but smile at that. Not sure if I’d go as far as to say I’m a Marilyn Manson fan, but I definitely appreciate them more than I did, and I think I “get it” now.
“Sleep’s Holy Mountain” is the definitive Stoner Metal LP. There’s no weak spots, no flaws. Even the short acoustic instrumental works as a palette cleanser, and the sparse, minimalist moments just add to the dynamics which amplify the power of the loud parts, which of course fuel the album. All the elements are here: the Sabbath worship, the jamming, the ungodly sick bass tones, the (mostly) glacial tempos, the sage-like vocals, etc. This is the record to play for the Greys when they finally reveal themselves. Okay, getting into the details. First, the Sabbath influence. The main riff of “The Druid” is fairly similar to “Supernaut,” but rather than blend it in and make it indistinguishable, the riff is matched by a high-hat, just like the Sabbath song. Sleep can wear the influence on their sleeve because they don’t totally rely on it. So the jamming... yeah, it’s all over the fucking place. I’ m not necessarily a sucker for that sort of thing, but with Sleep, it’s comparable to the improvisations on a jazz record. I wish I could think of a better way to phrase this, but it takes you somewhere. Al Cisneros is an insanely good bassist. I can’t think of anyone who can play this loosely while still being completely locked in (not that Matt Pike and Chris Hakius are slouches by any means). Sleep manage to cover a lot of ground while remaining firmly in the Stoner Metal spectrum (and it’s Stoner, NOT Doom, because it’s not depressing, the style of the vocals, and of course, the jams, etc). “From Beyond” is cold and authoritative, 10 minutes which don’t drag. On the other hand, “Aquarian” is way more jovial and “Evil Gypsy” is just brutal. My favorite track is probably “Inside the Sun,” which starts with a crude punk beat before collapsing into sludge and ultimately erupting into a Melvins style shout chorus. One more thing I want to mention is, because the record was originally intended as a demo, it’s fairly raw. That being said, it adds to the organic nature, making you feel like you’re in the room the band. It just sounds REAL. I was pretty late to the party in giving this record a full listen, which I regret, but the benefit to that is, even having heard dozens of records that have followed in its path, I can comfortably say that “Sleep’s Holy Mountain” is the head motherfucker of them all.
Scorn is the brainchild of Nik Bullen and Mick Harris, both formerly of Napalm Death. This album also features Justin Broadrick on guitar, meaning that the line-up is exactly the same as side one of ND’s classic “Scum” LP. Of course, this is a very different beast. On “Vae Solis,” Scorn sound a lot like Broadrick’s primary band at the time, Godflesh. While the comparison is unavoidable, there are differences. First of all, there is some SERIOUS low end on this fucker. In fact, the heavy low end is one (and possibly the only) element that ties this era of Scorn with pseudo-dubstep style Harris would utilize almost 30 years later (Bullen only lasted a few more records). But back to this record: the sound and production are AWESOME. Huge, deep and brutal. The opening track “Spasm” is like being stomped to death to by English thugs in an abandoned morgue. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the album isn’t as good. They pulled of a killer sound and vibe - to their credit, I think this is more brutal than any of the Godflesh material - but the songs are kind of... meh. The Swans influence is very strong especially on the vox, which can sound cold and mean (particularly on “Walls of My Heart,” which is my 2nd favorite track for some reason), but sometimes are just dull. I went back and forth a lot deciding what to rate this, but I’m giving it a thumbs up (just barely) because the sound/vibe/flavor is so good, even if the songwriting is a little lacking. Let me put it this way: at some point, I’ll be in the mood to listen to this, and this specifically, because of the cold abuse it provides. One more thing: the CD version has 4 tracks the cassette and vinyl do not, including a dub reworking of the title track to “Scum,” which is a cool acknowledgement of their past.
This is my first experience with ...And Oceans and I like most of what I hear. Actually, my immediate reaction wasn't good: I found the main part of the opening track to be pretty awful, and I wondered if I'd be able to sit through the whole thing. Once I got past that track, the second one was more listenable, the third track won me over, and the next four tracks kept me hooked. So from what I gather ...And Oceans added synth/industrial stylings on this record that they never utilized before. Were they successful? Short answer yes, long answer yes but they should have trimmed some of the fat. Going back to that first track that I couldn't into ("Intelligence is Sexy"), I just think they tried too hard to do an expository number that shoved in your face that they were mixing synth with brutal metal. I find it listenable now, but I still think it's kind of hack. But nevermind that and the second track (which is okay), because the record kicks ass from there on. "Tears Have No Name," begins with a synth part and then has the metal play along with it, rather than having synth layered on top of a metal riff. They take both approaches on the album, but I think I prefer the former. Make no mistake, this is metal, as opposed to more aggro industrial, but having the synth backbone gives the parts a lot of character and flavor. There are parts where the synth is more subtle, and those parts are pretty good too, but they can can handle metal just fine without it. "Esprit De Corps" only has about four seconds of synth before going raging thrash, but the track kills so who cares. My guess is it was written before they changed styles I also want to point out that recording and mix are crystal clear, which adds to the experience a lot. I prefer my Black Metal a bit more on the dirty side, but I'm glad they went all out with the mix, having the synth loud, clear and all over the place in the stereo spectrum. And despite what I just said, the main Black Metal riff on "Odious And Devious" works on a different level here than it would on a trad BM record, because of what it's contrasted with. I'm anxious to delve their next release, because while I like "A.M. God," it is clear they were new to blending they styles together (although usually pretty damn well), and I'm curious to see how they advance in that department. One last thing, I don't think the last track - the EDM (I think) "New Model World" - is pointless, especially since the preceding track works so well as a closer.
Okay, I want to contest the description of “non-metal” for this album. I guess I can see how someone might consider this Alternative or Grunge, but I think “Welcome to Sky Valley” qualifies as metal for the same reason W.A.S.P. and Accept would but Motley Crue and AC/DC wouldn’t (going by the criteria of the Metal Academy podcast, at least), in that it’s just TOUGHER than stylistically similar bands. Vocalist John Garcia may be a bit more on the hard rock side of things, and it took a few listens for his voice to sink in, but now I really dig it. His style isn’t that far off from Danzig, except higher pitched and from the desert instead of Jersey. Like I said, the guitar tones are grungier than your typical metal fare, but the overall effect is like a torrential mud storm. The dull, almost grey tones create an coarse foundation for the vocals and bass. A lot of the parts are nice and simple, especially “Odyssey” which has an awesomely heavy three chord main riff. The instrumentation of “Asteroid” and “Whitewater” are more subtle and nuanced, the latter reminding me of the Wipers. Again, not exactly a metal reference, but that just adds to the dynamics. Same with the jammier moments: they are totally fair game in Stoner Metal. And how could you call “Conan Troutman” anything but Metal? I could do without the back and forth vox on “Demon Cleaner,” the stupid extra “joke” track, and a few extra smears, but I definitely regret not getting into this sooner.
This is a hard record to review, because I feel like this is the sort of thing you compare other records to, not vice-versa. I like this a lot. This is the second LP from Bergenfield, New Jersey’s O.L.D. (a.k.a Old Lady Drivers). Their first was more straightforward grindcore (not a bad thing), and the general sound isn’t all that different, it’s just that they can DO a lot more. They replaced a real drummer with a drum machine, but it sounds like guitarist/programmer Jim Plotkin spent a lot of time with it, because the beats and rhythms are complicated enough to where I could totally believe it was a (very good) real drummer who was just mixed to sound artificial. The bass is handled by Jason Everman, who is famous for being Nirvana’s short-time second guitarist before they hit it big. He and Plotkin both rip on this record, almost every song has interesting bass and guitar parts. The easiest comparison I can make as far as the sound is concerned would be Godflesh if they were into cocaine instead of weed. Very abrasive but melodic and chiming guitar flanked by nasty, spidery bass action. Even though there’s a ton going on, the tracks are mostly very cohesive. There’s a lot of depth and no pretension. The vocals may not be incredibly dynamic, but they fill in the blanks perfectly. I feel like this could have been influential to spazzy post-hardcore bands like Melt Banana. The only thing that’s keeping me from giving this a perfect score is the noise/soundscape track “Disassemble,” which I think is pointless and boring, especially since the epic final track “Z.U.” covers the same ground and much more. Man, these guys wrote some cool riffs. Highly Recommended.
Had a tough time with this one. 1980s C.O.C. Is some of my favorite shit ever, and I think “Animosity” is the best crossover record of that era (that I’ve heard, at least). The three guys responsible for that record are on this as well (guitarist Woody Weatherman, bassist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin) but we also have singer/guitarist Pepper Keenan, and I DO NOT like that guy’s voice. Also, at this point they changed their style completely to stoner-metal. Now, obviously I’m biased, but I’m open minded enough that I think I would appreciate this on its own merits. But I honestly don’t think it’s that good. I can’t help but compare it to the first Down LP, because they came out around the same time, are similar in style, both have Keenan’s involvement, and I wasn’t expecting to like that either, but that one won me over, this didn’t. It’s just too watered down. It’s like a cross between classic rock, Black Album era Metallica, and 90s alternative. I seriously expect to hear someone yell “Spoonman” at points. “Clean My Wounds” is total Thin Lizzy worship, but just comes across as fake. “Seven Days” actually has a cool dual guitar riff and “Shake Like You” is okay, but that’s about it. “My Grain” is just butt rock. I saw C.O.C. a year or two ago and remember the material being at least better than this (maybe I couldn’t hear the vocals), so I’ll give the later records a chance, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
Spirit Caravan is the band Scott “Wino” Weinrich led after the Obsessed broke up in the mid 90s. There really isn’t much of a difference stylistically, although Spirit Caravan is arguably a bit less dark. Anyway, Wino is musician whose personality is huge but not flamboyant. Kind of like Lemmy in Motörhead, he is the undeniable center here. He has strong, almost authoritative voice, coming across like patriarch of some off the grid biker family. The music has a polished, almost classic rock vibe to it, but too heavy to fit in that category. I think what makes Wino’s work interesting is how, at a glance, the music sound can sound like straightforward rock, but the closer attention you pay, the more it drags you in. This is not background music, it requires your attention (and, dare I say, patience)for full effect, and it needs to be played LOUD. Wino is a motherfucker on the guitar, and I could write an essay just dissecting his riffs. Again, the riff style is fairly traditional heavy rock, but the guy has so much control he keeps it fresh. “Jug Fulla Sun” may be a little too long, and honestly I think the weakest tracks are the first two, but none of them are duds, and the stronger tracks are DAMN strong. My favorites are “Cosmic Artifact,” with it’s commanding vocals and “Melancholy Grey,” which melds Wino’s melodic and doom guitar skills perfectly.
Despite the name, Bongzilla aren’t a total novelty act. Yes, basically every song is about weed, but the music isn’t hack. The vocals are super nasty, and would probably push this into sludge territory (i.e. Buzzoven or Eyehategod) but the riffs, while totally heavy, aren’t quite dark enough for that. Actually, the vocals would probably sound Black Metal-ish if separated from the music. The production is really sharp and electric, there’s no murkiness here. Everything is pretty distinct, even though there is plenty of distortion. The MVP in my opinion is bassist Weed Dragon (who passed in 2018 according to Metal Archives, RIP). There’s a lot of room to “jam” around the riffs (one of the best or worst attributes of Stoner Metal, depending on your tastes) and he does it well. Some of the stuff he plays on “American” and “Grog Lady” is fucking sick. The last thing I need to mention is the samples. They definitely date the record to the 90s, but that’s not a bad thing at all. The samples (of course, all about weed) take the place of vocals in a few spots, so they come across almost like audio collages rather than instrumentals. It makes the record a lot more interesting, and it doesn’t sound just like samples for samples’ sake, like a lot of stuff from the era. STASH does drag a bit at the end, but the closing cover of Sabbath’s “Under the Son” is really cool, with a unique tweak of the main guitar riff.
This is definitely some pure stoner metal, slow and heavy but not cold or depressing enough to be doom. A lot of this could come across as generic but there are some serious saving graces. First, the VOCALS! I can’t say I’ve heard a lot of female vocalists in metal, but besides just being refreshing, Lori S. has a perfect voice for this (I’m struggling for a good adjective, but ghostly and sage like come to mind). The other factor that really sticks out to me is the bass, which is pretty up front in the mix. I like how the bass and guitar are on the same level, playing off each other like on the first three Sabbath records, rather than the bass just being below the guitar. Great tones too, I think the guitar is lower pitched than the bass! Thumbs up, but I can only give three stars since it is a little lacking. Two of the six tracks are instrumentals, and they suffer for not having the cool vocals. Also, even though it’s a full full-length at 45 minutes, it feels like it could use one more track. Still, it get’s the job done, and it’s easy to get engulfed in this. As the title suggests, perfect for staring at the sky while the fire burns out deep in the woods.