Wednesday 9 October 2024
DEMONIO ~ ACID RAIN .... review
Monday 7 October 2024
VALLEY OF THE SLUTS ~ RISE OF THE SLUT ..... review
Sunday 6 October 2024
HIGH REEPER ~ RENEWED BY DEATH .... review
Wednesday 2 October 2024
NOVEMBER FIRE ~ THROUGH A MOURNFUL SONG ... review
In our short blurb gracing November Fire's Bandcamp page Desert Psychlist wrote "This is what Zappa might have sounded like had he gone down the stoner/desert rabbit hole", what we meant by those words was not that November Fire sounded anything like Frank Zappa but that there is an element of that same off-piste quirkiness and celebration of the absurd in what November Fire bring to the table, having a feel of something that Zappa himself might have brought into play had he ever dipped his toes in this genre. To fully understand what we mean you only need to listen to opening track "Wall of Monsters" where palm muted riffage is joined by what at first listen sounds like a goth Elvis singing " We want the same but hate each other", the track then exploding into a gnarly stoner/hard rock groove over which those distinctive vocals trade off with growlier slightly harsher tones, oh and be ready for the songs face-melting instrumental middle section it is INSANE! "Can He See" is next, the songs slightly doomic dynamic supports a lyrical theme bemoaning those continually look back rather than forward with the songs chorus adding a theatrical vibe to the proceedings with a call and response vocal dynamic that has "rock opera" written large all over it. "Sad Song With No Name" is again doomic in flavour and again, thanks to its cleverly arranged vocals, feels like an out-take from a rock opera not yet made. Next song "Faint As The Stars" is played at a gallop and although we usually associate galloping rock/metal with Iron Maiden this particular gallop has more of Hawkwind-ish feel thanks in part to its underlying swirliness. "Under Red Skies" is basically a blues song but a blues song written on acid on a planet far far away while final song "Wake Up" is a mix of otherworldly funkiness and off-piste doominosity reminiscent of Captain Beefheart when he still had at least one of his feet planted on terra firma, it's jaw-dropping weirdness of the highest order.
Tuesday 1 October 2024
ROBOT GOD - SUBCONSCIOUS AWAKENING ... review
2024 is turning out to be a very good year for fans of Australian groovsters Robot God, Matt Allen (bass/vocals/synth); Raff Iacurto (guitar/vocals/synth) and Tim Pritchard (drums/synth), not only have the band already served us up one absolute killer release with "Portal Within" (April 2024) they have now followed it up with "Subconscious Awkening" (Kosmik Artifactz), four more epic length songs of engrossing space rock and heavy psych shot through with all the elements of stoner rock and doom we've fast become accustomed to expecting from them.
Opening track "Blind Serpent" is as good, if not better, than all that the band have recorded up to this point in time, it's weird and wonderful collection of whooshing synthesised noise and liquid-like guitar effects, supported by busy but non-intrusive drumming and low rumbling bass, are enhanced by vocals that are clean lean and melodic and are backed by an equally melodic mix of harmonies and counter harmonies that possess an almost choral quality in places. The heavy rockers out there might be wondering when things start to get heavy, well they DO get heavy but in a way those rockers probably might not be expecting. The heaviness here is in the weight and depth of the songs composition, when a riff does eventually start rolling in its because that is what is called for in that moment in time, a dynamic within the song and not the reason for the song, if that makes sense. However second track "Mandatory Madness" sees Robot God delivering all the heaviness anyone with enough digits to make a devil's horn with could possibly ask for, thunderous drumming, growling bass and thrumming riffage and searing lead are all on display here, the only thing not getting down and dirty being the vocals which remain clean and lilting if somewhat a little more gritty and dynamically insistent. Having delivered the asked for heaviness Robot God then move into territory that is a touch more Elder-ish in flavour with "Subconscious Awakening" the spacious and spatial title track boasting a chugging almost funky groove fleshed out with synthesised whoops and whistles over which clean lead vocals and lilting harmonies twist in around each other like mating snakes and guitar solos tear the skies asunder with screeching intensity. Finally we arrive at " Sonic Crucifixion" where we find Robot God getting their proto-doom groove on while managing to sound nothing at all like any of the proto-doomic bands that have gone before them, a hazy lysergic laced take on doom that is heavy on groove but light on all the usual tropes and cliches often associated with the genre.
© 2024 Frazer Jones