PANTANUM ~ Brazilian doomster trio release "Volume 1"

Big things are happening in South America regarding the "underground" music scene, bands plying their trades in the fields of psych, stoner and doom seem to be popping up every other week. Lately I have been listening to bands from Peru, Chile and as far down as Argentina, all quite different and all of varying levels of musical skill and production quality  but all with a passion and love for the music they are creating. Today, thanks to an e-mail from a member of the band, I am now grooving to Brazilian doomsters Pantanum and their recent release "Volume 1"

"Volume 1" is an astonishing recording that mixes heavy doom riffage with touches of psychedelic metal colouring but what sets these tunes apart is the weird and wonderful warblings from vocalist and bassist Francisco Gusso. Anyone who is familiar with, Spanish doomers, Misty Grey's vocalist Bea and her anguished witchy wails will immediately find a comparison in Gusso's demonic warlock sucking on helium vocal tone. He sneers, snarls and chants his way through the six songs on offer here, bringing an air of malevolent evil to the already dark doomy grooves. Pantanum are not a one man band though and on tunes like "Electric High" and "Sonar" the band show that as well as being able to lay down the doom they can also stretch out and experiment. All the way through "Volume 1"  Stresser's guitar soars and swoops, ripping scintillating solos and tasteful licks from his fretboard as well as laying down some fuzzilicious riffage.  Apart from vocal duties Gusso also holds down the bottom end with majestic bass runs and thundering deep lines, locking in tight with Silvario's drums, the drummer power-housing around his kit on the heavy stuff and laying out with delicate percussive touches on the softer psychedelic passages. Together these three guys make a noise that although having its roots in the doom genre still manages to sit just a little outside of the box.... and it's a noise you should hear.

For those of you out there who have a love of good dark riff laden psych and like their vocals a bit off the wall and different then check out Pantanum's, weirdly wonderful Brazilian doom.