BLACK CITRUS - GLASS MOUNTAIN .... review

 

Black Citrus are a trio from Vilnius, Lithuania, the band play a raw darkened form of stoner rock edged with elements of  sludginess that along the way also touches base with doom and heavy psych. The band have gone through a few line-up changes since their inception but seem to have found some some sort of stability with their current line up of Andrius Katinas (guitar/vocals); Augustinas Bėkšta (bass/vocals) and Vaidotas Segenis (drums). The band have just released their debut full length album "Glass Mountain" via Bandcamp an album we at Desert Psychlist believe is worthy of  your attention.

Although chiming guitar tones introduce opening track "Crowded Sky" do not start thinking that you are in for a pastoral tip-toe through the tulips as you will soon discover when the hammer goes down and the trio explode into a maelstrom of crunching riffage and thundering rhythms accompanied by a vocal that borders on the edges of throat destroying. Surprisingly though there is a melodic element to be found amidst all this crunching heaviness, the vocalist may sound like he has smoked far too many cigarettes and maybe hit the bong a little more often than is good for him but he can hold a note and deliver a decent melody, the band as a whole are also not adverse to laying out languid and lysergic either as you will discover when they dial things way back at the songs three quarter mark. The band mix up stoner-like rhythmic drive with post-punk/indie guitar textures for the superb "Shadow of Your Light" then get feral and ferocious for the full on "Amor Fati". The albums fourth song goes by the confusing title of "7th Song" a rolling and thunderous stoner metal romp that then makes way for the slightly more than a bit twisted "Dionysus' Eyes" a weirdly off-centred sludge fest that sees the vocals take on a harsher more guttural dynamic but that also boasts searing clean bluesy lead guitar work... and just when you thought things could not get anymore gnarly the band then hit you with the ballsy and blackened "One of Us". Things return to a more stoner-ish and metallic footing with the rocking "Spit on a Shore" but then go off piste again with the hardcore tinted closer/title track "Glass Mountain", the band signing off their debut in glorious anarchic and chaotic style.

Gnarly. grizzled and grainy with moments of  brutality sitting side by side with elements of melody and swing Black Citrus' "Glass Mountain" is not what you could call a "by the numbers" sort of album, it is off-kilter and challenging in places and straight-ahead and rocking in others, an album that is not always an easy listen but IS nonetheless a constantly rewarding one. 

Check it out ....

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