Tumbleweed Dealer ~ Western Horror (2014)
Our friends at Tumbleweed Dealer have returned to us once again, bearing new gifts as always. This time in the form of their latest full length album, "Western Horror". What they've put down is a spooky instrumental Stoner Rock journey through the old west, where the cloudy mist hugging the ground at night is pot smoke. The guys in Tumbleweed Dealer have always been great at playing instrumental stuff, not something every band can pull off, at least not for it's entire catalog of songs. But the Dealer keeps you on your toes, and now with this instrumental concept album they've put out, it's down right intriguing. They combine the influences of the old spaghetti western scores with spacey, groove heavy Stoner Rock to create more than just an atmosphere or soundscape, they paint an entire picture in sound. From the lonely, howling guitar parts to the upbeat, to the slightly folk influenced jams that are sprinkled throughout the album they've managed to put a new, unique spin on their already stellar sound for this album.
Since this is a concept album, it really should be listened to in it's entirety, and not picked apart track by track in order to get the full effect. From the very first notes on the opening "Bluntlust" you know you've stumbled into something different from anything you've really experienced before, with the lonely guitar opening like a stoned version of that same music you've heard in westerns so many times as the good guy starts out on his noble quest. It doesn't take long for the drums and bass to get in on the jam, kicking the song off with a bang. This is the start of our unsuspecting victim's journey, a pretty mellow send off into what will probably be the worst time of his life, with the tempo falling off around halfway through it's a pretty ominous sign of things to come. The next track "Slow Walk Through a Ghost Town" continues the story of our high seeking friend, with a suspense building guitar opening that does nothing but become more foreboding as the four minute tracks winds on. This opens more like a Doom Metal track than Stoner Rock, with the beat dragging its self along by the fat bass tone that's put down so nicely and cracking drums that sound nice and tight. The third track, Riding Upon a Skeletal Steed", opens with a bass and drum jam, bringing to mind images of someone racing across the landscape at night, doing their best to outrun the evil nipping at their heels. The guitar drops in after a short time and really lends to that feeling of unknowing as the song continues on and the suspense builds even further.
Not to give much more of this awesome album's secrets away, and blow all of the gems hidden within, but the five tracks that follow these are of epic proportions and round out the journey of our hero perfectly. While there is talk of a vinyl release in the works, even if it is a bit far away, you can get in on the digital version of this album over at the group's bandcamp starting today. If you don't check it out, you will be missing out on one of the coolest albums to hit the scene this year
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For Fans Of; Serpent Throne, Tuber, Earth
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