Mountain God - Bread Solstice (2017)
I'm having a hard time shaking the
feeling that the name of this album is a tongue-in-cheek homage to
the Spinal Tap-like 'metal typos' which used to be a lot more
pervasive in the days before everyone had spell-check at the ready
(“Clam Caravan” is the one I've specifically got in mind). And
while Dread Solstice might
have been a more evocative title, Bread Solstice
arguably does a better job of capturing the weird, uncommon vibes
that this band brings to their debut LP.
With a
semi-subtle storyline threaded through the track titles, and
launching off from the setting captured in the cover art, the album
quickly establishes its brooding psychedelic tones as a melting
morass of strange notions, sinister growls (both vocal and
instrumental), firmly-built riffs, and the ability to pack enough
force into their playing to knock your speakers into standby mode (at
least, that's what happened with mine, and as many heavy beats and
bass waves as my stereo's put out, that's still a first). You'll
want to make sure your set is in good working order, though, so you
can soak up the sonic malevolence this crew assembles with such
seemingly untroubled skill.
Most
of the music goes without vocals, leaving little doubt that they're
working from firm foundations, but when the voices do come into play,
it's usually as a veritable barbarian howl. And though the music
drifts on the edges of abstract, the deep grimy grooves exert enough
weighted momentum to pull listeners along in the wake, through the
strangest moments and the most direct of head-banging invitations. A
damn good album, even stronger when considered as the debut LP it is,
and worth checking out for those who want their doom to go beyond
'70s homages and heavy riffs. Copies will be available through
Artificial Head starting on March 24th,
so if you like what you hear, mark your calendar and set some cash
aside.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Ksyatriya, Nelly Olsen, Reptensol, Venus Sleeps, Wizard Cult
~
No comments:
Post a Comment