Guided Meditation Doomjazz - No Throne (2020)
Following up an EP, a live album, and a
single, all released within the past year, the Austin-based trio of
Guided Meditation Doomjazz are back with another four tracks. One of
those was used for the aforementioned single (“Swamps of Sadness”,
with another nod to The Neverending Story
in its cover art), but the other three are fresh for this offering.
The
release leads off with the title track, building from ominous words
of nullification into a heavy but nuanced groove. With reminders to
“breathe in, breathe out,” the song curls along on thick-toned
bass-lines and a bowed instrument (which occasionally mimics an
electric organ in timbre) providing the foundation over which the
vocals drift. There's definitely a heavy psych vibe at play, but
with some of that Austin fusion mentality in the works, things take
an unpredictable course. “Swamps of Sadness” follows, with a
poker-faced recitation of Atreyu's quest and loss of his horse. An
interpretation of Giorgio Moroder's score for that section of the
film accompanies the proceedings, but with the shift from synths to
analog, there's an interesting adjustment of the mood to match.
“Imagine
Relief” provides a rise up from the despair of the preceding track,
though it keeps the mood low and heavy. It builds into a slow-loping
riff carrying itself and the vocals into rising intensity and action,
until they burst loose from a drum crescendo back into the original
take, though now counter-playing against echoes of itself. Lastly,
“New Nostalgia” picks up into a comparatively brighter groove,
noodling along on the bass while the cymbals get prominent
deployment. It all comes together as an interesting experience,
fitting the band's name while giving your ears quite a bit to chew
on. If you've been looking for something distinct and different in
the doom realm, this will certainly fit the bill.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Merlin, Morphine, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation,
Shadowmaster, Wyatt E.
~
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