Monday 25 September 2017

Slomatics: Futurians Live At Roadburn (Album Review)


Release date: October 06th 2017. Label: Roadburn Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Futurians Live At Roadburn – Tracklisting

Electric Breath
Running Battle
Return to Kraken
And Yet It Moves
Tramontane
Supernothing
Ulysses My Father
March of the 1000 volt Ghost

Members

Chris Couzens - Guitar
David Majury - Guitar
Marty Harvey - Drums/Vocals

Review

"Good evening, we're Slomatics from Belfast". These words open the live LP that feels like the culmination of a genre and our community. While the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands is relatively unknown to the outside World, it is the Mecca of doom, stoner and all things heavy in Eurppe. And this years live-release is by none other than the Irish three-piece known as Slomatics.

If you haven't indulged in what already feels like a staple and a classic, Future Echo Return, from yesteryear you should do so before diving into this. Just to fully appreciate the nuances these guys add to their live works and to get a taste of exactly how much Slomatics aggression incorporate in their live-performance. Just listen to And Yet It Moves and you'll soon know what I mean. Phasers are set to kill.

The pure energy that these fellows named David, Chris and Marty have live really is breathtaking. The guitars doesn't just feel like ten-ton sludgehammers raining down low end-fury over the World, they really are. It's why the intro to Electric Breath feels even more vibrant than it's studio version. The live-album manages to capture the nerve these guys play with. It's faster and perhaps holds more aggression than the studio counterpart. This is why the album has such a triumphant feel. Even though I wasn't there that day at Roadburn, I feel the energy Slomatics poured out.

It is when Jon of Conan makes his appearance on the stage to do vocals for March Of The 1000 Volt Ghost that even the most hardened doom-veteran should get a fair share of goosebumps. This finale encapsules perfectly what Slomatics are and stand for. With the added help of Jon's screams, it's an instant classic with riffs drenched in what feels like a heavy toxin.

Slomatics – Futurians Live At Roadburn is the sound of our everyday fuzz-heroes David, Chris and Marty laying waste to one of the mightiest festivals in all of Europe. It is why any of us are part of this big friendly community. When the crowd erupt in claps and screams over the tonnes of Ritual Beginnings, it feels and sounds like something had changed. I can't begin to fathom how anyone that was there could ever recover from the crushing performance that day, and by recording it the people at Roadburn ensured that no one ever will. For that I say thank you and good job.

Words by Simon Ohlsson

Slomatics: Futurians Live At Roadburn will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl from Roadburn Records from October 06th 2017.

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