Release
date: June 11th
2016. Label: Fuzzmatazz Records. Format: DD/Vinyl
II
– Tracklisting
1.Bucks
& Fear 10:23
2.Monkeyshine
05:53
3.It
Speaks The Journey 05:22
4.Hate
Is My Love 06:47
5.Die
Again 06:35
6.Green
Steam (Digital Bonus Track) 06:02
7.I
Wish 10:50
Band
Members:
Sven
(guitar, vocals)
Andreas
(guitar)
Jörg
(drums)
Conny
(bass-guitar)
Review:
Slow
Green Thing’s new album – II – was an unexpected surprise for
me. As I hadn’t heard of these guys until friends of mine were
saying how good their new album is. I decided to check them out for
myself and I wasn’t prepared for what laid ahead of me. Slow Green
Thing play a kind of grunge based Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal.
Imagine Alice In Chains given a murkier and psychedelic makeover. The
vocals have a definite Alice In Chains vibe.
The
album runs for around an hour or so and contains moments of heavy
progressive doom/stoner riffs. Opening track – Bucks & Fear –
shows you what to expect with the band creating a wild oasis of
different noises and moods throughout the epic ten minute run time.
The song moves effortlessly from different genres with intricate
riffs and vocals creating a heavy and sombre atmosphere at times.
Fans of early AIC and Soundgarden will find much to enjoy here even
if it’s merged with a heavier doom/stoner metal background.
Second
track – Monkeyshine allows the band to expand on their grunge/doom
hybrid sound with heavier guitars being added to the mix. The vocals
are sung at a slow to mid pace that allows Slow Green Thing to shift
the focus between the different moods held within the album. It’s
one of the albums strongest and more adventurous tracks.
Third
track – It Speaks The Journey – sees Slow Green Thing inject a
bit of pace into the riffs as the band play a faster style of music.
The vocals from Sven remain firmly in the grunge scene though with a
slight psychedelic vibe appearing here and there.
Fourth
track – Hate Is My Love – adds a bleak gloomy atmosphere as it
allows Slow Green Thing to take a step back and concentrate on the
doomier side of their music. The drumming is superb through out as
Jorg brings extra weight compared to other tracks on the album. The
guitars have a slight duelling quality to them as they veer from
Doom, Stoner, Grunge and Psych Rock to create a heavy distorted style
of grunge based sounds.
The
album is full of extended guitar solos and some people may get bored
with that part of the album though not me as I love albums built on
riffs. II is full of long drawn out epic riffs. The vocals are what
you expect for an album such as this. Expertly delivered from start
to finish. The final three songs on the album Die Again, Green Steam
and I Wish sees Slow Green Thing venture further into heavier
doom/stoner theatrics with glimpses of sludge grooves finally
starting to appear. Then again, after repeated listens of the album,
the sludge grooves have been there all along. It’s buried under a
ton of reverb, psych and grunge style madness.
II
is an album that will appeal to fans of both the Grunge and
Doom/Stoner Metal scenes. It’s the perfect marriage of classic 90s
Grunge with modern day Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds. II is a
thrilling and exciting album that leaves you wanting more. Excellent
and Highly Recommended.
Words
by Steve Howe
