Saturday 9 March 2019

Lotek Cruiser - S/T (Album Review)


Release date: February 23rd 2019. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Lotek Cruiser – S/T – Tracklisting

1.Grains Of Time 05:40
2.Burn It Down 04:59
3.At The Speed Of Glaciers 04:55
4.Buried Under The Morning Sun 05:34
5.Plotting Forward 03:09
6.Fragments 04:16
7.Left Turn 04:17
8.Surrender 04:33
9.Black Heart 04:56
10.Scars 06:12

Members

Alex Araya - Guitar and vocals
Chad Siem - Guitar
Trevor Rees- Bass
Nathan Fereiro - Vocals
Michael Zetttell - Drums

Review

Lotek Cruiser debut album features a wide range of different styles such as Sludge, Doom, Stoner, Punk and even Thrash. Though the primary sound is Sludge/Stoner Metal and Lotek Cruiser add a distinctive raw and edgy vibe to their overall sound.

The album is quite progressive in parts but Lotek Cruiser always have a confident presence around their music. The album can be quite brash at times but it everything works as it should. Opening songs such as Grains Of Time, Burn It Down and At The Speed Of Glaciers show a highly confident band who create exciting and action packed sludgy riffs. The doom and gloom atmosphere is never too far and this allows Lotek Cruiser to create a rich and more varied sound.

The vocals from Nathan are more of the heavier style of vocals but you can easily understand what Nathan is singing about. The lyrical content is quite good on the majority of the songs but it’s the music that’s the main focus here. As Lotek Cruiser have created an album built on heavy and complex sounding riffs. The band take influence from a wide range of different bands but they still manage to create their own sound.

The second half of the album maybe isn’t as strong as the first half but it’s still a constantly engaging affair with some great songs such as Left Turn, Surrender and Scars being some of the best songs the album has to offer.

Lotek Cruiser is expertly produced. As
 Lotek Cruiser have delivered a superbly entertaining debut album and one that ticks all the right buttons for the casual Sludge/Stoner Metal listener.

Words by Steve Howe

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