Thursday 30 May 2019

Slomatics - Canyons (Album Review)


Release date: June 14th 2019. Label: Black Bow Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Canyons – Tracklisting

1. Gears Of Despair
2. Cosmic Guilt
3. Seven Echoes
4. Telemachus My Son
5. Beyond The Canopy
6. Arms Of The Sun
7. Mind Fortresses On Theia
8. Organic Caverns II

Members

David Majury (guitars)
Chris Couzens (guitars)
Marty Harvey (drums / vocals)

Review

Slomatics new album Canyons sees the band with a new adventurous, progressive and heavier sound. After completing a trilogy of similar themed albums with A Hocht, Estron and Future Echo Returns. Canyons allow Slomatics to re-invent themselves with a different style of music. Though the music played on Canyons does allow the band to play their classic sounding and trademark FUZZ Drenched Heavy Doomed Out Sounds.

Opening song – Gears Of De itspair – starts rather quietly until a heavy pounding sound soon explodes into a large Psychedelic and Spaced Out riff. Marty’s vocals are vastly different compared to previous Slomatics albums. As Marty’s vocals feel more powerful and restrained at the same time. The song moves at a delicate slow pace but the overall sound and atmosphere of the album is HUGE with the trippy and psychedelic vibes bringing a more nuanced Doom Metal approach to the album.

Second song – Cosmic Guilt – is classic sounding Slomatics through and through whilst offering a hint of their new progressive Doomed Out sound that allows the band to add strands of Ambient Rock/Metal towards the end of the song. Marty, Chris and David demonstrate why they’re highly thought of within the Doom Metal community as they all put in stellar musical performances on this track.

Third song – Seven Echoes – is an instrumental song and Slomatics don’t let the short running time get in their way as they play a heavy and thunderous style of Doom/Stoner Metal with elements of Psych Rock and Space Rock holding everything together.

Fourth song – Telemachus My Son – is my favourite song on the album as it’s Slomatics in full DOOM METAL mode with the OTT lyrics and Marty putting in a truly commanding vocal performance. Though it’s the heavy guitar work from Chris and David that impressed me the most. The song is a mixture of Psych, Stoner Metal, Doom and Space Rock that ranks as one of the most creative songs Slomatics have recorded so far.

Fifth song – Beyond The Canopy – has similar themes to Telemachus My Son. The music is played at a deliberate slow pace but this song has a more impending sense of DOOM compared to the other songs on the album. The song is bleakly poetic and sees Slomatics add a more reflective cinematic Post-Rock/Post-Metal vibe to the album.

The final three songs - Arms Of The Sun, Mind Fortresses On Theia and Organic Caverns II – once again sees Slomatics play to their absolute strengths by creating some of the heaviest and fuzzed out parts of the album with Mind Fortresses On Theia being the main highlight. As I feel Marty puts in his best ever vocal performance on Mind Fortresses On Theia.

Canyons acts as a celebration for a band who have being going from strength to strength for the last fifteen years and who show no signs of slowing down.

The album is brilliantly produced and is one of the best sounding Slomatics have released to date. Canyons is simply without a doubt my favourite album I’ve heard this year and the odds are looking good that it will end up my favourite album of the year.

The album is a mighty step forward for Slomatics with its bold and unique heavy sound. Canyons is a must have and unmissable album.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Curtis at Dewar PR for the promo. Canyons will be available to buy on Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl via Black Bow Records from June 14th 2019.

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