Tuesday 18 February 2020

Seven Planets - Explorer (Album Review)


Release date: February 07th 2020. Label: Small Stone Recordings. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Explorer - Tracklisting

1.Vanguard 02:46
2.Plain Truth In A Homespun Dress 04:39
3.Explorer 06:56
4.206 03:26
5.Seven Seas 06:45
6.Great Attractor 05:17
7.Grissom 03:30
8.The Buzzard 03:06

Members

Leonard Hanks: guitar
Ben Pitt: drums
James Way: guitar
Mike Williams: bass

Review

Seven Planets play a mixture of Instrumental Spaced Out Rock that merges elements of Psych Rock and Stoner Rock for a more direct sound. Their new album Explorer is always a constantly engaging affair allowing the band to play more challenging style of Stoner/Spaced Out Rock though with an easy-going addictive quality to it all.

There are eight songs and Seven Planets explore as many different levels of Psychedelic Rock on this album with the band showing a keen eye for playing heavy riffs with a moody atmosphere appearing in certain parts of the album. The album does have a certain classic feel to it with songs such as: Vanguard, Plain Truth In A Homespun Dress and Explorer impressing early on. The mood is buoyant and heavy with a very cool sounding Progressive edge heard within the strange Electronic sounds.

Explorer is very much an album that has a beginning, middle and end with the band not leaving any loose ends to tease the listener with for their next release. Despite this being an instrumental album, Seven Planets know how to tell an exciting story with the music being the only narrative that you need to hear on an album such as this.

The second half of the album continues with the great work played out on the first half with Seven Planets being slightly more comfortable and the riffs move effortlessly well between the different moods and genres the band have created here. Especially when the band play a more Fuzz Rock and Jazz based style of music. As the album becomes more soulful and I never really expected that from an Instrumental Rock album.

Other great songs include: Seven Seas, Great Attractor and The Buzzard.

This is Seven Planets third album and my first exposure to the band and I’m mightily impressed how creative the guys can actually be on this album. As they have managed to create a truly cinematic sounding album that balances the fine art of Heavy Rock with subtle Spaced Out grooves driving everything along. The production is wonderful from start to finish and allows Seven Planets to bring a heavy presence to the party.

Overall, Explorer will leave you superbly entertained from start to finish and wanting to take further journeys with this hugely talented outfit.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo. Explorer is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Small Stone Recordings.

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