Release Date: January 07th 2022. Record Label: Forbidden Place Records. Format: DD/Cassette
503.420.6669.Vol.2 - Tracklisting
1.Main Meow-nu 00:56
2.The Perfect Cocktail 02:55
3.82nd St. Harlequin 04:53
4.503.420.6669. 00:32
5.Snowflakes 03:34
6.Lotus Blossom 04:19
7.The Void 01:23
8.Wanderlust 07:36
Review
Doom/Stoner Rockers Tigers On Opium are back with their new release 503.420.6669.Vol.2 and it sees the guys return with more crazy Fuzzed Out Psychedelic adventures which they started on 2021’s 503.420.6669.Vol.1. The guys have a more riffier approach to this release and they’ve managed to include a certain Mr Matt Pike on one of EP’s later tracks as well.
This EP is a more hard-rocking approach with it’s almost seedy 70s and 90s based free-flowing Stoner Rock attitude with street-level Doom Rock/Metal grooves that almost hang on the side of Noise Rock in places. The majority of the songs are short, loud and aggressive with an almost “POP” nature to them. Singalong choruses are a must on most of these songs with The Perfect Cocktail having the right amount of different Rock/Metal styles to keep the mood exciting and fresh.
Third song 82nd St. Harlequin is where Tigers On Opium really start to come into their own with delicious FUZZ Rock, Doom Rock and Stoner Metal riffs that are intertwined with Punk Rock attitude. This song has plenty of “meaty” hooks with grizzled vocals to match. The song is quite slow-paced with the band moving along at their own pace. The song does remind me of Dutch Stoner Metallers KOMATSU in places but there’s still enough variety for Tigers On Opium to stand their own creative ground. The song has a thumping bass and drums combo that will give your hearing a proper audio workout.
The EP runs for 25 minutes but there’s still a high amount of EPIC RIFFS within the short running time. The band have also spliced various soundclips and psychedelic sounds within the EP that could easily end up being distracting but everything is placed in the right way.
503.420.6669.Vol.2 could have easily been overloaded with different themes, sounds and ideas but Tigers On Opium have released a refreshing and fast-paced slice of Modern Day Doom/Stoner Rock. This release is easily leagues ahead of their debut release and I rated that release highly when it was originally released last year.
The guys do show their tender side on Lotus Blossom that starts off like a slightly melodramatic style of music and it works even within the heavier and hard-rocking content on the EP. Take close attention to the lyrics to see where the “Doom & Gloom” element for this song. Excellent lyrics and laid-back vocals make this one of the standout songs on the EP.
Tigers Of Opium have delivered another high quality release and fans of great Doom/Stoner Rock music should definitely keep an eye on these guys in the future. Be cool to see what they can do with a full length release.
Words by Steve Howe
You can buy 503.420.6669.Vol.2 on DD/Cassette from Forbidden Place Records
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