Release Date: December 23rd 2022. Record Label: Cursed Monk Records. Formats: CD/DD
You Will Need Gods - Tracklisting
1.Cataclysm
2.Fail To See
3.The Chalice
4.Hatchet Storm
5.Harbingers
6.First Layer Of Skin
7.You Will Need Gods
8.Omega Supreme
9.No Reward
10.Divine Treason
Review
You Will Need Gods is the new album from Northern Ireland Sludge/Stoner Metallers MOLARBEAR who impressed with their 2019 debut album Storklord. Taking a more experimental and riffier approach on this album with echoes of Red Fang, Big Business and the crazed ideas of The Melvins when they switch to a heavier style of Sludge Metal. Add some Noise Rock aggression and bleak soundscapes then MOLARBEAR have a chaotic Punk Rock style with their lyrical content showcasing some fine creative zest within the band.
The opening two songs of Cataclysm and Fail To See are very fast-paced affairs with a Speed Punk energy merged with the aggressive Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds. The vocals have that air of 90’s Grunge and Alternative Metal authority with pissed off clean growls giving a more unsettled approach to their music. However, that doesn’t stop the band adding a more upbeat Stoner Metal sound that Red Fang have become known for over the years. MOLARBEAR show their true creative selves on the excellent third track of The Chalice. A song that is aggressively natured but one that offers moments of sweet-natured melodic guitars before changing into a more gloomier style of Sludge Metal.
MOLARBEAR upped the ante yet again on the fourth track Hatchet Storm by playing a more THRASHIER style of music with that seedy Punk Rock vibe that still allows the band to be part of the overall WEEDIAN scene. Even if the music is more OUT THERE compared to other tracks on the album.
With a cool sideline in Psychedelic Metal and Apocalyptic creative approach on the later stages of the album, MOLARBEAR excel the most when they think outside of the box and play some of the albums heaviest and harshest sounds on tracks such as: Harbingers, First Layer Of Skin, You Will Need Gods, Omega Supreme and Divine Treason.
MOLARBEAR perhaps maybe too experimental for some but there’s some fantastic guitar solos and riffs waiting to be heard on You Will Need Gods. There’s a wealth of different noises and themes on this album which the band ultimately impresses with.
You Will Need Gods is a love letter to the more experimental side of 90's Alt Metal, Sludge Metal and Stoner Metal that still sounds essentially modern which is perhaps down to the fantastic production values the album ultimately contains.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Cursed Monk Records for the promo.
You Will Need Gods will be available to buy on CD/DD via Cursed Monk Records from December 23rd 2022.
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