Release Date: April 07th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
There's Nothing Here: Tracklisting
Seeing Red
Substation
Hesitation
There Was A Bottle
Stone Age
Space Slug
Crying Wolf
Up The Mountain
Medicated Happiness
There's Nothing Here
Members
Taylor McKnight - Everything
Review
One Man Drone/Doom/Stoner Metal Band Sun Mass debut album There's Nothing Here is a very deceptive title indeed. As there's quite a lot actually here with Sun Mass playing a heavy style of Droned Out Instrumental Metal which explores the Weedian Underground scene with sheer sonic exploration. The album maybe cautiously slow but it's still a fantastic heavy down-tuned experience in places.
The record around sixty minutes in length and is quite melodic with a meditative quality to it all. Taking cues from bands such as Sleep, OM, Yawning Man and Karma To Burn but with a more longer droned out presence. The music is both therapeutic and quite melodic if on the down-tuned side for the most part especially on the epic first track Seeing Red.
Second song Substation is a more powerful entity with Sun Mass upping the ante and volume within the Drone Metal department. There's a hazy and powerful WEEDIAN sound having different levels of SONIC DISTORTION and LOW & SLOW which can be quite powerful to hear at times. However, the grooves are plentiful and bang on form which is once again played at a slow pace. The song does feel that is has been broken down with Sun Mass concentrating on one particular style or aspect of music. The album becomes more technically impressive as the epic run time moves on.
Third track Hesitation is more of a straightforward and classic style of Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal. The Drone aspect is still there but Sun Mass decides to play a faster delivery with this track. There's less distortion here which allows the album to be more "riff-centric" which Sun Mass ultimately delivers in style.
The first three tracks gives you a great indication for what to expect for the rest of the album. Sun Mass does add a more Progressive and Psychedelic flair on the later stages of the album. The instrumental work remains intense with a BASS Heavy approach allowing Sun Mass to aim for higher Doomed Out Volumes especially on tracks such as: There Was A Battle, Stone Age, Crying Wolf, Medicated Happiness and There's Nothing Here which all build up to a gloomy sense of despair on the album.
There's also a bleak creative vision running throughout the entire album that is even more powerful without the use for vocals and soundbytes. If you like you're Instrumental Doom/Stoner Metal albums with a delicious sideline in Heavy FUZZ grooves then Sun Mass has that area covered as well.
There's Nothing Here is an expertly produced album with Taylor McKnight not only playing all of the instruments but also handling the full side of recording and production duties.
Sun Mass has delivered the goods with this release and Taylor will surprise by the different sounding WEEDIAN sounds he's included on this release.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe.
Links
