Release Date: June 21st 2024. Record Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
The Head & The Habit: Tracklisting
1.Breathe, Breathe Out
2.Avalanche
3.Different Horses
4.A Wolf In My Mind
5.That Obsidian Grin
6.The Sirens Sound
7.Oh Dandelion
8.The Tricking Tree
9.An Alabastrine Smile
Review
Legendary Stoner Rockers Greenleaf celebrate their twenty fifth anniversary by releasing one of their best albums in years with The Head & The Habit. A collection of classic sounding Stoner Rock based tracks that focuses over the last 50 years of the Hard Rock movement with Greenleaf’s trademark Fuzz based style. With the band having members being part of other amazing bands from the Swedish Stoner Rock/Metal scene with acts such as DOZER and LOWRIDER. Greenleaf have always continued to evolve their music with all of their albums sounding quite different to each other which has seen lead guitarist Tommi Holappa being the only constant member throughout their extraordinary career.
The Head & The Habit comes across like a first rate Greatest Hits Package whilst bringing nine new songs for the Greenleaf faithful to fall in love with. There’s echoes of Blues Rock, Psych Rock, Space Rock and there’s movements of low-key alt rock that appear within one of the tracks that gives the record a more subdued feeling.
With a non-stop assortment of hooks, grooves and melodic passages with that fast-paced Fuzz/Stoner Rock swagger that’s part of the band’s overall creative DNA especially on tracks such as “Breathe, Breathe Out”, Avalanche and Different Horses which sees a muscular sludgy rock sound appearing which sees Greenleaf venture into heavier Stoner Metal movements on later stages of the album.
Greenleaf are quite progressive with some of the lyrics and psychedelic sounds that they’ve created for this record which retains a different kind of heaviness from the band which leads to some of the albums standout moments. There’s perhaps two tracks that may take people out of the whole Stoner Rock flow of the record which is That Obsidian Grin and An Alabastrine Smile. As this sees Greenleaf operate with a Blues Rock/Folk Rock narrative but it’s good seeing the band trying something different and quite heartfelt and maybe the band could have ended the album with a more action-packed song.
However, that doesn’t stop Greenleaf unleashing one of their most highly accomplished, brilliantly produced and superbly entertaining albums in years.
Here’s to the next twenty five years….
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to All Noir PR for the promo.
The Head & The Habit will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Magnetic Eye Records from Friday 21st June 2024.
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