Release Date: September 05th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
Old Tobu - Tracklisting
1.Old Toby 04:24
2.Megawatts 07:11
3.Wyrms 04:23
4.Pissjazz 07:30
Review.
Old Toby is the latest EP from Psych/Grunge/Stoner Rockers Groom The Giant. I remember listening to the band’s excellent debut EP Culhwch which focused on Celtric folklore and heavy myths with a deep fantastical sense of wonderful mystery. The band keep with that theme on their excellent new EP where they advise the record is about:
“Celtic heritage and magical fiction into a format of loud, danceable grunge; with songs inspired by the plagues of King Lludd (from where the Welsh flag gets its iconic red dragon) and explorations of omnipotence, to tributes to Gandalf's favourite tobacco.”
The music is always quite aggressive with catchy instrumental passages which moves from 1990’s Grunge/Stoner Rock surroundings to the more modern day Psychedelic Rock fused with heavy Sludgy Rock grooves.
The music can be quite dark in places with levels of distorted FUZZ and scorched Desert Earth melodies which fully come along within the second standout track of Megawatts which is perhaps a slight homage to Back To The Future. The song opens with a long drawn out Post-Stoner / Post-Grunge sound that develops into a Psychedelic/Fuzz/Doomgaze landscape which feels inspired by TRUCKFIGHTERS in all the right places. The song is played at a superbly realized slow-to-mid pace with Groom The Giant adding more levels of distorted FUZZ and Psychedelic energy which fully crosses over into Doom Metal pastures.
Third track Wyrms turns the EP on its head with a weird Piano instrumental beat that pushes the record into Soft Rock/Jazz territories which does show a deep love and respect for FAITH NO MORE. If you ever wanted to hear FAITH NO MORE become a Doom/Stoner Rock obsessed band then this is the best way to describe that track. It’s wonderfully surreal that shouldn’t really work but Groom The Giant add an unexpected Doomed Out twist to the final stages of the track.
The final track of Pissjazz is back to the long drawn out instrumental surroundings of the second track but with some wickedly dark humour being injected into the overall mix of someone actually having a “PISS”. I kid you not before Groom The Giant fully settle back into their heavy FUZZED OUT and STONED AGE creative world. They merge Jazzy soundscapes yet again but it’s the Psychedelic Weeidan flavours washed out by classic Grunge riffs that make this another standout track of the record.
Old Toby is completely off-beat, brilliantly surreal and has a wonderful MONTY PYTHON based madness to it all. If that sounds like it’s the EP for you then I can’t highly recommend this outrageous EP enough.
Superb. End Of.
Words by Steve Howe
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