Release
date: October
30th
2019.
Label: Helmet
Lady Records.
Format: DD/Vinyl
Pallor
Mortis –
Tracklisting
1.Take
it Back 07:02
2.Warped
03:25
3.Doomsday
03:10
4.Time
Takes All 05:32
5.Dwarf
02:16
6.One
For The Money 04:34
7.Rotten
Blarney Stone 05:35
8.Ash
To Dust 04:45
Members
Harold
Pollinger - Keys, Vox
Shea
Rayhn - Drums, Vox
Christopher
Delmont - Guitar, B/U Vox
Larry
Gartley - Bass
Review
Pallor
Mortis is the 2nd album from Buffalo, New York,
Psychedelic Stoner Rock Riff Wizards – Stone Priest – and it’s
a major step-up in quality and progression from their 2016 debut
album. The band have used their time well in creating a sonically
pleasing and complex Psychedelic Stoner Rock album that reminds
myself of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple in places.
Stone
Priest use a collective mix of Psych, Classic Rock, Prog Rock and
Stoner Rock for the majority of the songs with some epic grooves
along the way. The album has a deep love and appreciation for 1970’s
Hard Rock with a few different sounds being added for good measure.
Opening
song – Take It Back – is the longest song on the record running
past 7 minutes and it’s the best track on he album with Stone
Priest laying the foundations of their blend of Stoner Rock with a
Blues based sound holding everything together. The song is quite
trippy with the different styles of music the band employ on this
song. The eerie gloomy sounds that appear towards the song is a very
cool touch indeed and the song almost becomes a spaced out adventure.
Though the band keep things firmly grounded with a Deep Purple
influence to lyrics of the song and for the main themes of the album.
Second
song – Warped – opens with a more experimental sound with pianos
and ambient noises being added to Stone Priest’s trademark sound.
The song is quite clever in places though the vocals do take time to
fully settle down. The 1970s trippy atmosphere is the strongest part
of this song with the riffs a close second. Another quirky and
wonderful sounding song from the band.
The
album is quite bleak in places with the title Pallor Mortis meaning
“the first stage of death” and this allows the band to create a
concept album of sorts with slightly depressing and bleak lyrics
adding a more Doom based atmosphere to the album.
The
album zips along at a cracking pace with the band playing through a
stunning mix of different songs with dark and twisted results. Songs
such as Doomsday, Time Takes All, One For The Money and Rotten
Blarney Stone are the other standout songs on the album. You can
expect to hear the heaviest riffs on these songs with a few surprises
along the way.
My
only complaint is that the album isn’t the best produced album out
there. As it sounds too raw for me in places. However, Stone Priest
have released a superb album that has a dark and complex side to it
amongst the Psychedelic weirdness of it all.
Excellent
and Highly Recommended.
Words
by Steve Howe
Pallor
Mortis is available to buy digitally now.
The vinyl
will be available to buy from November
2019 via Helmet Lady Records.
Links:
