Solanhum - Rostratum (Album Review)

Date Released: 05th September 2022. Record Label: LSDR Records Formats: CD/DD

Rostratum: Tracklisting

Basti (Falling Into The Natural Realm)

Mrs DNA (R. Franklin)

Shame On You Crazy Balrog

Ariamnes (The Real Name Of A Facehugger)

Eis Sieben (Weedruid)

Members

Gerardo Aries - Vocals/Guitars

Samuel Lopez - Drums

Guests:

Juan Tamayo - Moog (Ariamnes)

Hector Fernandez - Keyboards (SOYBB)

Review

Solanhum is the new band featuring members from Mexican Sonic/Psych Doomsters Vinnum Sabbathi with Samuel and Gerardo teaming up for this cool new project. The band play a blend of Alternative Rock, Fuzz Rock, Stoner Rock and Psych Rock. Their debut album Rostratum is full of fancy Progressive hooks and melodies which also sees the band add a Spaced Out attitude. Taking cues from All Them Witches, Truckfighters, Yawning Man and Vinnum Sabbathi for an album that's big on CREATIVE IDEAS and RIFFS from the very start.

The album does have a low-key atmosphere when the quieter moments are the main focus for the band. However, the album does have its fair share of Heavy Stoner grooves with a swirling Psychedelic Rock drive which you can fully experience within the excellent opening song Basti (Falling Into The Natural Realm). The song is purely instrumental with Gerardo and Samuel playing a more experimental style compared to their other bands such as Vinnum Sabbathi and Cegvera. A free-flowing Post-Rock sound gives way to a more Sludgier style of music that becomes more aggressive until the dying moments of the song.

Second song Mrs DNA (R. Franklin) takes a more classic Stoner Metal approach with a KYUSS thunderous sound with Alt Rock vocals shining through. The song also has classic Truckfighters FUZZ based sounds but still allowing Solanhum to be their own thing. There is a more sense of urgency on this track with the fast paced nature of it all. The lyrics have an 90's Alt Rock/Metal feel to them with the vocals perhaps aligned to that era of music as well. The instrumental work is superb with Solanhum doing their damn best playing a more DOOM based approach.

Third song Shine On Your Crazy Balrog is inspired by The Lord Of The Rings. Well, I'm assuming it is with Balrog being mentioned. If not, then Solanhum's take on All Them Witches based Americana Rock, is an absolute joy to listen to. A bit FOLK ROCK and BLUES ROCK in places but with a passionate Doom/Stoner Metal vibe that changes into an AMPLIFIER DISTORTION kind of sound. One of the standout tracks on the album which has a stunning vocal performance from Gerardo.

The final two tracks of Ariamnes (The Real Name Of A Facehugger) and Eis Sieben (Weedruid) offer 24 minutes of intense Psych/Fuzz/Space/Stoner Rock sounds with the music having some vivid creativity behind it all. Ariamnes (The Real Name Of A Facehugger) runs past the fifteen minutes mark and is the standout track on the album. Different styles of music come and go with a Post-Rock or Post-Stoner creative vision seeing Solanhum playing extended jams and trippy psychedelic beats.

The track EIs Sieben (Weedruid) is an homage to the late guitarist from the German Psych/Stoner Rock band Weedruid.

Rostratum is an absolute joy to listen to. The album has an adventurous spirit that will appeal to many different sections of the Stoner Rock underground scene. The production values are superb despite the low-key nature of the album. While we wait patiently for the next Vinnum Sabbthi release, Solanhum is the next best thing. This is a wonderfully diverse release and deserves your full attention now.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to LSDR Records for the promo.

Rostratum is available to buy now on CD/DD via LSDR Records.

Links:

BandCamp

Satánico Pandemonium - Espectrofilia EP (EP Review)

Release Date: July 09th 2021. Record Label: LSDR Records. Format: DD

Espectrofilia EP - Tracklisting

1.El que reside dentro 09:01

2.Parábola del juez perverso 07:16

3.Asistolia 01:02

4.Espectrofilia 08:59

5.Panteonera 08:21

6.La muerte del Sol 07:59

Members

Sergio - Guitar / FX

Miguel - Guitar

Cosmo - Drums / Vocals

Daniel - Bass / Vocals

Review

Mexican Doom/Stoner Metallers Satánico Pandemonium return with their new release - Espectrofilia EP. And my only gripe with this release is that it’s a full length album. Not an EP. This thing runs for 42 minutes or so. If these guys do release a full length album then I’ll be interested to know what length that bad-boy will be.

Anyway, Satánico Pandemonium belongs to the “LOW & SLOW” group of Doom/Stoner Metal bands. With the band playing slowly played and down-tuned Doom/Stoner Metal riffs with the ever popular “Amplifier Distortion” style of rock that fits the genre(s) of music the band use to get their heavy distorted message across.

Electric Wizard is a big influence with this band and you can hear that from the excellent opening song - El que reside dentro - playing a classic Wizard style groove to maximum potential and volume. Throw in an almost Punk-Rock production vibe and Satánico Pandemonium play heavy atmospheric Doom Metal steeped in modern Stoner Metal distortion. The vocals are primarily sung in Spanish but you can understand what the song is about and that’s down to the great music included here.

Second song - Parábola del juez perverso - Satánico Pandemonium - is more bombastic with the vocals being over the top in all the right places. The distorted and doomed out guitars are matched along by Cosmo and Dainel on Bass and Drums respectively. The psychedelic guitars make this song way out there for a Doom Metal song but it has a gloomy Black Sabbath approach that makes it even more interesting. The “LOW & SLOW” methodology allows the band to branch out into almost Cosmic/Space Rock territory but the band pull feeling back and return to their primal, distorted and drone based attitude whilst still playing some epic guitar riffs along the way.

Third track - Asistolia - is a 60 second instrumental song not offering much and is perhaps classed as filler to make you wait for the next exciting chapters of the EP.

The 2nd part of the EP is where Satánico Pandemonium come into their own with the final 3 songs offering the gloomiest and heaviest sounds on the EP especially with Espectrofilia and La muerte del Sol. Satánico Pandemonium uses different ideas and themes to keep everything fresh and exciting. It has the usual sights and sounds from Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath and SLEEP but with that Punk Rock mentality I mentioned earlier in the review. Distortion is key here and Espectrofilia EP ends on a depressing and gloomy high.

Espectrofilia EP showcases another wonderful band to come from the Hard Rock/Metal scene and why Mexican bands  seem to find an appreciative audience within the global Doom/Stoner Metal community. 

Satánico Pandemonium have released another great record to their discography. If you’re a fan of the “Low & Slow” movement theni this is the perfect place to be.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp