Lunar Swamp - Moonshine Blues (Album Review)

 

Release Date: July 02nd 2021. Record Label: Various. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Moonshine Blues - Tracklisting

1.Muddy Waters 05:51

2.MoonBurst Smoke 04:47

3.The Redneck Squatch 05:55

4.Old Ben the Gator 05:28

5.Cross Swamp Blues 05:31

6.Sweet Sue (Witch Cover) 08:04

Review

Moonshine Blues is the debut album from Italian Blues/Stoner/Swamp Rockers Lunar Swamp and the band have already impressed the Stoner Rock Community with their previous releases. This time they go even further on this album with the the band focusing on a “WO-FAT” style sound with the massive Swamp based grooves but the guys then take a left turn by adding a more dramatic vocal style with a 70s seedy Classic Doom Sound being in the background. The Stoner Rock/Metal atmosphere is vaguely distorted which Lunar Swamp shows throughout the stunning opening track - Muddy Waters.

The album runs for a compact 35 minute running time and is the right length for Lunar Swamp to flex their creative muscles along what Doom/Stoner Metal spectrum with the band still adding an almost “Occult Rock” flavour on the later stages of the album. 

Lunar Swamp have a lot of fun on this record and the Blues Rock part of their music is the “glue” that holds everything together and they do bring a more aggressive and heavier style of music to songs such as MoonBurst Smoke, The Redneck Squatch and Cross Swamp Blues. 

Some of the songs can be quite similar to each other but Lunar Swamp have more than enough tricks up their sleeves to let this become a problem and it’s the fantastic music that saves the day. WIth the record having an excellent mix of classic, vintage and modern day grooves. The final track is a stunning rendition of WITCH classic - Sweet Sue with Lunar Swamp not veering far from the original but it works and leaves the album on an exciting DOOM METAL based finish.

Lunar Swamp debut album is a seedy and entertaining ride into the more swampier side of Doom/Stoner Metal and it’s one we don’t really hear much these days and lets hope Lunar Swamp will be around for a long time to come and release high quality records such as this.

 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lunar Swamp for the promo. Moonshine Blues Is available from the links below:

CD out for The Swamp Records (USA)
VINYL out for Clostridium Records (Germany)
TAPE out for Burning Coffin Recs (Chile)

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Lunar Swamp - UnderMudBlues (EP Review)

Release date: March 02nd 2020. Label: Fuzzy Cracklins Presents. Format: CD/DD

UnderMudBlues – Tracklisting

1.Shamanic Owl 07:47

2.The Crimson River 06:16

3.Magic Circle At Twin Moons 05:29

4.Green Swamp 05:35 video

5.Creeping Snakes 02:03

Members

Mark Wolf: Vox, Harmonica, Fx

Machen: High and Low Guitars

S.M. Ghoul: Drums

Review

UnderMudBlues is the debut release from Italian Psych Blues/Doom/Stoner Rockers – Lunar Swamp – who we featured previously when they released their debut song – Shamanic Owl.

Opening song – Shamanic Owl and it's almost 8 minutes of delicious and neck-breaking Stoner Metal that is powered along by a heavy streetwise Blues Rock/Fuzz Rock attitude. The band also show they're a dab hand at adding layers of distorted noise to the mix and the vocals from Mark are quite powerful allowing Lunar Swamp to create an almighty racket.

If you dig bands such as Black Sabbath and GEEZER then Lunar Swamp should be on your radar and they keep that powerful momentum going on through the rest of the EP with the band creating an action packed sound that’s overflowing with different ideas.

The overall sound of the EP is quite dirty in places but it matches the Swamp groove that is perhaps the best thing of the entire record. The music has it’s own caustic approach and allows the band to show their appreciation for different time periods of music ranging from 70s Doom Metal to modern day Sludge/Stoner Metal. So expect a lot of different variety on this EP.

The final song Creeping Snakes is the only part of the EP that did nothing for me. As it’s just a collection of sounds that don’t really bring anything exciting to the EP. Maybe the band could have included this song in the middle of the EP and ended with Green Swamp. That’s my only complaint for UnderMudBlues. 

UnderMudBlues is a superbly produced release that should allow the band to make a name for themselves within the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal community.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Band To Check Out - LUNAR SWAMP

Band Members

Mark Wolf: Vox and Harmonica
Machen: High and Low Guitars
S.M. Ghoul: Drums

The Lowdown

Lunar Swamp is a Psychedelic Stoner Metal from Italy with a heavy slab of Blues Rock, Doom and Fuzz Rock running through their veins. The band have just released their excellent new song - Shamanic Owl and it's almost 8 minutes of delicious and neck-breaking Stoner Metal that is powered along by a heavy streetwise Blues Rock/Fuzz Rock attitude.

The band also show they're a dab hand at adding layers of distorted noise to the mix and the vocals from Mark are quite powerful allowing Lunar Swamp to create an almighty racket.

I don't know if the band have an EP or full length album in the works but this song shows a band with a lot of promise. If you dig bands such as Black Sabbath and GEEZER then Lunar Swamp should be on your radar.

The song does go through many different stages of Stoner Rock/Metal but it has a winning attitude and cracking production to match.

I'll be keeping an eye on these guys and you should to. 

Words by Steve Howe

Links

Facebook | BandCamp