Warp - Bound By Gravity (Album Review)

Release Date: February 1st 2023. Record Label: Nasoni Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Bound By Gravity: Tracklisting

The Present

The Hunger

Your Fascist Pigs Are Back

Head Of The Eye

Dirigibles

Bound By Gravity

Impeachment Abduction

I Don't Want To Be Remembered

Members

Itai Alzaradel - Guitars/Vocals

Sefi Akrish - Bass/Vocals

Mor Harpazi - Drums/Vocals

Review

Bound By Gravity is new album from Israeli Doom/Stoner Metallers Warp who showcase a mighty fine "PROTO" outlook on their spectacular style of Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal sounds. The album has a distinctive vintage quality which allows the heavy Proto Metal sounds that pay homage to bands such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and Cathedral. There's also a slight MELVINS quality to Warp's music especially with the vocals and the destructive sludgy grooves with that twinge of Classic Heavy Rock being contained throughout.

Warp offers eight tracks here with the band playing to their creative strengths that stretch across the backdrop of 1970's Doom Metal all the way to the classic era of 90's Stoner Metal. The production and feel of the album is deeply rooted in 70's Hard Rock and Heavy Metal that offers Warp a more contemporary Garage Rock feel which you can hear in full flow on the opening track The Present.

The Present is full of distorted WEEDIAN and SABBATH grooves that interact with the freaky psychedelics and dirty sounding guitars superbly well. The vocals are catchy with a sense of flashy showmanship that comes from the classic heyday of 70's Hard Rock and Doom Metal. Though, the grooves are KING here with Warp offering extended dirty jams and guitar solos that the underground will sure go crazy for. There's a lot of AMPLIFIER based heaviness here and it serves the band well for the rest of the album.

Second song The Hunger is a Doom/Stoner  based trip fully "GONE WRONG" that sees the band offer freaky Psychedelic vibes with a Progressive style of play coming into effect. The music even sees a gloomy FUZZ approach with different levels of DISTORTION that allows Warp to play their guitars with the AMPS all the way upto 11. The music can be quite chaotic in places with a Sludgy backdrop dictating the action. The music is always exciting and even not the most original, Warp does that SABBATH style of sound so brilliantly well. When the band added echoes of Spaced Out and Ambient soundbytes then Warp are now seriously doing their own "COOL" thing for one of the standout tracks on the album.

The album takes a darker political turn for the next part of the album and for the later stages as well, beginning with the socially aware and equally fascinating Your Fascists Pigs Are Back. The song has a SLEEP based energy towards the start whilst keeping with Warp's addictive 70's pounding Proto Metal energy. There's a wicked distorted guitar solo at the start which slowly builds upto a heavier style of music with fantastic drumming to match. The vocals also take a different turn with a Drone/Chant feel to them. The music is continuously heavy with a modern day approach being applied for the Post-Whatever elements that appear when the music changes into a faster style. The LOW & SLOW style of guitars is key here with Warp becoming a different band to the opening two songs.

Head Of The Eye is a more straightforward Proto-Doom based number with the band playing a slightly laid-back style of music whilst still being a heavy Doomed Out track. The music is quite Classic Rock based with Warp having fun with their music and this ends up containing some of the heaviest riffs on the album. Some excellent guitar solos are included for a song that has its own distinctive feel. Refreshingly full of 70's Hard Rock Swagger with that WEEDIAN underground flavour to stand on its own merits.

The second half of the album sees Warp become more confident with their music by playing similar creative themes heard in the first half with perhaps a HEAVY METAL identity starting to appear with excellent fifth song Dirigibles leading the charge. Influenced by BUDGIE, Saint Vitus and Black Sabbath with areas of swirling Psych/Space Rock being added for great effect.

The remaining three tracks of Bound By Gravity, Impeachment Abduction and I Don't Want To Be Remembered have their moments of dark lyrical content but Warp still play their catchy and violently aggressive DOOMED OUT grooves with flashes of Stoner Metal grittiness to sweeten the deal. The riffs are plentiful and this allows Warp to deliver an action packed album that is daring and highly imaginative when the time calls for it. 

Bound To Gravity is an album that's undeniably powerful and one that demands your full attention. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Warp for the promo.

Bound By Gravity is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Nasoni Records.

Links

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River Cult - Chilling Effect (Album Review)

Release date: May 1st 2020. Label: Tee Pee Records / Nasoni Records. Format: DD/Vinyl

Chilling Effect – Tracklisting

1.Chilling Effect 11:29

2.Left Hand Path 06:16

3.Neo Dog 03:11

4.Red Return 06:27

5.Fool's Gold 07:44

Members

Sean Forlenza: Guitar/Vocals

Anthony Mendolia: Bass

Tav Palumbo: Drums/Synthesizer

Review

Psychedelic Stoner Rockers River Cult return with their new album Chilling Effect and this comes after 2018’s acclaimed debut full length – Halcyon Days – which showed the band’s strength in creating Spaced Out Psychedelic Themes against 60s/70s Hard Rock with a cool Stoner Rock/Metal atmosphere. This album offers a similar style of music but it seems River Cult have trimmed some of the Progressive sounds heard on their last album and firmly remain in the world of Psychedelic Spaced Out Rock.

The opening song – Chilling Effect – is almost 12 minutes of Classic Rock being given a Psychedelic/Stoner Rock makeover with a heavy Space Rock presence. The sound feels quite “Indie Rock” and “Alternative Rock” at times but it works superbly well. The heavy guitars are loud and dynamically fresh in places with Sean’s vocals having an eerie 60s/70s Hard Rock approach especially when the heavier and dramatic moments appear. The song is the most “Progressive” track on the album that has a distinctive “Drone” vibe to it on the later stages of the song. The song is most definitely the standout song the album possess with River Cult playing some truly magnificent Tripped Out Psychedelic Doom Rock for the last remaining moments of the song.

Second song – Left Hand Path – opens with a more restrained approach with a simply played guitar and Tav’s great drumming bringing a more suspenseful style of Psychedelic Stoner Rock with an almost “Jam-Rock” vibe that is part of River Cult’s overall sound. The heavy feedback from the guitars brings a more mature and grown-up sound and the Punk Rock lyrics the band have written for this song allow River Cult to bring a more emotional edge to the whole feel of the entire album.

River Cult carry on the jagged Psychedelic Rock approach for the remaining 3 songs of the album with the band expertly moving between moments of Heavy Doom Rock and their trademark Psychedelic Stoner Metal grooves. The band are primarily still a Power Trio with the emphasis on POWER. As there is hidden depth and volume behind the riffs the band have written for the album.

The 60s/70s Classic Hard Rock environment is what makes this album really stand out as the band have really done their homework and focused on bringing out the best elements of that legendary musical period whilst giving it a more modern spin.

The final two songs – Red Return and Fool’s Gold – are the other standout songs on the album with River Cult making sure they have enduring appeal for the Stoner Rock/Metal masses.

If you’re a fan of Halcyon Days then be prepared for a much better album with River Cult not being beaten by the well-known “Second Album Curse” or “Sophomore Slump” that’s besieged bands in the past. Chilling Effects is a classic sounding album in every sense of the term and this is an essential album to own.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

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Mountain Tamer - Godfortune Dark Matters (Album Review)

Release date: August 24th 2018. Label: Nasoni Records/Magnetic Eye Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Godfortune Dark Matters – Tracklisting

1.Faith Peddler

2.Funeral of A Dog

3.People Problems

4.Living In Vain Part 1

5.Living In Vain Part 2

6.Nectar

7.Primitive Control

8.Wretched

9.Mydnyte

10.Riff Dealer

11.Head Over Heels

Members

Andru Hall - guitar/lead vocals

Casey Garcia - drums/vocals

Dave Teget - bass/vocals

Review

Mountain Tamer - return with another heavy round of Psychedelic Doom/Stoner Metal madness with their new album Godfortune Dark Matters. This album is quite different to their previous album. As it's a more direct and psychedelic sound that even has elements of Garage Rock held within its musical DNA.

Opening song - Faith Peddler - has a slightly murky and dirty sound but that's offset by a cool sounding Psychedelic Garage/Stoner Rock vibe. The vocals from Andru feel influenced by a wide range of different artists but still managing to offer his own distinctive sound.

Second song - Funeral Of A Dog - is a more experimental affair with various different sounds and genres combining for a psychedelic mini-freakout. The song relishes moving from sixties Psych Rock to a leaner and more modern Stoner Rock groove. The instrumental work is quite OTT but Mountain Tamer makes this work by writing original and highly imaginative lyrics.

Third song - People Problems - suffers from an identity crisis at times. As the song struggles to match the crazy psychedelic weirdness of the first two opening songs.

The band return to winning ways with the two-part song - Living In Vain Part One and Living In Vain Part Two - which easily classed as the best parts of the album. As Mountain Tamer play a heavy blend of Psych, Garage Rock. Stoner Rock and a twinge of Heavy Metal throughout both songs. The songs are very melodic and have elements of that classic Led Zepp/Black Sabbath sound running throughout it. I can hear the band being influenced by EARTHLESS as well. The upbeat mood of the songs is quite addictive as well.

The second half of the album carries on the psychedelic weirdness on superb songs such as: Primitive Control, Wretched, Riff Dealer and Head Over Heels. The album may have too many songs on the album but at least Mountain Tamer leaves you wanting more especially on Riff Dealer and Head Over Heels.

The production is handled well with the band having a more street based sound compared to other Doom/Stoner Rock bands I’ve heard recently. The album has a vintage feel to it but still retaining a heavier modern sound as well. Godfortune Dark Matters can be quite challenging to listen to at times. 

However that doesn't stop Godfortune Dark Matters offering a different style of Doom/Stoner Rock and Mountain Tamer releasing a superbly entertaining album.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Jadd at Red Lead Media & PR for the promo. Godfortune Dark Matters will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Nasoni Records and Magnetic Eye Records from August 24^th 2018.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp