This is not what I expect out of Germany. Soulful folk with a boogie back bone. The reverbed out guitar of ''Moden Times" feels like a clearer indication of who this band is than the more introspective musings the album opened with. I would not say it's heavy when they find their groove, but it does not lounge in the sun cracking beets open either. This might be where their European footing factors in. It is darker than what you think of when blues based rock music comes to mind. Wovenhand is a fair comparison. Less apocalyptic in scope. These guys are not digging into their Bibles anytime soon. There is a tension with the sonic bombast. They make the eight and a half minutes interesting.
'Collector" finds the band , jamming things out more, while holding down a denser groove that is infected with booming ambiance. Impressive sounds, but not as catchy as the previous song when it comes down to song writing. The vocals shift into a more soulful baritone that wanders the simmering sonic expanse they bring to life under them. Cleary he can sing. At time Jim Morrison in feel, the vocals are acrobatic. Not the range of Jeff Buckley but similar approach. The second part of "Circles" also wanders out into jammy territory, with a passing awareness rather than just making music the point of writing album is to make songs.
At three and a half minutes we get to hear how well they do when things are stripped down to a no frills song. The vocals glide around rather than conforming into a chorus. The ambiance to "Passing' is like a jam the Greatful Dead would get lost in after the acid kicked in. Cool sounds that never get anywhere, and they take too long to not get there. The last song "Flamethrower" I had to give another listen to fully digest. After that came another listen to see if I heard right when the song just drifted off. Yeah that is what happens , but it works in the bigger picture when you consider what this band does. I will give this album a 9, I like what these guys are doing.
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