November is Doom - Tortuga : "Iterations"

This is the Polish band's third album. They balance the fuzzed-out desert rumble with nuanced atmospherics. The vocals sit back in the mix. They are sung simply when they emerge on the first song. The singer keeps things in a reedy tenor. The wheel is not being reinvented here, though there is ample room for progressive wandering. They do have a retro sound but it is mixed in a more modern m manner than most. Within the eight and a half minutes this song explores they manage to credit a jammy feel. "Lilith" is marginally darker with its more solemn melodies and moodier guitar phrasing.    

Their drummer is great, which keeps things moving to compensate for the lack of focus coming from the vocal melodies and layered guitars. There is a cool melodic passage midway into the song,. When the song tries to move in a heavier direction the fuzzed-out guitar overextends itself. "Laspes" has more of a psychedelic drone to it. The drums add jazzy flourishes to spice up the groove. The vocals finally come in halfway into the song and really do not offer much. The song winds down in a more simmering jam;  

"MALACA"  is even more of a jam with samples taking over the space vocals normally occupy. drone  "Quaus" drones forward in a dense throb of sound.  There are plenty of cool sounds at work here, but they echo out over a dirge. A robotic voice chants for the harmonies. The last song rides a drone that does not really progress anywhere. I will give this album an 8, if you are looking for some after-noon retro metal to get baked to this should work.Out on Napalm Records. 

                                                                                        

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