AAWKS : "On Through The Sky Maze"

 

This Canadian band rumbled with a fuzzed-out doomy fury. Snarled vocals serve as a menacing ambiance while the bleak plead of the main vocals falls closer to what is expected of this bong-stained strain of heavy metal. It is darker than I expected which appeals to me. Too many stoner-friendly jams turn into long-winding boogies. The vocals have a droning whine that is not hooky but provides a narrative that fits the picture being painted here. The second song finds them switching it up with more ebb and flow thanks to the creepy bass line or palm-muted tension. I like their use of samples which works really well here. 

While the vocal approach does not vary greatly from song to song, I like how effects are used on his voice for "Lost Dwellers" though they are getting more into that boogie territory I was referring to earlier. Things shift more toward doom at the end, but the bulk of the song is more bad hippie-dancing metal. Things get doomier for "Caerdroia". The vocals serve more purpose though the song itself does not feel as focused as the bulk of the album has been up until this point  "The Figure' flows better, and some Sabbath worship begins to creep in here, 

Before it drifts off into space, things are rumbling in a more freewheeling direction for "Wandering Supergiants". The vocals make more of an attempt at singing and it makes me prefer the previous approach.  Something similar happens on "Drifting Upward" which makes more of an attempt to add melody. The layers of sounds help compensate for the weaknesses of the vocals. "Cursed Soul" goes back into more of the realms of the boogie. They do make more of an effort to write songs rather than just getting high and jamming. I had to give the last song three listens before I was able to pay attention, it starts off with a guitar solo, and the vocals are some of the album's most effective so that gives it an edge even when the riff kind of wanders around. I will give this album an 8.5, while it is not something I am going to listen to a great deal, they made the album they set out to and it's a good soundtrack for the smoke sessions they had planned for it. 

pst99