This duo kicks up a big, dark, dirty sludge sound that rumbles with a more Jucifer-like 90s vibe. The chords come crunching down, but the heaviness is sonically enveloping with raw jagged edges like an indie rock band, back when indie rock was on small labels. The second song 'Stellar Ghosts," has a cosmic trippy edge but at least acknowledges doom's evolution from classic metal, rather than just being an aggressive psych sound. There is more Melvins worship than Sabbath. In fact, the rough-hewn, more Hawkwinded way they got after the song has a touch of punk to it. These guys are from Denver, so I can hear where a ton of bong hits went into the making of this album. There is a moan to the vocals that reminds me of Kim Gordon at times, to further my punk past suspicions
"No Space or Time" chugs and lumbers along a more grungy path. Not as dark or delirious as the previous songs, it almsot feels celebratory. It has a playful shuffle, eventually descends into an ambiance. "Lethe / Oblivion" is darker and more tripped out as the vocals emerge from a reverbed-out haze. I can hear how this act might wrestle with the sound vs song debate, as the werid sonic swathe of sound bathing everything is a big part of their identity, keeping them from being another indie sludge band. The lo-fi production only adds to their charm here. It does collapse into a heavier stomp by the end of the song.
"Swerve" finds the bass line carrying the groove, there is almost a Butthole Surfers vibe in how it winds around to bask in its own spaced-out drone. 'Dead Love" closes the album. It feels more like a garage rock take on doom, with some eerie atmosphere mix behind it. I will give this album an 8, it's fun and is a more casual jam with plenty of experimentation. I tend to prefer more vocally driven music most of the time when it comes to this sort of thing and the vocals are more of a texture so if you just want to the spced out stoner thing then this album is for you.
pst555
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