Connoisseur : " Over the Edge"

The most aggressive stoner metal you will hear. These blend a broad range of metal and punk influences to create something that at times comes very close to being death metal thanks to the growled vocals. The second song "All Day Every day" is only 41 secons long, but doesn't come across as grind core. There is more of a punk attitude to "Maxium Hashism". The bring in clean guitar tones for "Boulevard or Broken Bongs". The vocals are heavier than the almost indie rock like shuffle of the music under them. The only problem with some of these songs that is under two minutes is I find myself not being able to distinguish which one is which. The transition from "Weeding out the Weak" into " It's lit" is the first time this happens. Even though there is a pause and "It's Lit " more like a quick grinding ditty.

They hook me back in for "Live to Smoke".  They punk hooks that they employ remind me at times of  S.O.D and even some of the more yelled punk vocals reaffirm this connection for me. "I'd Rather Be Smoking Weed".  There is a slight crusty feel to " The Answer". This album could have very well come out in the mid 80s when punk and metal were really crossing over like this, as I can hear hint of even the Cro-mags sprinkled in. "Mala Yierba" has a fucking mean riff driving it. My rule is cool riffs alone do not make a good song, and these guys have the cool riffs, but keep them coming in a way that crafts them into good songs. Their energy makes up for the straight forward approach they take.

The problem with punk influences is they are bound to cross over into the kind of punk that I don't like which happens on " the Doctor" .  I like how "Plague Mask" drifts into a darker almost black metal like place. At 3:36 it's the album's longest song. There is a very melodic guitar riff that leads into the bong worship on "Cashed Out" , but it's more of an outro than an actual song unto it self. I will give this one an 8.5 I liked it way more than I thought I would going into this.

Connoisseur: "Stoner Justice"

I'm a little confused is this what happens when you break edge ? I'm a little confused how this hard core punk has anything to do with smoking pot. This is not psychedelic hardcore, its just run of the mill old school hardcore. The bass player is decent. They obviously have some thrash influence. It hits you like a bag of hammers and the death metal like break down on "Full Blown Marijuana Addict" is cool, but I suddenly realize I am on song four not two like I thought. So all the songs run together and sound somewhat the same until they start slowing it down.

The first hint of a different guitar tone is at the beginning of (Destroy the ) Smoke Machines. The more doom filled sludge they slow into is more fitting for bong worship. I can't imagine how anyone can get stoned and still be this angry. Is this heavy? Yes. Is that all you need from music? I would think if you are heady enough to smoke pot you would want to think deeper into this sort of thing. I did get high and listen to death metal back in the day. I got high and listened to old Converge. I could hear deeper layers and maybe you might hear then hear, but I think there first has to be something you can see the door way to sober before you explore it high and this album is nailed shut.

"Sweet Buddies" is not the first song I hear some Storm Troopers of Death influence. There is a cool riff to the brief "Brick Weed" , then the grind core thing after it is a blur. The obnoxious element that puts the punk in hardcore punk shows its snotty face to many times. "New Amsterdam" find them proclaiming they always want to live in a world where the weeds flows free. There is a cool thrash tinged riff to "Smells Like Teen Dispirit". I like the sampled that is over the solemn riff to the closing song, some girl ranting about drugs. "Ashes" is what the whole album should have sounded like.

It's well played, has some bite to it, but the smoking hymns seem a little forced lyrically. I'll give this a 5. It rides the line. Its well done in many ways , but nothing special in some many more that the weed gimmick seems contrived. I'm not smoking to this , but perhaps this is what you have been looking for. In that case it comes out June 9th.