doom
"Relaxing Hawaiian Doom Sludge", there you go. That is what you will get when you purchase this album. Well, according to the band it is. I had no idea what "Relaxing Hawaiian Doom Sludge" really is but now it's one of my favorite things in the world. So buckle up and get ready to listen to one of the most surprising doom metal releases ever.
Cambrian is a band from Honolulu, a place which isn't really know for its rock and metal scene. In fact, when you think about Hawaii you'll probably imagine that lingering lap-steel guitar, right? Now imagine Sleep and Black Sabbath getting it on with that thing.
The result is something utterly fascinating. The album opens like pretty much every modern day doom metal album: with earth splitting riffs. Yet, then that steel guitar comes in and transforms the whole thing into an immersive piece of melodic doom. Right after opener 'Melt', the long track 'Seaweed Shaman' rapidly becomes on of my favorite doom tracks of the year. That steel guitar is still very present, as it pretty much always is on this record.
Yet, besides that typical Hawaiian instrument, this band also manages to create epic sludge doom metal. I already mentioned acts like Sleep and Black Sabbath but you can just as well add Earth and even Pink Floyd to their list of influences. Both acts inspired Cambrian to add these slow but psychedelic guitar solos that just make you float on a lava stream of dreams, or something like that.
I happen to know that there are two types of lava flow in Hawaii, "aʻā" and "pāhoehoe". This music is best to be compared with the latter. Much like pāhoehoe Cambrian's doom metal slowly drags itself through the speakers and across the room, rather gently and smooth, unlike the sharp and pointy aʻā. So yes, "Relaxing Hawaiian Doom Sludge", because even through the heavy riffing and the intense nature of doom metal, this music is friendly.
Besides, let's not ignore the fact that these are great musicians. I have been enjoying the hell out of the Pink Floydian blues track "Mobular" which leads the way for "The Lethargic Hours", a vast and stunningly beautiful piece of music. To be honest, I'm shocked and surprised, in a very good way. I can only recommend this album to all my doom, ambient-rock, post rock and sludge metal friends. This is a once in a lifetime thing...
Serge
Cambrian is a band from Honolulu, a place which isn't really know for its rock and metal scene. In fact, when you think about Hawaii you'll probably imagine that lingering lap-steel guitar, right? Now imagine Sleep and Black Sabbath getting it on with that thing.
The result is something utterly fascinating. The album opens like pretty much every modern day doom metal album: with earth splitting riffs. Yet, then that steel guitar comes in and transforms the whole thing into an immersive piece of melodic doom. Right after opener 'Melt', the long track 'Seaweed Shaman' rapidly becomes on of my favorite doom tracks of the year. That steel guitar is still very present, as it pretty much always is on this record.
Yet, besides that typical Hawaiian instrument, this band also manages to create epic sludge doom metal. I already mentioned acts like Sleep and Black Sabbath but you can just as well add Earth and even Pink Floyd to their list of influences. Both acts inspired Cambrian to add these slow but psychedelic guitar solos that just make you float on a lava stream of dreams, or something like that.
I happen to know that there are two types of lava flow in Hawaii, "aʻā" and "pāhoehoe". This music is best to be compared with the latter. Much like pāhoehoe Cambrian's doom metal slowly drags itself through the speakers and across the room, rather gently and smooth, unlike the sharp and pointy aʻā. So yes, "Relaxing Hawaiian Doom Sludge", because even through the heavy riffing and the intense nature of doom metal, this music is friendly.
Besides, let's not ignore the fact that these are great musicians. I have been enjoying the hell out of the Pink Floydian blues track "Mobular" which leads the way for "The Lethargic Hours", a vast and stunningly beautiful piece of music. To be honest, I'm shocked and surprised, in a very good way. I can only recommend this album to all my doom, ambient-rock, post rock and sludge metal friends. This is a once in a lifetime thing...
Serge
