Is there a desert in Spain? If so, that's exactly where you can find Elephant Riders, jamming away in perfect stoner rock tradition. The releases I'm about to review today include the latest single and a reissue of their 2014 album 'Supernova'. After this album came out, drummer Antonio Correa parted ways with the band. He was replaced by Dimitris Aggelidis shortly after but such a line-up change always has its effect on the evolution of a band. Anyway, at this moment it looks like Elephant Rides are finally on their way to stonerstardom.
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Challenger
'Challenger' is the newest single by this band, actually an improved re-recording from a song that appeared on a previous demo. The song 'Challenger' is a very enjoyable, high-energy stoner rock song with enough power to get any party started. Catchy riffs, pounding drums and a great and raspy voice fill the room and heat up the air inside. 'Lone Wolf' is a whole lot slower but it's not really a ballad. This is just a very strong downtempo stoner rock song. These two songs are very good examples of what this band sounds like today and they surely make me hungry for more.
'Challenger' is the newest single by this band, actually an improved re-recording from a song that appeared on a previous demo. The song 'Challenger' is a very enjoyable, high-energy stoner rock song with enough power to get any party started. Catchy riffs, pounding drums and a great and raspy voice fill the room and heat up the air inside. 'Lone Wolf' is a whole lot slower but it's not really a ballad. This is just a very strong downtempo stoner rock song. These two songs are very good examples of what this band sounds like today and they surely make me hungry for more.
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Supernova
The full-length 'Supernova' was the official debut for this trio, filled with groovy riffs and a whole lot of fuzz. Musically, they can stand next to bands like Truckfighters or Fu Mancho but judging from this album, they still had a long way to go. The album opens with solid rocker 'Dressed In Black', a high energy rock song that could stand perfectly on any Desert-fest like stage. 'Escape From Planet Earth' brings more stoner goodness with excellent vocals. I actually like these vocals a lot more than the ones in many other bands.
'Animal Eyes' makes me doubt a little. On one hand it's a slow song that sounds like it's written in the very beginning of the band's history but by the end it becomes a great psychedelic anthem. This is a feeling I have with several songs on this album. Though it's really good and highly enjoyable, they show a band that still has to evolve and grow into their own sound. Roughly I could say that these are quite generic stoner rock songs with a flash of genius shining through sometimes.
That being said, don't think that 'Supernova' is a bad album, not at all. 'Vultures' is an excellent song that shows a more than decent knowledge in songwriting. 'Poor Lonely Joe' shows the blues side of Elephant Riders and is quite a beautiful song. 'The End Of The Road' is an immense vintage hard rock ballad. So there's a lot of capacity in this band, a lot more than 'Supernova' shows. Like I said in the 'Challenger' part of this review, Elephant Riders is growing and evolving. I hope they're writing new songs and if they are, I'm quite curious about them...
Serge
The full-length 'Supernova' was the official debut for this trio, filled with groovy riffs and a whole lot of fuzz. Musically, they can stand next to bands like Truckfighters or Fu Mancho but judging from this album, they still had a long way to go. The album opens with solid rocker 'Dressed In Black', a high energy rock song that could stand perfectly on any Desert-fest like stage. 'Escape From Planet Earth' brings more stoner goodness with excellent vocals. I actually like these vocals a lot more than the ones in many other bands.
'Animal Eyes' makes me doubt a little. On one hand it's a slow song that sounds like it's written in the very beginning of the band's history but by the end it becomes a great psychedelic anthem. This is a feeling I have with several songs on this album. Though it's really good and highly enjoyable, they show a band that still has to evolve and grow into their own sound. Roughly I could say that these are quite generic stoner rock songs with a flash of genius shining through sometimes.
That being said, don't think that 'Supernova' is a bad album, not at all. 'Vultures' is an excellent song that shows a more than decent knowledge in songwriting. 'Poor Lonely Joe' shows the blues side of Elephant Riders and is quite a beautiful song. 'The End Of The Road' is an immense vintage hard rock ballad. So there's a lot of capacity in this band, a lot more than 'Supernova' shows. Like I said in the 'Challenger' part of this review, Elephant Riders is growing and evolving. I hope they're writing new songs and if they are, I'm quite curious about them...
Serge