stoner rock
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"Eat, sleep, fuzz, repeat", a motto I often live by, especially when I'm in the mood for some solid stoner rock. I know, the idea was somewhat stolen from Brock Lesnar but I doubt he'll ever visit a concert venue to F5 me for stealing his catch phrase. On the other hand, if Lesnar ever wants to beat the shit out of me, I'll send King Hiss at him. In no time, he'll be down out his knees, fuzzed-out, begging for more of that awesome groove.
If you don't understand the previous paragraph, don't worry. It's a wrestling thing. All you need to remember from that piece of writing, is the phrase 'awesome groove' and the catchphrase 'Eat Sleep Fuzz Repeat', because that's what Belgian stoner maestros King Hiss live by. Their second album, 'Mastosaurus' certainly proves that. It's a brilliant orgy of fuzzy guitars, dynamic drums and sheer intensity, seemingly with more influences than I expected.
The album opens with a Conan meets Soundgarden thing in 'Homeland', which immediately sets the tone for the entire album. From then on, King Hiss takes us on a massive journey, loaded with energy. In the first four tracks alone, I can hear influences from Clutch over Fu Manchu to Corrosion Of Conformity, Alice In Chains and Mastodon. 'Tourniquet' and 'Black Sea, Slow Death' are pounding rockers. Well, pretty much all the songs are.
Driving on grinding riffs and destructive drums, King Hiss delivered something overwhelming. 'We Live In Shadows' is probably my favorite track on this album. Not coincidentally it's also one of the doomiest ones. These guys have been listening to vintage doom metal a lot, that's for damn sure. They've also been listening to thrash metal, judging from some of the riffs. I'm sure a lot of people will engage in a fierce headbanging session over songs like 'Stuck In A Hoie' and 'Renegade'. 'Egomaniac' even harbours a hardcore punk attitude, which adds a lot to the variation of the album.
Another one of my favorites is the title track, which indicates an excellent sense of songwriting. Hell, even acts like Moonspell and Marilyn Manson come to mind here. There's something dark, hidden between the layers of fuzz This no longer sounds like a band of Belgian youngsters trying to copy their idols, an unfortunate feeling I had when I first encountered King Hiss. Instead, King Hiss now sounds like a world class act that will soon demolish stages and venues all over the world.
So I guess it's no surprise that this album comes highly recommended to all you stoner rockers out there. 'Mastosaurus' should be a breakthrough album. It contains the perfect sound, a convincing attitude and plenty of variation to remain interesting and maybe even to become an absolute must-have in this genre. So prepare to get your hands on this epic piece of work, you won't regret it...
Serge
If you don't understand the previous paragraph, don't worry. It's a wrestling thing. All you need to remember from that piece of writing, is the phrase 'awesome groove' and the catchphrase 'Eat Sleep Fuzz Repeat', because that's what Belgian stoner maestros King Hiss live by. Their second album, 'Mastosaurus' certainly proves that. It's a brilliant orgy of fuzzy guitars, dynamic drums and sheer intensity, seemingly with more influences than I expected.
The album opens with a Conan meets Soundgarden thing in 'Homeland', which immediately sets the tone for the entire album. From then on, King Hiss takes us on a massive journey, loaded with energy. In the first four tracks alone, I can hear influences from Clutch over Fu Manchu to Corrosion Of Conformity, Alice In Chains and Mastodon. 'Tourniquet' and 'Black Sea, Slow Death' are pounding rockers. Well, pretty much all the songs are.
Driving on grinding riffs and destructive drums, King Hiss delivered something overwhelming. 'We Live In Shadows' is probably my favorite track on this album. Not coincidentally it's also one of the doomiest ones. These guys have been listening to vintage doom metal a lot, that's for damn sure. They've also been listening to thrash metal, judging from some of the riffs. I'm sure a lot of people will engage in a fierce headbanging session over songs like 'Stuck In A Hoie' and 'Renegade'. 'Egomaniac' even harbours a hardcore punk attitude, which adds a lot to the variation of the album.
Another one of my favorites is the title track, which indicates an excellent sense of songwriting. Hell, even acts like Moonspell and Marilyn Manson come to mind here. There's something dark, hidden between the layers of fuzz This no longer sounds like a band of Belgian youngsters trying to copy their idols, an unfortunate feeling I had when I first encountered King Hiss. Instead, King Hiss now sounds like a world class act that will soon demolish stages and venues all over the world.
So I guess it's no surprise that this album comes highly recommended to all you stoner rockers out there. 'Mastosaurus' should be a breakthrough album. It contains the perfect sound, a convincing attitude and plenty of variation to remain interesting and maybe even to become an absolute must-have in this genre. So prepare to get your hands on this epic piece of work, you won't regret it...
Serge
