stoner rock
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Let's start this review by getting into the biography which accompanied this album. It mentions a hotbed of rock 'n' roll in the most unlikely of places, Ohio. Now, all I know about Ohio is that it's a state, a river and a song by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The name means 'great river' in Iroquois (a native American language). I have no idea about the rock 'n' roll abilities of most people from Ohio but I know at least nine people in that state who can rock. Six of the are members of the stunning post-rock band The End Of The Ocean and the three others play in Valley Of The Sun, a high energy stoner rock band.
What we get on this third album is more stoner goodness than what's good for us. Here's one of those albums that can truly bring out the sun and the sultry heat. How do I know? Well, when I listened to this album for the first time, I was doing the dishes in a very energetic, adrenaline driven modus. From the first fuzzy riffs of 'Hearts A Flame' I was sold to this uplifting piece of rock.
Yet it isn't 'just' stoner rock. There's a lot of grunge and alternative rock influences present as well. Vocalist Ryan often reminds me of Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave). So does the majority of the songs actually, probably because of these very strong vocals. Other bands that come to mind are Truckfighters, Alice In Chains and even Anthrax. The latter is probably because of the solo guitar in 'Deep Light Burns' which sounds a bit like 'Pipeline'. However, 'Deep Light Burns' is an amazing rock'n'roll song that will get any stoner party started.
Side B (of the vinyl version) opens with another fierce rocker, named 'Aquarius'. Once again fuzzy riffs and uptempo drums blast through my speakers with high velocity and intensity. Here I'm reminded of a band like Warrior Soul and I'm actually wondering what happened to them. Yet, shortly after, I forget all about while I'm swinging again to the brilliant song 'Riding The Dunes'.
Speaking of that song, at the end of the album we are treated to an acoustic version which is simply beautiful. So is the other acoustic ballad, 'People'. These songs prove that Valley Of The Sun is more than a hard rocking stoner band. There is a very high level of songwriting, both in a full-on power rock setting and in an intimate acoustic one.
If you have any stoner rock album in your collection, any one at all and you like it, you really should check out 'Sayings Of The Seers'. This is a very strong album with the perfect amount of variation between riff-loaded heavy passages and gentle, quiet pieces of music. Highly recommended...
Serge
What we get on this third album is more stoner goodness than what's good for us. Here's one of those albums that can truly bring out the sun and the sultry heat. How do I know? Well, when I listened to this album for the first time, I was doing the dishes in a very energetic, adrenaline driven modus. From the first fuzzy riffs of 'Hearts A Flame' I was sold to this uplifting piece of rock.
Yet it isn't 'just' stoner rock. There's a lot of grunge and alternative rock influences present as well. Vocalist Ryan often reminds me of Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave). So does the majority of the songs actually, probably because of these very strong vocals. Other bands that come to mind are Truckfighters, Alice In Chains and even Anthrax. The latter is probably because of the solo guitar in 'Deep Light Burns' which sounds a bit like 'Pipeline'. However, 'Deep Light Burns' is an amazing rock'n'roll song that will get any stoner party started.
Side B (of the vinyl version) opens with another fierce rocker, named 'Aquarius'. Once again fuzzy riffs and uptempo drums blast through my speakers with high velocity and intensity. Here I'm reminded of a band like Warrior Soul and I'm actually wondering what happened to them. Yet, shortly after, I forget all about while I'm swinging again to the brilliant song 'Riding The Dunes'.
Speaking of that song, at the end of the album we are treated to an acoustic version which is simply beautiful. So is the other acoustic ballad, 'People'. These songs prove that Valley Of The Sun is more than a hard rocking stoner band. There is a very high level of songwriting, both in a full-on power rock setting and in an intimate acoustic one.
If you have any stoner rock album in your collection, any one at all and you like it, you really should check out 'Sayings Of The Seers'. This is a very strong album with the perfect amount of variation between riff-loaded heavy passages and gentle, quiet pieces of music. Highly recommended...
Serge