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What
you get with Green & Wood is not what you get when you
listen to any other stoner rock band. For starters,
there is clear effort in ‘the’ song, instead of on the
subsequent lineage of riff after riff after riff of
blues based normality. For enders, where others groove
and mostly attempt ineptly to groove through tepid
arrangements, these Los Angelinos motherfucking groove
like la-la happy acid drenched burnouts. And virtuosos
at that; the solos are colorful and in occasions crazed
(“Construct of Fear”), the riffs are in instances, so
basic they are classic. The one for “Darkest Hour” seems
to have been written a couple of times before and by
other bands, but all the same, Green & Wood play it just
right. Plus, the effervescent fury of the guitars is
simply electrifying.
Besides, if
stoner rock was ever supposed to be a throwback to the better
days of yore, then Green & Wood do it better than all. The label
is right when they cite Blue Cheer and Pentagram as influences.
As those two influenced generations as much as were influenced
by others; the metallic stoner of Green & Wood has its Sabbathic
roots in a place and style that is timeless. Green & Wood play
heavy rock music. Beautiful heavy rock music.
Like all
good ol’ classic stoner, Green & Wood are a guitar band and what
a plethora of riffs does this debut packs. Wosinska and Fowler
are definitely a pair in agreement. The fury of their work,
their insurmountable speed and escalating scales at times
reminisces of the NWOBHM. But, no, for me, Green & Wood is
a little more doom, a little more stoner and a little weirder.
I am a
little confused as to the lineup. The record lists Green & Wood
as a trio (guitarist Magdalena Wosinska, bassist Scott Crisp and
guitarist/vocalist/drummer Ethan Fowler), but the image on the
back of the LP shows five members and some of their MySpace pictures show
four. But worry not, if Green & Wood can reproduce such mammoth
riffs as a trio, then things are just fine.
This record
comes in a beautiful gatefold release and includes a poster and
a dropcard for a free download. Vinyl rules!
MySpace
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