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So
bring up the doom. Maybe the sub genre has never had a more
prolific nor healthier phase than now, but it is for good
reason. Besides, who am I or who are you to complain? Over
population is not the problem. Crappy bands and shitty people
are the root of it and we must yank it with passion. Besides, it
ain’t over ‘til FM radio taps into the sub genre that we shall
all run for cover or self-destruct Maxwell Smart gadget style.
Enough
bitching. As I understand it, the biggest problem with doom, is
that too many bands think doom/stoner/sludge is about
minimalism. As a result shitty playing, lack of chops, and
half-assed execution may be the unfortunate coup de grace
for the genre. Most of those bastards would be wise to take a
couple of lessons from MA’s Black Pyramid, who through the
course of two songs deliver an impassioned performance, smartly
never forgetting that doom or whatever you want to call it
today, is not about minimalism. “Visions of Gehenna” is vast, at
the drums you got Clay Neely, anchoring the massive open field
that the guitars and bass have grounded. The track has got the
groove, the lines are delivered through the gut, and the chorus
has got the accent; in riff, voice and the slight psychedelic
solo. “Caravan” is even more interesting. It kicks off in clean
fashion; with ballad-like strings, only to slowly build to an
unsteady beat. One of those with back chants and an undecided
tempo that relentlessly hammers your head for almost seven
minutes. Fellas don’t look like toddlers, and sound miles from
it. Black Pyramid has only one demo on their backs but their
beards tell me they’ve been at it since way before The Sword put
out an album.
Hailing from
way across the globe, the majestic land of the rising sun, more
exactly Nagoya, Japan, are Eternal Elysium. Veterans of the
scene with their formation dating back to 1991, this trio has a
more corrosive sound. This 10 inch has got some crisp to it, so
much so, it almost sounds as if the label had actually sent me
the vinyl version of it. “Shadowed Flower” has an entrancing mid
tempo to it that’s marred by what sounds like two or three
carpets of guitars. The vocals are great; classic in its
clarity, they approximate the pitch of a Mike Patton circa the
time when he actually sung and wasn’t that concerned with mere
fuckery. The wah-wah heavy solo jams because it goes so long,
because it strips the song to its bare essentials and because it
informs the uninformed listener that Eternal Elysium are not
necessarily influenced by the doom acts of today. No sir, these
dudes revere to history. They bow to it, and to prove it they
have filled this song with stylish solos.
And if you
thought blues could only be made by Americans, think again dumb
ass. “Northern Smile” has more soul than three Kenny Wayne
Shepards in their blonde mane. Sure, this trio only keeps it up
for a few second before shifting to a more elaborate version of
boogey rock, gone sad doom and reverted back to boogey, but damn
I am impressed. This 10” is rounded by two more songs, “Absent
Pain” and “Views on A) B) C)” both which display the band’s
penchant for jamming and epic songwriting. The latter, like its
oblique title shows, rocks out in space ways the only way it
knows, the right way.
Black Pyramid MySpace
Eternal Elysium MySpace |
