When you hear 'stoner' with 'metal' usually three or so bands come to mind, and that generally much puts the genre to rest. Why? Stoner metal always seems to go through the same motions that bands like Sleep made popular years ago, conveniently forgetting about the 'holy-fucking-shit' that was Volume One. Perhaps they're all so damn high they can't tell the difference, which is probably the answer. Problem with these bands is they never seem to know where the genre needs to move because they just can't move to begin with. As it is, it keeps spinning down the same puke-laced, post-high Cheetos toilet bowl and it's pretty much ready to hit the sewage system after a couple more swirls. At times, some of us don't mind licking at the bowl, but really, can bands out there push the envelope some? Pull out that fine big bud, maaaaan, skip the mids yo. Jerusalem came and went, move on, we already smoked it up for hours with that one. But Lord of the Grave are a little too high it seems, like they're going to keep playing well after the crowd stops listening.
Lord of the Grave play stoner doom that doesn't take a second to figure out, even if you're bombed out of your mind. The five-or-so note riff of the opener "Holy Vitus" slowly trudges into view with head held low, feet dragging on the ground berobed in fuzzy distortion, the drums slowly wake up at one in the afternoon, and the bass falls to rest with the necessary background sludge for depth. And, of course, the singing comes off like Holy Mountain the second it begins. Wait, is this "Dragonaut"? It isn't? You sure? That's one problem immediately at odds with the supposed coolness of stoner metal as it appears in Raunacht. Lord of Grave sound like a Sleep cover band; the music sways back and forth like a lazy pothead surrounded by a haze of smoke in some bar where the bands stopped playing hours prior and the guitars sound like they've been high for about twenty years. There are no surprises here, none at all, you come into this knowing what to expect and take it in with every puff of the roach. And that's what this is, a tiny, nearly burned-out roach that you'll probably Cough on. I thought that one up myself.
That might be fine for some fans out there, but twenty years later some of us need to see the style taken to new levels. Really, Lord of Grave have the style down pat, it's just that it's not their style, it's someone else's, and it's not clear they realize that, or anyone else for that matter. Some of the riffs are pretty awesome, and turned up loud they'll lead to a sublime trip down memory lane. In terms of the songwriting, really only one track here pales and it's the final one, "Raunacht" which ends off with an irritatingly long fade-out where five minutes into it you can barely make out their fingers moving on what sounds like frets. Could have ended it sooner, but it's a minor gripe in comparison to the simple, albeit solid, structures of the songs. These guys have the stash you've been craving, but when you're sober working the shift at Walmart the next day, you might not remember much of it. Who is Lord of the Grave in essence? They're a definition of a definition, that's about all. File it away and forget about it unless you need background fodder for a bong-swathed night watching "Night of the Seagulls".
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Written by Arkus
