Saturday, March 13, 2021

Making Heavy Contact...

Stonus - Séance (2021)


Keeping their momentum going from the release of their first LP about this time last year, the Cyprian quintet of Stonus are back with their third EP. Coming together at just under twenty minutes across the three tracks, the band leads off with “Evil Woman”, a gritty blend of heavy and hard rock, working a riff that circles through repetitions of trailing off and coming back in force. Tasty guitar tone and plenty of cymbal action keep the energy high, while the breakdowns show a desert rock-ish poignancy and streaks of psychedelic spaciness.

“Messianism” takes over from there, keeping up the fuzzed guitar hooks but sliding in a bit of darker tone on the bass side. The riff approach gets changed up, too, opting for more of a back-and-forth slide, to compelling effect. Again, it's in the breakdowns that the band really shines, with the instruments coming down enough to let the vocals bask in smoky enticement, then some knotty guitar-work amping things up for a big finish. Lastly, “El Rata” slides the style dial further over into desert rock territory, with a thrumming bass hook dominating the track. Riding the waves to a mid-song climax lets the band spend time exploring the aftermath for the song's remainder, soaking up more sun-baked vibes as they navigate craggy chords and wade through the fuzz. Quite a fun set of songs, and one to spike up the ears of newcomers to the group's output. Electric Valley Records are putting out a stylish vinyl treatment on March 26th, but pre-orders are going fast, so you might wanna jump on that right this moment if you want one for your collection.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Acid Elephant, Craneon, Kyuss, Manthrass, Tuber

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Stonus - Evil Woman (320 kbps)

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