Sweeps, Sticks & Stuns

Wreck Plus - Dark Construktor (EP) (2016)

“YOU'VE JUST STEPPED INTO A TIME MACHINE, AND IF ALL IS RIGHT... WELCOME TO 1976.” Feels about right, coming out of Paris France these guys do a 70s thing well more on the Horisont side than the Graveyard side if you know what I mean. Production is top notch with buzzy fuzzed out guitars and heavy on the refurb vocals (with a scream!). This is pretty much what I wanted from Truckfighters but they haven’t scratched that itch in a while. First track and title track “Dark Construktor” sits somewhere in the Vol. 4 era of Sabbath era tunes but this isn’t close to worship. It’s not exactly grand funk either which makes the band interesting. They’re obviously gunning for the 70s throwback thing but there’s a lot of unique stuff going on in to pull you in right off the bat. The crazy breakdown / ballad thing that happens 4 minutes into the first track gives you hints of how expansive this little EP really is. Second track roles right off the bat adding a little low end to the mix and letting the rhythm section shine a bit more. A change in vocal dynamics even gives it a bit of an Alice in Chains sound (just a hint). Things take a darker turn and we’re treated to some pretty cool dark choir vocals under some nice high riffage (and later high gloss organ!) Intermission “Arturia: Stellar Blacksmith” is heavy on the synth setting us up for the second half of this EP. REALLY nice touch, I feel like I found some old laserdisc that’s about to pull me through my TV and into the 4th Dimension. Leading into Starcrossed Lovers which almost has a Deep Purple vibe to it heavy and straight forward with a high squeal. Closing track “Esoterhythm” closing things out with some thunder. Heavy on the cymbals and heavy on the high riffs Wreck Plus play us out with a bang. I’m hoping these guys follow up with a concept full album, the attention to detail is fantastic.

~ Dan

For Fans Of; Truckfighters, Master of Reality / Vol. 4 era Sabbath, Kyuss, Horisont, Captain Beyond

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Wreck Plus - Dark Construktor (320 kbps)

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Hurtling Through The Cosmos...

Axis Orbit - Axis Orbit (2015)

After their excellent debut EP last year, Axis Orbit (who seem to have dropped the / from their name) are back with a full LP of their spacy heavy psych rock, with some tracks from the EP given a polished reworking for inclusion.  They start off with "Hazy", a suitably smooth glide into smoky sound to establish the album's attitude, then float off into the rest of the album, with a diverse character set by song titles such as "I Can't Feel a Thing", "In the Summer", and "You Were a Friend of Mine".  Bleary fuzzings from the guitar and gut-level throbbings from the bass melt together with cracks from the drums to stave off the grogginess that could easily be induced by such heady material, but it's not all manic reverb.  Some bluesy soulfulness comes through at times (as in the previously-mentioned "I Can't Feel a Thing"), with the strings switching to sweetness until "Riot Canal" flows in to burn things down.
The music takes something of an acid western turn in the album's second half, with cleaner guitar popping up (maybe most notably in the just-barely-restrained vibes of "The Owl") and a more sentimental attitude taking over the riffing, noodling, and vocal stylings.  It helps build a strong sense of AO's creative depth, and handily blows up any misconceptions that they might be just another heavy psych band.  Not to say they can't do that when they want to, as the low-tone down-tempo moodiness of closing track "Infidel" emphasizes, but there's certainly more than the usual to be found in this spacy cycle.  A run of 300 vinyl copies is available through Nasoni Records (or directly from the band, with a bonus T-shirt), so if you've been looking around for some deep musical musings for repeated ear-dives, get on this.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Brain Pyramid, Groggy, Merlin, Snake Thursday, Tuber

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Axis Orbit - Can't Get High (320 kbps)

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