Album Type: Full Length
Label: Lighttown Fidelity
Date Released: December 2014
'Ananta' CD/LP track listing:
1. Ananta
2. Anchor In Time
3. Hollow
4. Ruach Elohim
5. Migraine City
6. Swordsman Of
The Crossroads I
7. Swordsman Of
The Crossroads II
8. Vy
The Band:
Alex Schenkels | vocals
Peter Taverne | bass guitar
Joep Schmitz | drums
Sjoerd Albers | guitar
Review:
Yama from Holland are a
strange entity within the Stoner Rock community. Well, that's my
perception and I mean it in the best possible way. The foundation of
their music has a rock solid foundation of rifforama just like
Stoner but with a huge difference. Not being afraid to bring other
elements, Yama has found the golden lining where influences are
perfectly incorporated with their own ideas. Usually when a band
pours too many styles into the fray, the outcome is extremely
straggly and incoherent. Yama is on the other end of that spectra
blending everything perfectly and subsequently, either intentionally
or simply by chance, have reinvented the whole Stoner Rock sound.
Another differentiating and beneficial factor is the minimal use of
fuzz.
The title
track, 'Ananta',
launches the album and has a dark atmosphere about it in the verses
only to hit totaly heaviness in the choruses. Riff by riff the song
tears me apart accompanied by Alex haunted and tormented vocals. When
Sjoerd fires off a pretty cool solo, Peter and Joep, on bass guitar
and drums respectively, simply crush backing him up. Picking up the
pace, 'Anchor In Time',
adds flavours of heavy metal mixed with the attitude of early-days
The Hellacopters only to go totally warped towards the end of the
song. Breathtaking stuff, indeed! I love Alex voice, not only because
he has a great voice, but also because he doesn't try to sound like
John Garcia like every other Stoner singer. This is no more apparent
in the fantastic 'Hollow'.
Sounding almost like Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters Of Mercy at
first, when the song explodes his power and force shines immensely.
Slow, trippy and beautiful 'Ruach Elohim'
weaves in and out through my consciousness this is the closest Yama
ever gets to a "proper" Stoner song. There is a
trainspotting moment in it...try to figure out when they go all
Mercyful Fate/ KIng Diamond on you!
Coming
across like Shrinebuilder's bastard son, 'Migraine
City' crawls along in it's quest to pound
you into the ground, bit by bit thoroughly with no remorse. Heavy and
amazing is all I can say. Very doomy in it's entire approach,
Swordsman Of The Crossroads I'
even have bluesy bits here and there. Brings to mind a slowed-down
Argus at their very best and I love it. 'Swordsman
Of The Crossroads II' and is by far Yama's
trippiest song. Just close your eyes and let the music sweep you
away...beautiful!. Ending such an electric album as this with an
acoustic opus is a bold move. Then again, Yama does not follow any
rules but their own prompting 'Vy'
to end this amazing release. Haunting, dark and eerie with some
really good guitarwork by Sjoerd the song couldn't be a better
closer.
Leading
the group of bands I've heard this year that where totally unknown to
me, Yama has the world at their feet. Having created a style of their
own, they have all it takes to gain control of the world. That might
be a bold statement by me, but these Dutch guys are phenomenal and I
love everything about them and their full-length debut, 'Ananta'.
Check them out damn it because you'll lose out if you don't!
Words by Håkan
Nyman
Thanks
to Yama for the promo. Ananta will be available to buy on CD/Vinyl from here on December 1st
2014.
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