Album
Type: Full-Length
Date
Released: 14/4/2015
Label: Svart
Records
‘Middle
of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’ CD//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Intro
2).
Silent Pictures
3).
Coming Down from Outer Space
4).
Laser Headlights
5). Red
River
6).
Infinite Skies
7).Center
of Everything
8).
Outro
Acid
King is:
Lori
S. | Vocals, guitar
Joey
Osbourne | Drums
Mark
Lamb | Bass
Review:
It’s
been a decade since Acid King last released any new studio material. ‘Middle of
Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’ is the bands fourth long player and sees the
legendary three piece packing serious power and heaviness yet again. A product
of the Bay Area, the band has constructed a well built new album choc full of
hypnotic, repetitive fuzzed up riffs, laced with highly skilled drumming and
esoteric vocals that shift you to another world.
The
album is bookended by Intro and Outro that appear to be the same jam, split
into two sections. The whole album feels like one long jam session which shows
a cohesive looseness in the playing of the band. Although there is a jam
element, the songs are layered and build magnificently. ‘Silent Pictures’
melodic guitar line helps the song soar in its centre.
‘Coming
Down from Outer Space’ feels just like that with the densely fuzzy main riff
being shimmied along by the drums of Joey Osbourne. The vocals again, lift the
song to a different echelon and are a superb accompaniment to the music. Lori S
really is a visionary and is completely unique in her vocal and musical
delivery. ‘Center of Everywhere’ sees Lori’s vocals distorted and unnerving
alongside the music.
Each
of the tracks on ‘Middle of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’, move at a trudging
pace with psychedelic overtones popping up throughout the duration. ‘Red River', 'Infinite Skies’ and the albums title track hook you in with their panache and
grace. It is a joyous amalgamation of guitar and drum. ‘Infinite Skies’ main
riff would sit on any Black Sabbath album in terms of its heaviness and
repetitively dark tone, as the bass of Mark Lamb holds the whole album together
in a very succinct and unassuming way barring the end of the title track where
he takes centre stage to lead into the album closer.
There
are countless stoner and doom metal bands around in the modern era, however
when you get a band like Acid King that have been around for over two decades,
you have to feel a sense of excitement over a new release. They helped write
the book of stoner/doom/fuzz rock emanating from the early nineties, and their
new opus is one of absolute greatness. The eight tracks on, ‘Middle of Nowhere,
Center of Everywhere’, flow majestically and organically. This is an album that
will only mature and sound better each time. As Lori S proclaims in the albums
press release,
“We
never played this music for popularity. There are no rules. We do
everything how we want to. Acid King has always been driven by that.”
Amen.
The album artwork is awesome too.
Words
by: Dominic
Walsh
‘Middle
of Nowhere, Center of Everywhere’ is available here
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more information:
