Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 18/03/2017
Label: Independent
No fuss, no messing about, just good quality
stoner/doom of the finest order. Check this album out and check the band out
live: I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.
“Green” CD//DD track listing:
1). No Where to Nothing
2). Heroic Elegy
3). Primitive
Drive
4). Green
5). Eclipse King
6). The Wheel
7). Vultures Mass
The Review:
Mage, hailing from the East Midlands , are one of those bands that can appeal to
lots of different metal heads. There are lots of elements here- stoner, doom,
sludge, rock n roll- with vocals more akin to Ben Ward of Orange Goblin than, say, Phil
Anselmo. All this makes for an accessible yet still weighty sound.
The
album sounds great- nice and thick with big sounds that suit the groove laden
material. “Nowhere To Nothing” kicks things off in groove-some style- a
statement of intent. “Heroic Elegy” is much slower,
veering closer to sludge type territory (Crowbar, not EHG) while “Primitive Drive
The
title track takes the listener over the half way mark, with a murky main riff and
a swinging but slow feel. Nice wah on the verses, too. The faster section down
the back stretch is a treat as well- cracking track. The doomier vibe of “Eclipse
King” works nicely in heralding in the latter part of the album and
brings with it great imagery in the lyrics (great chess references amongst
others).
“The Wheel” puts the pedal to the
metal (in the realms of stoner/doom anyway!) and sets up a ripping track with
a chugging and shuffling riff; four and
a half minutes of joyous head banging fare- well, with some slow stuff in there
too. The closing monolith if “Vultures Mass” is a ten minute epic
of slow burning moods (and fuzz bass!) which ends the album on a high note. My
favourite on the record, in fact. Seven tracks is just the right length for an
album of this type- all songs are uniformly strong and hang cohesively together
well. There is nothing here under four minutes except one exceptionally epic
track. No fuss, no messing about, just good quality stoner/doom of the finest
order. Check this album out and check the band out live: I guarantee that you
won't be disappointed.
“Green” is available here
