By: John Slaymaker
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 10/11/2012
Label: The Church Within Records
‘The Green Vapour’ is an album for Sleep fans, for doom fans, sludge fans and weed hounds. Lord of The Grave have come full circle with the line up and produced a 45 minute, 5 track fuzzed up groove laden masterwork. Now buy it and succumb to the ‘Green Vapour’!
‘The Green Vapour’ CD//DD track Listing:
1) Raping Zombies (15:17)
2) Green Vapour (7:53)
3) Horsepuncher (6:40)
4) Mountain Rites (7:54)
5) 00/15 (6:15)
Lord of The Grave is:
Rob Grave | guitar, vocals
Sam Wart | drums
Michael G Low | Bass
The Review
Quote: If ‘Lord of The Grave’s sound had a physical presence it would have the texture of a dug up decomposing dead warrior Orc’. Okay so Lord of The Grave come off somewhere between Electric Wizard and Sleep but they definitely have their own vibe in the process. They trudge in, fat and slow like some kind of overweight infantry division. ‘Raping Zombies’ is 15 mins + of dirty filth sludgy tones, pounding drums and heavily stoned vocals. What strikes me most about their sound and comparisons to Wizard and Sleep, is the passion of the process of just playing. Every band has to have an influence from somewhere and here Lord of The Grave pace themselves just right, with the song structures happily twisting through the sludge that they portray as their own sound. Quite rightly!
‘Green Vapour’ introduces itself from the burning ashes of the first song, nice and peacefully melodic. A clean guitar naturally shows us the path and after two minutes we are knee deep in bong water grooving our arses off. The artwork to this album is so typical to this genre, but also is typically good too. Green smoke emitting from the eye sockets of an empty skull.... with a Rams head thrown in for good measure. Hooray. ‘Horsepunchers’ opening bass riff does remind me of the High on Fire song ‘10,000 years’. Nice mellow twin guitar leads keep the general vibe comfortably happy until we punch out the horse and doom out on the bass again. Sweet!.
‘Mountain Rites’ continues the more groove than doom policies but as I am no purist, I can truly get down on it with these dudes. Their obstinate passion for keeping this well paced skunk laced opus in order is the crisp production and their own self belief in doing the music that they truly believe in. I miss the meaning of the title of the last song ‘00/15’ but I am happy with this, because I am hand fed riffs of great groove and stature. ‘The Green Vapour’ is an album for Sleep fans, for doom fans, sludge fans and weed hounds. Lord of The Grave have come full circle with the line up and produced a 45 minute, 5 track fuzzed up groove laden masterwork. Now buy it and succumb to the ‘Green Vapour’!
You can buy the CD here or from most good stockists and DD can be found at your usual stockists.
