Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 07/04/2017
Label: Independent
“Beyond The Sun, is overflowing with everything one
could want from a great stoner rock record, thick, rumbling bass tones,
sizzling guitar fuzz and infectious, mid tempo riffage, making this the kind of
album that is very hard to stop listening to
“Beyond The Sun” DD//LP track listing:
1.Beyond The Sun
2.The High Priest
3.Living In The Sand
4.Magnetic North
5.Lawless
6.Quest For Clarity
7.A New Hope
8.Foresee The Future
9.Chrononaut
The Review
“Beyond The
Sun”, the second album from Canadian trio Woodhawk, is overflowing with
everything one could want from a great stoner rock record, it is bursting with
thick, rumbling bass tones, sizzling guitar fuzz and infectious, mid tempo
riffage. Woodhawk may be a stoner rock band
before they are a metal band: guitarist/vocalist Turner Midzain soulfully
bellows strictly clean vocals, the band doesn’t use subterranean tunings and
tempos, as laid back as they are, are still brisk enough to outpace the Electric Wizards and Weedeaters of the world. That being said, “Beyond The Sun” still delves deep enough
into metal territory to stand on its own as an admirable stoner metal album, as
well as an exceptional rock album.
The album opens with its title track, a haunting,
ambient track that instantly conjures images of strange, alien deserts, like
the one depicted on the album’s cover. Dynamically, the track builds with a
wonderful and meticulous patience, creating an enveloping aura of sound for
listeners to lose themselves in. The spacey atmosphere of the album’s title
track is echoed in the tracks “Magnetic
North”, “Forsee The Future” and
the Star Wars themed “A New Hope”,
but “Beyond The Sun” is certainly not
a repetitive record. Each one of those tracks tackles their galactic aesthetic
in a unique and original way and the rest of the album pursues entirely new
musical avenues. Tracks like “Living In
The Sand” and the album’s closer, “Chrononaut”,
feature riffs crushing enough for any metal head’s standards and the entire
album is brimming with tight hooks effective enough to lodge into your skull
for days.
The standout track on “Beyond The Sun” is perhaps its sixth track, “Quest For Clarity”. Beginning with a deliciously chunky bass line,
“Quest For Clarity” roars through
absolutely irresistible riffs and effectively dark vocal harmonies. The result
is the doomiest, most memorable track on “Beyond
The Sun” and the best soundtrack to wandering an ancient desert to be found
anywhere.
“Beyond The
Sun” is the kind of album that is very hard to stop listening to. The songs
are diverse enough to maintain interest but just similar enough to make for a
very cohesive listen and gives the album an instantly recognizable sound. The
riffs are so catchy you’ll be humming them long after you remove headphones and
the songs are so good you will be craving the next chance you get to sit down
and listen to them again.
