A three part concept album trilogy is not something easy to pull off, or sometimes even to listen to. It can be a lot. Stoned Jesus is doing this as we speak with their second part dropping next month. So far so good with Igor’s ideas. Green Carnation wrap up their story with A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex, and for this reviewer it has been a mixed bag.
You know how when you watch a TV series, then season two takes three years to make and you have to rewatch the last season to see what is going on now? That is my experience here with part three. Not because it has been too long since the last release, because these records are coming out months apart, it is more that the story doesn’t click because the music isn’t grabbing on to me as much las it did with their amazing 2020 “comeback” record Leaves Of Yesteryear.
It is not a fair comparison, but much like other records of length or multiple volumes, I think this series could have been done as a double. I get the artistry behind the whole thing, but A Dark Poem is a lot.
Unconditional Artificial Chemistry is the opener and is one of the best songs in the series. Big, heavy proggy metal goodness with killer vocals and expert playing. Never too much and just the right amount of polish for a band that has mastered that level of production. The Messiah Complex is a bit chill and reminds a bit of more proggy Queensryche in parts, but does drag a bit, until it kicks in and kicks a bit of ass.
Unconditional Artificial Chemistry is the opener and is one of the best songs in the series. Big, heavy proggy metal goodness with killer vocals and expert playing. Never too much and just the right amount of polish for a band that has mastered that level of production. The Messiah Complex is a bit chill and reminds a bit of more proggy Queensryche in parts, but does drag a bit, until it kicks in and kicks a bit of ass.
The closer of the story is more of the same, and I think that is the problem with part tree and maybe the whole thing; a lot of it is more of the same. Good stuff, but nothing that is as memorable as some of their past work. What we really didn’t need was the 17 minute orchestral suite at the end. I mean, again, I get it from an artistic point, but did I need that on my vinyl copy, no I did not.
Another mixed bag for Green Carnation with the closing part of the trilogy. I give Green Carnation a ton of credit for this very ambitious project, but I think some editing may have gone a long way, but don’t count out the A Dark Poem series. There is some really good heavy prog stuff going on that could get lost in the story and over three full records. 7/10
10,000 Years - Esox Lucifer (Ripple Music)
10,000 Years is one of those bands that has its own sound that you can distinguish from any other band out there, but you still never know what you are going to get out of their music, except that it is going to be killer. Killer is exactly what the band's new record, Esox Lucifer is.
Another mixed bag for Green Carnation with the closing part of the trilogy. I give Green Carnation a ton of credit for this very ambitious project, but I think some editing may have gone a long way, but don’t count out the A Dark Poem series. There is some really good heavy prog stuff going on that could get lost in the story and over three full records. 7/10
10,000 Years - Esox Lucifer (Ripple Music)
10,000 Years is one of those bands that has its own sound that you can distinguish from any other band out there, but you still never know what you are going to get out of their music, except that it is going to be killer. Killer is exactly what the band's new record, Esox Lucifer is.
The sonic blast of proggy psych metal goodness leverages all of the classic metal favorites of head Year Alex Risberg’s favorites, while incorporating all sorts of other heavy goodness, with some atmospheric leanings and even a bit of a Black Metal feel. The trio still manages to make all of these parts work perfectly together, giving us a heavy explosion that hangs with the rest of their amazing catalog.
My favorite tracks include the stoner ripper Pursuit Special, which has a kind of hardcore thing going on under the surface as well. Church Of The Red Museum is some killer chunky stoner with some cool tempo changes. Speaking of tempo changes, I love the change up of Alien Tactics that brings an almost thrash metal vibe to the party, and the epic title track, which really brings all of the beautiful heaviness all together, creating the perfect closing track.
10,000 Years continues to grow as a band and seem to be perfectly hitting their stride with Esox Lucifer. The right band and players and next level song writing makes this record rank right up there with the rest of their killer discography. Great stuff. 9/10
Castle - Carrie Chains (Hammerheart Records)
You want a heavy metal duo that kicks total ass? Look no further than to the discography of San Francisco's Castle, who have been bringing the doomy metal for 15 years now. Carrie Chains is album seven, and whoa boy does it kick ass (not surprising).
Right away on the opener, Fooled Again, you get killer riffs and Elizabeth Blackwell’s vocals as strong as ever. This one leans early metal and is just killer stuff, with cool tempo changes and Mat Davis ripping it up. I love the second voice that appears too. Knocks rips with strong Priest vibes and leaves me wanting a Neptune Power Federation and Castle split headlining tour. Davis once again absolutely rips it up. The title track slows the tempo a bit but to just a slower gallop, but it is missing none of the heavy. Killer heavy metal.
If we are talking metal, a track named Evil Nun fits perfectly. Musically it does too, with Blackwell’s layered vocals creating an atmosphere with a Mercyful Fate thing happening musically (of course). The Priest is strong on Carrie Chains, with Truckgrinder on multiple fronts (“feel my load”) , while Orb Weaver shows the band are fans of Alice Cooper, and that is certainly alright by me. You can’t have a truly great metal record without referencing a goat these days, so we have Goat Vision, which is NWOBHM love and is super catchy too. The closer has Davis showing off; Burn The Messenger has riffs all over the place and screams 80s classic metal from the rooftops.
Another killer shot of heavy metal from Castle, as they continue to bring it and show no signs of stopping. Carrie Chains is another killer notch on the belt of this killer partnership. 8/10
7Zuma7 - Deep Inside - Beneath The Desert Floor: Chapter 11 (Ripple Music)
Todd from Ripple Music seems to have insight into my Discogs wantlist, as he keeps finding amazing lost/out of print/overlooked records to repress and re-release as part of the killer Beneath The Desert Floor series. With Chapter 11, we get a super influential record from 1999, Deep Inside, from Dutch band 7Zuma7. This record is an early period stoner classic; a pretty much perfect record that you can hear in just about any other stoner band that has been active since 2000.
Long out of print and very expensive on the secondary market, and most of those shipping from crazy places for a small fortune, Deep Inside is a perfect snap shot of one of the “if you know you know” record that everyone who digs the stoner rock or adjacent stuff should be familiar with and real study as a historical artifact of great importance.
I mean the tone? The guitar work? The fuzzy stoner psych? Fistful Of Dolls alone is worth the price of admission. The bluesy Diamonds that you could hear John Garica singing if it was not Jerry van Eyck. Acid Manic just rips it all up, a stoner MC5 kind of thing. You even get an acoustic guitar in the mix with the psych-y Savannah. This record, front to back, is zero skips, and next level stuff that deserves the attention that it should now get from Ripple bringing this to the masses.
Thank you once again to Mr. Severin from Ripple for bringing 7Zuma7’s classic Deep Inside back to life and available, in print once again. This is a must have for any fan of the heavy stoner fuzzy goodness and is a record that truly helped to define the genre as we know it today. 10/10
Thank you once again to Mr. Severin from Ripple for bringing 7Zuma7’s classic Deep Inside back to life and available, in print once again. This is a must have for any fan of the heavy stoner fuzzy goodness and is a record that truly helped to define the genre as we know it today. 10/10
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