Black Rainbows

Hawkdope

Written by: BV on 10/04/2015 22:58:03

Black Rainbows is a band I have previously acquainted myself with to somewhat mixed results. Upon my first encounter with their music I found it to be promising, yet not all that amazing, whilst lacking something recognizable. With their newest album, “Hawkdope”, Black Rainbows definitely contend for the coolest album title of 2015, but whether or not the music on the album matches the level of the title is still a question to be answered.

As the album opens with the fuzz-riffing “The Prophet” it sure does sound promising from the get-go. The punchy fuzz guitar makes an initial impression that seems to have stuck with me throughout a few weeks by now – suggesting that it is without a doubt the catchiest track on the entire album. Musically speaking though, there are some far more interesting things going on, as we progress further through the album. One needn’t look any further than the title track and its whopping duration of a full 9 minutes of explorative fuzz rock. Throughout these 9 minutes, the drumming takes us through the ferocity that defined the sound of bands like Kyuss and Fu Manchu, whilst the throbbing low-end of the bass, the scooped fuzz guitar sound and the howling vocals lean much more on later stoner rock stylings like those of Nebula, The Atomic Bitchwax and even a few hints of Sungrazer added for good measure. It’s a brilliant take on the stoner rock sound altogether and while it sure as hell isn’t innovative it’s nigh impossible to resist its infectious groove.

With that said, it is important to note that “Hawkdope” is without a doubt the highlight of the album as a whole. While the acoustic “Waiting for the Sun” is endearing in its own right with the semi-psychedelic echoing vocals and the repetitive acoustic guitar riff complementing each other, it still only comes across as a novelty track which does nothing to add or subtract from the final musical product. The same can be said about tracks like “Killer Killer Fuzz” – it’s a cool groove and everything, but it fails to convey the ballsy attitude and infectious melodies of the remainder of the albums heavier tracks and as such becomes somewhat obsolete in the grand scheme of things.

Nonetheless, it seems to be no joke when Black Rainbows front-man Gabriele Fiori claims this particular album to be their best yet, because I’m finding it rather hard to disagree with him. What I found weak about Holy Moon seems to only be present at very low levels at this point and Black Rainbows are without a doubt developing in the right direction. One or two albums’ time from now they’ll be a proper force to be reckoned with throughout the stoner rock community – if they won’t already with this particular beast of an album.

8

Download: Hawkdope, The Prophet, No Fuel No Fun
For The Fans Of: Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Nebula
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 14.03.2015
Heavy Psych Sounds


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