Spiritu/Village Of Dead Roads - Human Failures
Meteor City - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Nebula and Lowrider. Unida and Dozer. These are other groups that Meteor City has paired together for split releases. It's been a while since the label did one of these, but this one is surely welcome, especially as it sees the return of New Mexico's Spiritu after four years of silence following their critically acclaimed debut album. Not that newcomers Village Of Dead Roads disappoint either, mind you.
Spiritu's four tracks consist of heavy, Kyuss-influenced stoner grooves dragged out over more metallic rhythms, double-kick fills providing a boot up the arse to more forceful, thunderous riffs, while the singer alternately croons, groans, whispers and soars. The bass-heavy production adds a satisfyingly smooth yet forceful low-end rumble to the tracks, which somehow seem to gather both momentum and weight as the tracks progress. This is top notch material, forboding without being oppressive and memorable without decending into poppy catchiness. Now just hurry up and get another album out, lads!
Village Of Dead Roads present a heavier, harsher proposition, with arrangements occasionally seeming more indebted to the likes of Isis and Neurosis, although the band aren't averse to ramping up the tempo and rocking out in a altogether more upbeat style - the opening track of their half, 'Descendants of The Dendrites', for instance, possessing a certain rocky swagger to its riffage that adds welcome variance and presents a pleasing contrast to the down-tempo bludgeoning to follow on 'Skin Prison', which itself showcases a perfectly executed 'slowcore' closing passage that develops from a skeletal riff and simple drumbeat to more expansive climes.
It's actually pretty hard to pick a favourite act from this split - so hard, in fact, that I'm simply not going to bother trying. Suffice it to say that if you like your rock and metal slow, deep, sludgy and fuckin' heavy, Human Failures is a more than worthwhile purchase.
7.5/10 (UM's Review Rating Scale)
Meteor City's Official Website
Meteor City - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Nebula and Lowrider. Unida and Dozer. These are other groups that Meteor City has paired together for split releases. It's been a while since the label did one of these, but this one is surely welcome, especially as it sees the return of New Mexico's Spiritu after four years of silence following their critically acclaimed debut album. Not that newcomers Village Of Dead Roads disappoint either, mind you.
Spiritu's four tracks consist of heavy, Kyuss-influenced stoner grooves dragged out over more metallic rhythms, double-kick fills providing a boot up the arse to more forceful, thunderous riffs, while the singer alternately croons, groans, whispers and soars. The bass-heavy production adds a satisfyingly smooth yet forceful low-end rumble to the tracks, which somehow seem to gather both momentum and weight as the tracks progress. This is top notch material, forboding without being oppressive and memorable without decending into poppy catchiness. Now just hurry up and get another album out, lads!
Village Of Dead Roads present a heavier, harsher proposition, with arrangements occasionally seeming more indebted to the likes of Isis and Neurosis, although the band aren't averse to ramping up the tempo and rocking out in a altogether more upbeat style - the opening track of their half, 'Descendants of The Dendrites', for instance, possessing a certain rocky swagger to its riffage that adds welcome variance and presents a pleasing contrast to the down-tempo bludgeoning to follow on 'Skin Prison', which itself showcases a perfectly executed 'slowcore' closing passage that develops from a skeletal riff and simple drumbeat to more expansive climes.
It's actually pretty hard to pick a favourite act from this split - so hard, in fact, that I'm simply not going to bother trying. Suffice it to say that if you like your rock and metal slow, deep, sludgy and fuckin' heavy, Human Failures is a more than worthwhile purchase.
7.5/10 (UM's Review Rating Scale)
Meteor City's Official Website
