Aptly titled album from these Ft. Worth stoner doom wall of heavy fuzz. Saw the guys live in Ft. Worth when Pope and I flew out to the area for the Mothership album launch. Kyle from the Ship told me I had to see these guys, that they'd blow me away with their twin bass assault. They did. And still do. Bass Mountain is 5 songs of righteous, floor-rattling, bass-loaded, gravel-throated, sonic heavy psych exploration. Groove and melody hold it all together as the bass guitars simply blow the wax outta my ears. Well worth listening to. I bought my copy at the show. Go get yours.
Oh my God! That voice! Sometimes you need to let the heaviness fade into the distance and let the ears calm down. That's where Darin Bennett's voice comes in. "Holdin' Me" is one of the most soulful slices of deep country, swamp-laden blues that I've feasted my ears upon in ages. Slow and languid, yet brimming with life and soul. And that voice. Back in the day, Hootie and the Blowfish shot to the top of the charts, not on the basis of their rather generic songs, but on the back of Darius Rucker's voice. Darin has a voice like that, it can capture you, bend you over, twist you sideways and hurl you into some soulful dimension of anguished pain, long miles and dusty roads. Don't fight it, just let it wash over you.
Electrified, way-psyched out Texas blues from this Corpus Christie outfit. Laying down a thick and heavy groove with enough sonic exploration and extended, mind melting jams to satisfy the wanderlust in everyone's ear canals. Thick and tasty like a Texas Bar-B-Q. Smokey and acrid. Full of fuzz, wah, and whatever other psyched-blues explosion you can name. Savory enough to sink your teeth into. Just the way I like it.
A killer, full-tilt assault of stoned out, heavy rock n roll. Great guitar tone and vocals to match as the band tears through a deserted highway of 11 tracks, all with maximum groove and fuzz. Reminds me of Greenleaf in a head on collision with Fu Manchu somewhere in the desert Kyuss. And some dude is standing by the wreckage sporting a boom box blasting some classic Soundgarden. Classic retro-70's rock, stoner vibe and modern grunge. And it all happens under a polychromatic sky of the setting sun becaue these guys don't simply ride one groove and one riff into oblivion. They play with the dynamics and textures and paint an entire panorama. As good as Small Stone is, this is one of my favorite releases of theirs in a while. An embarrassment of riches, really.
Bludgeon me. Pummel me across the scalp. Slap me sideways and call me Betty. From the opening super-doom sludgefest of "Intro (the Cave)" I knew I was in good hands, but when the track clicked over to "Monday" and onto the stomping "Demon Lover" I was a mashochistic slave to the doomsex that S.I.M.B. served up. On the always cool Ozium Records, this is no hold's barred rocking doom rock. Some stoner-vibe, some mayhem. All good. Well worth the time spent.
--Racer
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