It's been a
while since I've been really excited about a new Small Stone Recordings
release. As evidenced by our last
rundown of a couple early gems on the roster, I'm obviously full of shit.
In fact, there's rarely a day that goes by that I don't at least think about
listening to a band living in the Small Stone headquarters, which if you
haven't donated
yet, the headquarters was hit by a tragic flood some weeks back and could use
some financial help to ensure our stoner rawk appetites are continuously
fulfilled.
Speaking of
appetite, Lo Pan's latest album Colossus
stuffs your palette with enough substance to quench your musical munchies and
sustain a dreamy, stoned state of mind long after sobriety. The razor
sharp fuzz sears the speakers like a bald eagle talon grasps an Olympic torch
soaring over the Grand Canyon. Towering riffage floats amongst polished
vocals throughout an onslaught of musical luster.
From the
first hammer down on the distortion laced fretboard of the lead single Regulus, to the relentless slappage of
bass throughout The Duke, Colossus
proves worthy of its name. Tracks like Black
Top Revelation initiate a commanding groove, catchy like a blonde bikini
clad biker babe throttling her hog down the open desert highway.
The entire album exceeds any sort of high expectation you should have had for the band. Colossus demonstrates a defining sound of the new wave of heavy stoner rock. Fuzz based progressive riff rock with a punk pace and the precision harmony of heavy metal.
Much like the album cover portrayal, the music is sharp and symmetrical, confident and boisterous, and worthy of a double take, or triple play in my case to absorb the full experience lurking within its own shadow. Lo-Pan has spawned an accessibly heavy as hell rawk n’ roll masterpiece with tantalizing vocal moans registering laterally to label mates Sasquatch and Deville.
My only beef with this album is a slab of oozing sirloin steak to accompany it's smoldering feast of stoned out riffs. Cooked to perfection with an aroma fit for dive bar brethren alike. Colossus has conquered the ranks into becoming a quintessential stoner rock powerhouse not to go unheard. They are touring the US NOW with Black Cobra and I for one am thrilled to get a chance to see them live in my home town of Reno/Sparks at 'The Alley' on 9/30/14. As far as venues go, The Alley is hard to beat with its grungy, dive atmosphere and a sound system and acoustics capable of blowing the joint's doors into the Land of Oz. I can only imagine Lo-Pan live in this setting and I shall soon find out as I missed their last pit stop a couple years back. Pre-orders for digital, CD, and vinyl are up over at bandcamp linked below. Colossus will be released in early October. Don’t be shy, order up.
The entire album exceeds any sort of high expectation you should have had for the band. Colossus demonstrates a defining sound of the new wave of heavy stoner rock. Fuzz based progressive riff rock with a punk pace and the precision harmony of heavy metal.
Much like the album cover portrayal, the music is sharp and symmetrical, confident and boisterous, and worthy of a double take, or triple play in my case to absorb the full experience lurking within its own shadow. Lo-Pan has spawned an accessibly heavy as hell rawk n’ roll masterpiece with tantalizing vocal moans registering laterally to label mates Sasquatch and Deville.
My only beef with this album is a slab of oozing sirloin steak to accompany it's smoldering feast of stoned out riffs. Cooked to perfection with an aroma fit for dive bar brethren alike. Colossus has conquered the ranks into becoming a quintessential stoner rock powerhouse not to go unheard. They are touring the US NOW with Black Cobra and I for one am thrilled to get a chance to see them live in my home town of Reno/Sparks at 'The Alley' on 9/30/14. As far as venues go, The Alley is hard to beat with its grungy, dive atmosphere and a sound system and acoustics capable of blowing the joint's doors into the Land of Oz. I can only imagine Lo-Pan live in this setting and I shall soon find out as I missed their last pit stop a couple years back. Pre-orders for digital, CD, and vinyl are up over at bandcamp linked below. Colossus will be released in early October. Don’t be shy, order up.
-The Huntsman
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