The Second Coming of Heavy – Chapter One Geezer/Borracho

To paraphrase the great George Michael, “splits are natural, splits are good, not every band does them, but every band should”.  The splits I'm referring to are split albums, in which two or more bands divide up the territory available, whether it be 7 or 12 inch vinyl, cassette, or CD, and give us their best shots.  I'll just say this right now; all hail to Ripple Music for planning a series of splits, which they are calling “The Second Coming of Heavy”, and doing them right.  Beautiful artwork, strikingly colored vinyl in multiple variants, and most importantly, kick ass tuneage.  This is the first of many splits to come from Ripple, and if this is any indication, these are a must for any collector of heavy music.

I started with the Geezer side of the split, and it didn't take long for my ears to perk up and think, “damn, this is some tasty stuff”.  They offer up 4 tracks of some heavy blues, very reminiscent of the Delta blues of which I just can't get enough.  It sounds old school but very new at the same time, one of the things that a good band is able to do.  You can hear their influences, their reference points, but what they do is distinctly their own.  If you never thought of old school Delta blues as being heavy, go spend a week listening to Robert Johnson and then come see me.  There is an innate heaviness in the blues, and Geezer nail it.  All 4 of their tunes are enjoyable and a good listen.  The vocalist puts me in mind a bit of Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, which is a fine thing.  Not that he sounds like a carbon copy, just things that he does with his vocals here and there make you think, “now where have I heard that before”.  The songs are well written and well played and I dig what these guys do.

Borracho take up the other half of the split, and they prove they belong right from the start.  Their brand of heavy is more on the stoner rock side of things, with some nice bluesy touches on “Fight The Prophets”.  They seem to be a band that is comfortable with what they want to do with their music as they fire on all cylinders through the three songs on this release, flowing seamlessly through riffs and tempos and making it all sound effortless.  They definitely live up to the heavy billing with songs that hit like a Ronda Rousey left hook.  On “Shark Tank”, they also manage to conjure up a winding, serpentine riff that adds a sweet psychedelic feel to the track, which they play off of throughout the song.  They are definitely a band you should know if you aren't already familiar with them, because they bring their “A” game every time out.

This is a fantastic split.  The bands go together well, the art and packaging are first class, and the vinyl variations are awesome to behold.  This is a release that is well worth adding to your collection, if you can find a copy.  Its also well worth the search.  This is one second coming that I can totally get behind.

- ODIN