I’ll start
off by saying I’ve been meaning to get this review out for over a month now and
I’ve been slacking big time. Not just reviewing this record, but finding the
time to dedicate to any writing about music lately. Frankly it’s not because I
don’t want to rave on about albums; more so, it’s about me just wanting to keep
listening to more and more music every day. It’s an epidemic and a first world
problem that we are fortunate to be living with these days. Anyhow, not to
ramble on when I’m supposed to be promoting the upcoming debut album by San
Diego’s own, The Great Electric Quest, otherwise known as the Oceanside, CA
boys TGEQ, Buddy Donner (Guitar), Tsweat Dingvell (Vocals), Adam “The Mayor”
West (Drums) and Caleb Quam (Bass). The band made their name a couple years ago
with their self-titled demo album released back in 2013. We all took a liking
to the high energy rock outfit then and we all adore the fact that they are
about to debut their full length album soon on a heavy slab of wax of epic
proportions.
‘Ogrelude’ opens the voyage with a
purring rhythm before quickly thrashing into furious metallic fuzz shredding
like Slayer versus the Scorpion King duking it out in the southwestern desert
over a plume of reefer residue. Not unlike …And Justice For All era Metallica where the song intros
trampled mammoth riffs for minutes on end before the vocals even begin, Ogrelude attacks its introduction with
just over 5 minutes of instrumental prowess greasing the ears just enough to
overcome the wax build-up. It shows elements of thrash metal, shades of doom,
and an overall riff expression of stoner rock. Not a bad combination and leads
into song 2.
‘1901’ hole shots out of the gate fuming
with a Deep Purple meets Motorhead matchup with riffs and vocals throttling
across the southwestern deserts like Kyuss on octane boosters. The molten chords
are galvanized by the melodic vocal hammering of Tsweat Dingvall. Serrated
riffs jab upon shields of doom, shattering into bits of bluesy proto-metal.
Flammable echoes of Viking Metal ignite into stonerized solos of fury.
‘Madam Elbib’ showcases a classic doom
approach with a deep, heavy riff fronted by sinister vocal moans and a
profoundly creepy tone, while ‘Damn You’
erupts with an oozing space rock swagger ringing with euphoric melody morphed
with demented cries of the Buddy Donner battle axe! Think Mothership meets
Nugent officiated by Mustaine. Tripped out stoner metal of the highest order.
‘Cry of the Wolf’ starts off
highlighting the somber yet muscular vocals slowly churning into a heavy blues
harmony loaded with occult jammage. Featured as a bonus track on the digital
release, Cry of the Wolf also featured early on this year as a single
As the album
plays on the progression from the previous EP is obvious as the Southern California clan prove their agility in
straddling a heavy bluesy groove with power metal riffs. The Great Electric
Quest impressed the hell out of me standing alone in a scene saturated with
either uber droney doom or trendy desert stoner rawk. They don't quite fit in
with any cliché sounds and there's no gimmick, just straight up rock n roll
full of energy and brimming with meaty grooves. Get in early on the pre-order
Greens package on sale which includes the sick looking splatter wax, and
one random chance at containing a Green ticket which wins you the chance to
bring the band to your home town to play a private show at the location of your
choosing.
-The
Huntsman
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