Labels: Relapse
Review by: Alex Deller
One of those weird bands who leave me fairly cold but are revered by people whose opinions I generally trust. I’ve tried with their records, I’ve seen ’em live, I appreciate Mike Scheidt’s lifer status and still… eh. Since this one is supposedly the godhead, it’s probably the one I’ve tried hardest with: first when Profound Lore released it, again when Southern Lord plopped out a vinyl edition and intermittently ever since until this Relapse re-reissue. It’s funny, too, since on paper all the parts add up to something I should enjoy: undulating stoner-doom with a sense of the apocalyptic about it; vocals that refuse to stay in one place (roar / shriek / groan / chant) and a psych-swaddled vibe that adds to the vast sense of cosmic churn. And yet here I am, the better part of ten years in and still wondering what it is I’m missing. Can you help?