Tuesday 26 January 2016

PROPHETS OF SATURN - RETRONAUTS 2015

Guest writer - Doug E Dogg

This is quite frankly fucking awesome !!.....a 4 piece...
from the Midlands of the UK....very hairy.....vocals, guitar bass and drums
.....massively heavy and doom laden....it sounds like I'm describing 
Sabbath doesn't it ?...but No. Fair enough, there are more than the usual 
amount of comparisons to be drawn but with this genre of music if there 
aren't some then it wouldn't be properly heavy would it ? Its plain to the 
listener that this band love early Sabbath and also have Electric Wizards' 
"Dopethrone" on repeat play in the tour bus....and also have an 
appreciation of Hawkwind circa '71 to '73....I'll explain that shortly.


Lets have a look at the 4 great tracks they have created for our 
head nodding entertainment...

1. Retronauts - 8 minutes of the very highest quality doom space 
stoner containing massively enjoyable riffs that just burrow 
into your brain and refuse to get out again ! Having been listening 
predominately to Lemmy's output from the late 60's to date for the 
last week or so, this track has a certain Hawkwind-ish feel to it 
with the big repetitive riff, vocal phrasing and overall driving 
sound not dissimilar to the long sprawling live tracks on the Space
 Ritual album from '73. Absolutely marvellous...in fact if this track 
was just extended by say, half an hour, I'd be even happier !

2. The Ultra Wizards - as it starts it appears to be a slightly more 
upbeat number being more stoner than doom but then halfway 
through a mega heavy doom riff is introduced which takes it down
 into a very dark place indeed. Mmmmm !!

3. Witchrider - This has the pacing and feel of Sabs "Fairies Wear 
Boots" and bowls along like some unstoppable force, all the time 
seemingly picking up speed and getting nastier the longer it goes 
on. A brisker than usual take on doom...apologies for the constant 
Sabs references but I like classic old Sabbath very much and view 
such comparisons as a complement rather than anything derogatory 
when the band concerned have produced something so good.

4. Damavand - Ahhh...16 minutes....that's more like it.....Nice 
gentle intro gives way to a brutal all instrument assault which 
could be used as a soundtrack to a film about a medieval siege where 
the attackers have a massive battering ram with which they are trying
 to get into a castle ! The early riff most satisfyingly morphs into 
the stuff of dreams then all of a sudden we have an atmospheric
 eerie section to get our collective breath back before it all starts up 
again before finally fading out with whining feedback ringing in 
our ears......Phew !
I suspect the recording studio floor after tracks 1 and 4 were 
completed was covered in shredded plectrums, lumps of finger 
tip flesh, blood, pieces of fractured cymbals, broken drumsticks
 and discarded drum skins !!

I just have one minor quibble....its only 36 minutes long......

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