-=- SHGZ -=- * Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal * ARTIST..: Holy Serpent ALBUM...: Temples GENRE...: Psychedelic Rock STYLE...: Stoner Rock, Doom Meta YEAR....: 2016 LABEL...: RidingEasy ENCODER.: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 BITRATE.: 286 kbps avg QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo SOURCE..: CD TRACKS..: 5 SIZE....: 88.51 MB URL..: http://www.facebook.com/HolySerpentBand/ - TRACKLIST 1 Purification By Fire 8:03 2 Bury Me Standing 5:59 3 Towards The Sands 7:56 4 The Black Stone 9:32 5 Sativan Harvest 11:45 Total Playtime: 43:15 The concept of "skate-rock" has been around for many years, but it has never been embodied as well as on Temples, the new album by Holy Serpent. Typically, the term has defined bands with members who skateboard, or with lyrics about the culture. And, the genre is inexorably tied to 70s hard rock culture crossed with punk values and energy. But, not only does Temples exemplify that sound, the music itself is like a soundtrack to the experience: slow grooving passages can shift on a dime into fast thrill-ride riffs. There's an exhilarating freedom of movement to the sound, as there is to skating. In the short time since their self-titled RidingEasy debut in mid-2015, Melbourne, Australia's Holy Serpent have gained a lot of attention for their rather punk version of heavy psych and metal. Fittingly, there's a strong vibe of early Soundgarden, Saint Vitus and Kyuss to Temples in that it's undeniably heavy, but also clever in its experimentation with subtle tempo shifts, multiple vocal effects and other production techniques. But it's still more Sabotage than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Temples is heavier in tone than the first album, and also more sonically rich and aggressive. The 5-song, 44-minute album finds vocalist/guitarist Scott Penberthy, guitarist Nick Donoughue, bassist Diamond Dave and drummer Danny Leo (new drummer Lance Leembrugen has replaced Leo since recording to complete the live lineup) expanding the hooks while simultaneously taking listeners on a rigorous ride. "We've found playing slow all the time got a tad boring so we've mixed it up a bit with tempo changes and added more parts to each song to make them sort of flow like a story," Penberthy says. "The challenge was making sure it still flowed as it should. µAll killer no filler' was a bit of a motto this time around when writing the songs." Album opener "Purification by Fire" emerges slowly from a primordial swamp of a reversed gong crash, synth swells, guitar feedback and lightly plucked bass notes before it all coalesces into a driving but slow-burn riff that spans the length of the fretboard as the drum patterns also subtly shift and slide underneath. It's a brilliant effect, albeit one you might miss if you're not paying attention. "Bury Me Standing" launches full throttle with a raging guitar solo over a driving riff/rhythm before a quick about-face into a march as Penberthy's effect-soaked vocals wail above the proceedings. The song builds slowly upon its elements until Penberthy howls an impassioned plea. Album centerpiece "Toward the Sands" further pushes the tempo changes and sonic experimentation to great effect as the song effortlessly turns on a dime from fast rager to doom, while all sounding cohesive and melodically infectious. Album closer "Sativan Harvest" is an epic nearly 12-minute multi-part journey, built around a central blues motif that drifts into a massive haze of droning guitars set to fat rhythm pickup tone as it swells then recedes, only to restructure into a mutated version of the original motif that eventually abruptly ends with violin, cello and synths in a slow fade into the ether. * Let me open with the same words I used after the first seconds of listening. Holy shit! Holy Serpent! Holy Serpent's latest album is something absolutely amazing and insane. In this latest release, Temples (RidingEasy Records), the Melbourne based quartet completely expand their sonic journey through a much more heavier and massive sound compared with their self-titled debut album (Holy Serpent). Here, the tunes are atmospheric and heavy, and the slow grooving passages perfectly mix with the vocals of Scott Penberthy that, in some passages closely remind one of the finest voices of the grunge scene of the 90's, Layne Staley. What I found really interesting in this album, is the perfectly mix of doom, stoner and grunge, where (slowed) Black Sabbath fuses with Alice in Chains, Fu Manchu and Acid King. All without disdaining more psychedelic passages, as in the best tradition of the 60/70's. The album opens with Purification By Fire, where slow-burn riffs, rhythmic and massive patterns of bass and drum slowly accompany the listener into dark and heavy atmosphere, where the vocals really remind to the best Layne Staley. This long opener ends with a riffage close to Acid King. One of my favourite tracks. It follows Bury Me Standing, a song which starts with a powerful wha-guitar-solo and then suddenly change tempo, perfectly declining the doom concept of Saint Vitus around the howls of Penberthy. In Toward the Sands, Holy Serpent expand their sonic experimentation, as the song constantly turns on a dime from fast rager to doom, and where we can hear in some passages the echo of Monolord's Cursing The One (from their amazing album Vaenir, RidingEasy Record). The same groove can be found in the next The Black Stone, possibly the song with one of the heaviest, slow and obsessive rhythmic of the whole album. And, mind you, is not a note of disappointment, indeed. Simply amazing. Temples closes with a 12 minutes long journey through Holy Serpent, Sativan Harvest, a three-pieces song which is built around an epic stoner/doom riffage that drifts into haze of droning guitars. Here the tunes are, if possible, even more fat, slow and dark. Around the sixth minute, the psychedelic change in pure Pink Floyd style gently introduce a massive dose of heavy and elephantine riffs, where the vocals become, if possible, even more intensive and profound. The third part of Sativan Harvest accompanies the listener towards the end of Temples, where guitars, bass and drum give way to synths, strings and cellos, in an ending that leaves you speechless, where the dark atmospheres of the whole album are replaced by a deep sense of calm, where doom meets Bj≈rk. The perfect ending to a great album. * The snake is writhing; the storm is brewing from beginning to end with "Temples." Clocking in at 43:19 seconds, Holy Serpent delivers five songs the way music was meant to sound √ heavy, psychedelic, fuzzed out sludge. And the Serpent, on this their second record, have seemingly perfected their sound. I point this out because it usually takes most bands several records, maybe three or four, to truly dig deep within themselves and pinpoint their musical identity and really work that out on a sonic level. Holy Serpent managed to do just that right here. The band is re-inventing the wheel with this record, they're making said wheel much more efficient and effective. Its better parts Cathedral and Sleep, fused together, performed as only Holy Serpent can. The bass and guitars drive this record. Heavy wah-wah, down tuned, low end, that dance and play around a wall of distortion, mapping song routes and musical direction for singer Scott Penberthy's hypnotic, almost dream-like vocals that define and carry each song. "Temples" isn't doom or sludge for the sake of such. The songs are well done, well structured, that speak to you on visceral levels, stimulating cortex and neurotransmitters. They're easy to connect with and stay connected with. "Purification by Fire" opens the record with a somewhat sinister, ominous vibe, building and prodding along, laying the foundation of what to expect with "Temples." Slow, methodical and dirge-like at times, is a great way to describe second song "Toward the Sands," however, there's a buried gem at the 6:25 mark with an up tempo Sabbath meets Cathedral boogie-groove type section, which quite frankly, I'd like to have heard more of, but, what a cool way to cap off the end of this song, I really dug it, it fit perfectly. "Bury Me Standing," track three, reminds me a lot of Sleep but changes tempo and goes full on Serpent. The guitar parts on this song are remarkable, they really guide this track from start to finish. "Sativan Harvest," like "Toward the Sands," hits that melancholy, dirge like vibe again, but harder, slower, allowing Holy Serpent to showcase that sheer wall of sound technique they've been developing throughout this record. Capping off "Temples" is "The Black Stone," a dreamy, psychedelic slab of distortion laden goodness that properly ends the record. All in all, "Temples" is a great record. Holy Serpent nailed it. The songs are well crafted, well-structured, the vocals are right on and the music is perfect parts psych, doom, sludge and out right heaviness. Don't hesitate, buy "Temples" immediately. -=- SHGZ -=- P.S. ** Thanks *** *** BCC FNT IPC SSR *** *** For Knowing Where The Music Is At *** *** Props to CaHeSo, awesome Asian Indie/Shoegaze *** *** And to FANG/HOUND for supporting all the Indie lovers out there *** --===-- ********************* * NuHS we miss you! * *********************