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doomedandstoned · 10 months

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‘Superunknown Redux’ Brings Together a Host of Underground Talent

~Review by Billy Goate~

Magnetic Eye Records has done it again. They've pulled together some of the most intriguing and accomplished artists of the heavy underground to pay tribute to a legendary album. The last go-round, it was Alice in Chains that got the redux treatment, and now attention is turned to their Seattle peers, the one and only SOUNDGARDEN.

It's no secret that Soundgarden has been influential on many of the musicians featured. Indeed, upon this writer, as well. Their 1995 classic Superunknown established the band's visionary songwriting and instrumentation, and Soundgarden delivered such a virtuosic performance on the album, one wonders how it can be covered at all.

Let Me Drown by Ufomammut

With that said, these are not merely covers, they are loving reinterpretations. In the case of Italian juggernaut Ufomammut, their rendition of "Let Me Drown" is a ghostly allusion to the late Chris Cornell.

My Wave by High Priest

"My Wave" has played out as a kind of grab-it-and-go philosophy of life for me for decades now, its lyrics rejecting that urgent fanaticism that makes us all anxious to parent one another. "Hate if you want to hate, pray if you want to pray, don't come over here [and] piss on my gate, save it just keep it off my wave." High Priest takes the song and elevates it to a place of mystical glory.

Fell on Black Days by Marissa Nadler

If you loved the original album, this won't replace it and you may even feel that some of the songs are uncoverable and "Fell on Black Days" is one of them, namely for how personally the lyrics relate to Cornell. On the other hand, sometimes a song is so good that it begs to be loved by another artist. Chosen for this song: Marissa Nadler, an American singer-songwriter who has been widely praised for her Gothic stylings and sanguine sound. Here, it feels as if we really did drown after the opening track and we're hearing the song sung from the ocean depths.

Mailman by Somnuri

I was excited to see Chicago Doomed & Stoned Festival alumni Somnuri tackling "Mailman," as it's an ideal fit for their temperament. It's such a seething, lonely song about betrayal and revenge, but I've visited it many times in my life. The Brooklyn trio does a fantastic job with it, with vocals that are powerful in their own right and a few menacing touches (the later contrast of clean and dirty vox, for example).

Superunknown by Valley of the Sun

Valley of the Sun takes "Superunknown" for a spin with a certain low-riding desert rock energy and vocals that admirably reach for those famous soaring highs. There are even some Doors-esque organ highlights that seemed perfectly in place, proving how a good song can transcend its original arrangement.

Head Down by Frayle

"Head Down" is a song that perfectly captures the apathetic resignation of deep depression. Frayle hone in on the sparseness of the composition with searching guitar riffing and a creepy, haunted vocal performance that brings alive the pernicious voices of doubt and fear ("We see you laugh, we see you dance, we take that away everyday").

Black Hole Sun by Spotlights

"Black Hole Sun" is another I was skeptical about, but Spotlights have really won me over with their version of it. The contrast of soft singing and strumming guitar and bass was compelling in itself, but the band doubles down on awesome with crackling, fuzzy low-end during the verses and entrancing vocal harmonies. At times, I may prefer this to the original (and that's partly because I don't want that great song to be spoiled by over-familiarity)

Spoonman by Horseburner

I really like what Horseburner does with the famous "Spoonman." Once again, a confident reinterpretation that showcases the band's strengths, namely gnarly guitar, low-end heft, and earthy, roaring vocals. I was happy to hear the contrasting section of both strumming and dueling strings and some bad-ass drumming.

Limo Wreck by Witch Mountain

"Limo Wreck" is a great example of why I think of Soundgarden as doom first, and all other genre distinctions second. It's a dismal affair and Chris Cornell's performance is once again inimitable and, frankly, carries this slow 'n' low ballad. Thankfully, Witch Mountain was chosen for the job and Kayla Dixon's knack for dramatic story-telling helps in convincing us.

The Day I Tried To Live by Beastwars

Beastwars have successfully remolded "The Day I Tried to Live," one of my least favorite songs on the original album, into something I really enjoyed. It's unhinged, agitated, and beastly. Howling Giant stole the show on the AIC Redux with their incredible "Rooster" (our Song of the Year in 2020), and Beastwars comes damned closed to doing it with this one. Their performance is really something else, laying on the Soundgarden worship on thick and projecting something monstrously terrific.

Kickstand by Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows

Jack Harlon and the Dead Crows do much the same with "Kickstand" turning this quick and dirty song into a dreamy psychedelic space rocker that mines the sound for undiscovered emotion. Another cut that elevates the music into something epic, even ethereal.

Fresh Tendrils by The Age of Truth

4th of July by Marc Urselli's SteppenDoom

The Age of Truth summons a heroic sound, transforming "Fresh Tendrils" with sterling chords and rampaging drums. Meanwhile, Marc Urselli's SteppenDoom give us an eerie rendition, not as caustic as Thou's celebrated cover, though the vocal approach is at times quite grizzly. The whole experience is like a warped VHS soundtrack, with spooky whistling sounds as if to suggest the hearing of the wind.

Half by Dozer

I was so happy to see Dozer on the list, especially after the success of their recent album which has pushed the band forward artistically in many ways. They turn this odd little number into a bonafide stadium rager.

Like Suicide by Darkher

Without doubt, "Like Suicide" is one of the most emotionally honest and tragic songs on the record. If I recall the lore correctly, Chris Cornell said this song was inspired by a bird who had a fatal encounter with a sliding glass door, as if an omen. No one can really match the intensity of the original performance, of course, so Darkher had the idea of turning it into a blurry-eyed and beautifully stoic reflection.

While nothing can replace the genius of the original Superunknown, this collection is nonetheless quite welcome and I'm sure choice cuts will show up on playlists of mine. Now I'm ready to check out the Best of Soundgarden, which follows a similar format, without being glued fastidiously to any one album.

Give ear...

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doomedandstoned · 1 year

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Hertfordshire Trio ORME Probe The Frightening Depths of Drone Doom on Debut LP

~Review by Billy Goate~

Artwork by Richard Stevenson

Listening to the self-titled debut by UK doom-drone trio ORME, I get the feeling that they wanted to create something truly wicked. The last time I remember feeling this way was after hearing Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails for the first time. Artistically, different works entirely; yet, perhaps not too distant spiritually.

Dismal energies permeate the 42-minute long first track, "Nazarene." As the piece opened, I felt as if I were floating in the afterbirth of Electric Wizard's "Return Trip." There is a drone here, but it flows softly beneath these dangling, spiraling shreds of cosmic psychedelia. I didn't mind it at all, because I was blazing high.

If you stare at the cover artwork by Richard Stevenson, you just might trance out to all those rich, warm colors. They seem to somehow fit Orme's tonal palette on this album. I'm unsure of the symbolism, or if that's simply Orme's logo or a cryptic titling of the album. I found myself contemplating these kinds of things as I sank into the music over time.

Snow enters the picture around 5:30 and there is static in the air. My notes get scrambled: "I feel as if this could be an alternative soundtrack for THX 1138, and I'm in a mind lock. My previous experience with Drone left me with a headache, so I'm wondering what's in store for me as the piece hisses and hums along. A bit hypnotic, but not overwhelming."

Orme by Orme

Drums jump in around the eight-minute mark, but feel somehow muted or the volume of the droning may be rising. At 10:30, frontman and guitarist Tom Clements pronounces a sermon to the sonic horde. It is a screed against Jesus Christ of Nazareth that grows more and more intense. It is pronounced with such roiling hate that I felt it right in the gut.

Disciples of the watch. I stand before you in the name of the one true God who was cast out from heaven and is alive in me. DO YOU HEAR ME?!?

The first time through it was quite shocking. In fact, I cut out midway and skipped over to the next track. I'm used to Satan being a metaphor, not the focus of fanatical devotion. Okay, let's be honest; it scared me just a bit. If I were to play this at full volume in my neighborhood, people would think the End Times were upon us for damn sure. Whether Orme is genuinely speaking blasphemies or taking on a particular perspective in pursuit of an artistic vision, well that's up to you.

At the 30 minutes, the guitar mercifully unleashes a torrent of notes, with the backing of the full drum kit and later the bass. It's like a gift, a release, a beautiful stretch of acid-soaked guitar, with a layer of fuzzy drone casting a spell of haze over the gathered masses.

I don't have to share their worldview to give the devil his due. As a piece of musical drama, it succeeds. As an art exhibit of evil, hate, and spite it is convincing.

Orme by Orme

Companion piece "Onward to Sarnath" falls in the neighborhood of Bell Witch. The bass is sedate and consoling, and it grounds us like Sarnath itself, the place tradition says Gautama Guddha delivered his first enlightened sermon.

Lyrics speak of avengers who will rise up to exact justice upon those who committed genocide against the descendants of the moon. You'll probably have to listen a couple times to get all the names and details.

Just 16-minutes into it and I'm beginning to see what people really dig about drone. The addition of the didgeridoo and various instrumental augmentation gave me a feeling of true peace by about the 19-minute mark. And at that point, Tom Clements is joined by guest performer Chea Griffin-Anker in a good round of haunting, plaintive chanting that had me thinking of Marc Urselli's Steppendoom.

The drums start getting crisper and it feels like something is really happening here, momentum is building. There is something strange and primal to these ears, perhaps sounds echoing from the dawn of man's existence. Underneath the singing, in fact, you can hear someone manically howling and I swore I heard the neighing of a horse at one point. In the remaining 20 minutes, we are absorbed into Nirvana, with a return of that blazing guitar and a final eulogy from the lips of the herald.

Orme just played Abyssal Festival in Southampton. Let's see if they find a path to Roadburn. Orme is out now on CD and cassette through Trepanation Records.

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