Various Artists – StonerRock.comp III
Reviewed by: John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com)
Self Released
Available for downloading now
Buffalo – “Peregrino”
Kita – “I’m Sorry”
Bitter End – “Still Dead”
Ditchliquor – “Eve 26”
Galactus 77 – “Maybe We Knew”
Half of Zero – “Theta”
The Hollow Men – “Billy”
Planet Gemini – “Euphony”
Saccharine Death – “High on Life”
Supersonic Death Machine – “Phoenix Rising”
Solar Seven – “Nothing Personal”
Indian – “Dog Soldier”
You’d think that after three CDs worth of material by struggling bands (two for the original StonerRock.comp, and one for the sequel), we would’ve hit the wall in terms of creativity. It’s harsh to say, but just because you’re in a band, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your band is good (I’m speaking from personal experience here). Besides, everyone knows the third installment is the beginning of the end. It’s known as the
Jedi principle.
But here comes
StonerRock.comp III, proving that hypothesis wrong. Again it’s a collection of material from unsigned bands that frequent the StonerRock.com message boards, and again it covers a fairly wide range of s t y l es. There are the tracks that nod to Kyuss and other genre greats (
Buffalo and
Planet Gemini), guttural sludge tracks (
Kita and
Galactus 77), and good old doom (
Indian), among others. Each one has its own sound, showing that this compilation series could go on for a couple more years and still have something new to offer.
Highlights include the Clutch-on-speed of
Ditchliquor’s “Eve 26,” the instrumental stomp of
Half of Zero, Planet Gemini's Kyuss-meets-Sabbath riff fest,
Solar Seven’s “Nothing Personal,” and the Motorhead/High on Fire speed of
Supersonic Death Machine’s “Phoenix Rising.” This last track underscores the fact that, as compared to the previous two comps,
StonerRock.comp III is a decidedly more aggressive, noisier affair.
As with the previous versions, the production on the individual tracks is as varied as the music, but the overall sound levels are balanced (thanks to other members of the StonerRock.com community). It’s definitely DIY, but the time and effort put into mastering gives it a (semi) professional feel.
One of the criticisms I’ve heard on High Times’
High Volume comp is that “stoner rock” peaked three or four years ago. If the people who claimed that really listened to the music, they’d think otherwise.
StonerRock.comp III, as with the previous installments, shows that there’s plenty of undiscovered life to the genre, and that the peak is yet to come.
URL: http://tagplazen.org/srcomp3/
