I got a pitch for this where not only was Isis referenced but also Spider-Man. No, Big Brother isn’t watching me (I think?) but going to school and living/working in Boston (At a local record store where members of that band worked/shopped) for almost 10 years coupled with the fact that I have not one, but two, web slinger tattoos on my bod obviously sparked some interest.
But I digress.
There’s something magical, almost ethereal, definitely transcendent about listening through “Obsolith” which opens the latest album from Poland’s Spaceslug. Swirling and building for over eight minutes, the Eye The Tide opener is a veritable beast. But unlike the aforementioned Isis, Spaceslug doesn’t have that abrasive Aaron Turner roar to reel you in. Instead, they have these immediate vocal harmonies which will hook listeners the moment they begin with this huge wall of fuzz as the backdrop. Like VOWWS fronting Isis, if you’re looking for easy comparisons.
But with Spaceslug, nothing is easy.
“Space by One” is like the best Monster Magnet trip of all. Like Tab made in the 21st Century…a Tab redux if you will….then going into this spiral of Kyuss-esque psychedelia a la …And The Circus Leaves Town, the track will definitely have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up instantaneously.
“Words Like Stones” definitely goes for the jugular with a shrieking vocal line overlaid on top of the soothing vocal harmonies creating a neat dichotomy within the churning maelstrom, surrounded by a tornado of riffage, blistering percussive blasts, and a resounding bass. Then “Vialys Part I & II” is like the tide coming in. It’s a subtle bombast that grinds on without meandering into this beautiful blossom of heavy, spaced out excellence.
If I was an asshole, I’d tell you to skip right ahead to 7:30 then sit back and relax and just let the rawk own you during “I, The Tide” which concludes, ahem, Eye The Tide. But I’m not an asshole (mostly) and what I AM telling you is that when it comes to Spaceslug it’s all about the musical journey so your best bet is always to start from the beginning.
Eye The Tide is out through BSFD Records/Oak Island Records on July 20th. Yours can be gotten by getting your fingers to click here. For more on Spaceslug, head on over to this location here.