Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Album Review: Sahg I by Sahg, Released April 18th, 2006




This is the first release of stoner/doom metal group Sahg which is a collaboration between members of leading Black and Doom Metal bands Gorgoroth, Manngard and Audrey Horne. But unlike these bands, Sahg delivers something else, closer linked to the sounds of Sabbath while keeping a very Black Metal feel to the album. It is almost like the band has gone back in time and looked at Metals beginnings and asked themselves how can we improve on the work of our influences while coming up with something entirely original. Sahg I is what they have come up with and it succeeds.

The album opens up with a two minute soundscape that eerily builds up into track two, Repent, the albums longest track, and maybe most epic, but even Sahg’s shorter songs still achieve the epic status, as their melodies and riffing all intertwine in the albums slick production. Also, unlike the band's Black Metal counterparts, the vocals are quite accessible with the singer at times sounding a lot like Ozzy Osbourne but the majority of the time retaining his own melodic style. Although the band sounds like Sabbath, its songs are completely original and thankfully there is a lack wankerage with the guitar solo’s which are tasteful and refreshing.

The key tracks are Godless Faith, Soul Exile and Rivers Running Dry but the whole album is a gem, a breath of fresh air in a world of music filled with bland repetitive emo and pop rock, and Sahg isn’t just for the metal heads its has enough retro about it to satisfy those classic rockers. 3.5/5 for Sahg I, I look forward to the next release.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Sounds Of The Stoner


Stoner Rock/Metal can be very hard to define because, by its very name, it suggests the musicians who play in this style are all 'stoned' on cannabis - they may well be but this is not what the genre is about. The name is derived more from the actual sound of the bands. Their sound is generally linked to the bands' Kyuss and Black Sabbath, with Kyuss, along with The Masters of Reality, being considered the pioneers of modern stoner rock. Artists such as Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Stooges are usually described as the influences for the ‘stoner rock sound’ but this would once again generalise the genre which can take on many forms.


Certain linking aspects of the genre are the low end distortion driven guitar riffs, complimented with low end bass. Usually singing styles have more in common with grunge vocals rather than the screams and growls of Heavy Metal, to which Stoner Rock is often falsely compared. There are three main varieties of Stoner Rock/Metal: Desert Rock which includes bands such Kyuss, Queens of The Stone Age, Fu Manchu, and earthlings? These bands usually have
heavy Latin influences, repetitive drum beats and heavy bass driven riffs. Masters of Reality fall into this category but also falls into the retro psychedelic rock area of Stoner Rock along with bands such as Wolfmother, Parchman Farm and Colour Haze. These bands hark back to the more psychedelic riff laden bands of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Of a heavier nature are the doom/stoner rock/metal bands such as Spirit Caravan, The Sword and Electric Wizard. These bands have very heavy Black Sabbath esque riffs and are usually more ‘metal’ in their nature.


It is impossible to really classify Stoner Rock/Metal; above I have really just tried to give a reference to the different sounds that can be encountered within the genre and the bands you should listen to as starter points to enjoy the genre.

New Blog

Hey sorry I haven’t posted on Rock Daze for a long while but I got bogged down in other projects but now I’m back and I have a new blog dedicated to Stoner Rock and its affiliates. Like with the previous blog I will do reviews and just general thoughts on the stoner rock world. Will get this blog properly up and running very soon

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