Customer Reviews

Heavy Deavy Skull Lover (Dig)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After far too long of will he, won't he keep the band going, Bobby Hecksher decided not only to keep the band going, but he and the Warlocks have also released a terrific cd and have embarked on an impressive tour to back up the record!

This recording is instantly recognizable as a Warlocks disc. As in past cd's, there are swirling guitars with ample feedback, bone crushing percussion, mesmerizing bass, droning organ and Hecksher's tenor voice. But despite my 4 stars I have to say that this new record is a bit uneven.

Don't get me wrong, I love this new cd and recommend that you pick it up. The problem is that the highs are so HIGH that when you hit a song that is not one of those up moments you really notice its shortcomings.

The first four tracks, especially "So Paranoid" and "Slip Beneath" stand up to the BEST The Warlocks have ever released. The remainder of the cd, save for the final track, "Death I Hear You Walking" is good, not great.

I LOVE The Warlocks music, and if you've never seen them live you just gotta! They put on an exciting show. And if you love The Warlocks, too, you need this disc.

One last note of warning...while I love this disc and have given it 4 stars on musical merit alone, I was tempted to take a half star from my rating for the reason that there is NO INFORMATION in this bare bones cd. No booklet of band photos, no band member listing, or at least who played on what track, no lyrics (which would have been HIGHLY appreciated as all lyrics are buried in the music), nothing but a track listing of songs and a naked female torso. I don't need a lot, but nothing, nothing is toooo little. But again, this complaint did not take away from the fact that the music is deserving a full 4 stars.

For a band with two drummers, it is surprising that there are three tracks with little or no percussion. What is also surprising is that The Warlocks have taken a big step forward and have created an excellent post punk psych rock disc. The lead track "The Valley of Death" sounds sort of like a fuzzed out mating of Radiohead and Mudhoney guitar spree. The massive distortion at the end of the track will make you think your CD/MP3 player is fried. "Moving Mountains" is a lovely dirge that features a great tempo change that drives the song home. There are some really, really nice wall of sound minor key numbers. "Dreamless Days",and "So Paranoid" are two songs that bring to mind Bailter Space and My Bloody Valentine. The Warlocks seem to be embracing some more recent influences, and adding their own warped sensibility to the mix. There are no singalong choruses, heck there is no traditional song structure here at all. What you do have is a great guitar driven recording from a band that has moved away from their early influences to create a compelling disc that should not be ignored.

This album starts out slow and builds into the 3rd and 4th songs, So Paranoid and Slip Beneath - the definite highlights of the album. Both these songs have cool guitars and a great hypnotic quality to them - definitely songs to have in your collection if you're into stoner/psychedelic rock. Then it loses steam with Zombie Like Lovers, which is a retread of a song from their Surgery album and the rest is pretty forgettable.

They're a good live band and definitely worth checking out. I saw them opening up for The Black Angels, however, and it was clear that the Black Angels are destined for bigger and better things - those guys are outstanding.

After the superfine Surgery album(pure genius how they can make even "surgery" sound romantic)and then the excellent 2 sided record on Bomp(which totally blew my head off)I knew these Warlocks were on the move to something great. Then I heard some members were gone and stuff and I yelled "DAMN,just like Anton,pure genius"! What we have here is the all time Classic Warlocks album. Incredible, Superfine and Beautiful are just a few of the things you'll say to describe what you find here. The amount of focus and musical growth heard here is staggering. These Warlocks know exactly what they're doing and they do it well. YOU NEED THIS more than you can possibly know. It's Psychedelic music done in a new way and reminds you that YES-great rock music still exists and is thriving.Just like the snakes! Get Sundial-Zen for Sale, Comets on Fire-Avatar and He Put The Bomp!in the Bomp tribute CD to Greg Shaw while you're at it. You'll be happy you did and it'll make you a better person-that's what these Warlocks want!