I was a big fan of this French outfit’s second album, Whispering Wild Stories, which came out over four years ago, back in 2011. Their sound melds the stoner grooves of Fu Manchu with some harsh sludge vocals reminiscent of Eyehategod—and while it sounds like an odd combo at first, it actually works quite nicely.
Those grooves are still present on “Teddy Bear,” which opens with a nice sludgy chug, although the vocals are different—Neil Fallon lows giving way to heavily-accented, high-pitched barks. Honestly not sure if this is the same singer from the last album, but if so, he’s taking a much different approach.
“Whoresmoker” sounds like it could be an EHG song-title, but it’s actually more of a heavy blues tune—again, the Clutch influences seep in, although the vocals are much more akin to the previous record. So it’s definitely the same singer, I think. I dig the sludgy turn this one takes towards the end, too. “Jocelyne” has got some great breakdowns that have my head nodding, while “Glassie Lovely Glassie” is slightly Sabbathian in its bluesy riffage.
“Heavy Rider” hits like a ton of bricks, before “Time to Leave” unexpectedly throws some slide guitar into the mix. Alas, tis but a brief interlude before the heavy riffs of “Enter Truckman” and “Moonwalk Blues(!)” brings this record to a close. Good to hear these guys are back!
