This Baltimore band can trace its lineage—and its rhythm section—back to stoner-rock outfit Sixty Watt Shaman, who put out a couple rippin’ records on Spitfire at the turn of the century. And like with most bands from Maryland, the riffs run deep on this, Foghound’s second record.
“Above the Wake” starts things off in a more mellow mood, sounding somewhat akin to a more downtrodden Down tune like “Jail”—at least until the southern-fried chorus, which sounds more like Corrosion of Conformity. “Message in the Sky” picks up the pace, an up-tempo groove rocker that wouldn’t sound outta place on COC’s America’s Volume Dealer (an album I like more than most people). The riff that first kicks in around 1:30 is absolutely killer. “Serpentine” begins with a great, groovy bass line, before another solid stoner/doom riff kicks in, sorta like Fu Manchu, with a twist of Sabbath. Vocals are total Ozzy worship, too.
The Fu is particularly strong in “On a Roll,” which sounds like something straight outta California Crossing. They shovel on an extra layer of fuzz for the Sabbathian stomp of “Give Up the Ghost,” before going full-on riff rock on “Rockin’ ‘n Rollin’,” repeating the title, oh, about 72 times in the process.
Can’t say they’re breaking any new ground here, but this a fun one to listen to.
ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-unseen
