Echoland - Tracklisting

1.The Plants 02:55

2.Setting The Scene For Time To Stand Still 08:46

3.If It Had Wings 05:31

4.Plastic Banquet 05:36

5.Echoland 18:23

Lineup

Paul Attard.........6 strings

Lachlan Paine....4 strings

Frank Attard.......no strings

Review

I haven’t featured Frozen Planet.…1969 on the blog in almost four years where I reviewed their 2022 album Not From 1969. Well, the guys are back with another extraordinarily slice of Psychedelic Rock with massive amounts of Space Rock, Stoner Rock and extended instrumental jams on their latest musical adventure Echoland. The end result is quite subversive and experimental with Frozen Planet…1969 employing many left-field creative turns with their music which can be straightforward and downright confusing at the best of times.

This has always been the case with Frozen Planet…1969 on previous record and they don’t change direction here with different flavours of Psychedelic Rock which is formed against a backdrop of experimental cosmic themes. There’s different feedback loops, noises and gnarly instrumental effects. The whole record is deeply rooted in Sixties and Seventies psychedelic folklore with a splash of modern day interpretation only being used sparingly throughout the album. 

With influences ranging from EARTHLESS, KARMA TO BURN, HAWKWIND and CAN being heard on Echoland, the band still manage to keep things quite real and putting their own authentic spin especially within the excellent tracks of The Plants, Setting The Scene For Time To Stand Still and the epic final title track of Echoland. There are shades of Garage Rock and more straight-forward Rock & Roll being added for good measure which results into some epic extended instrumental passages with the right amount of Stoner Rock streetwise credibility. 

Though, be prepared for different musical instruments, sound effects and noise effects being thrown in for good measure. If you’re a long time fan of Frozen Planet…1969 then you’ll be use to this surreal experience but for the casual fan, this will be like your mind, body and soul has been transported into an entirely new musical dimension of the band’s own making.

The album can be quite heavy and freakishly loud which makes this one of the most interesting records the band have put out in a long time. Frozen Planet…1969 adapt a whole experimental and cinematic approach which allows their music to feel longer than it actually is. That’s one of the main strengths of Echoland with some hidden and highly deceiving surprises throughout.

The warped use of different sound effects offers a fantastical and science fiction take which is always great to hear but Frozen Planet…1969 manages to keep everything real and grounded and that takes real talent to form a record such as this. 

Echoland is a superb slice of Instrumental Stoner Rock who prove once again they’re one of the finest Psych/Stoner Rock exports the Australian Rock scene has to offer at the moment.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Still Life - Tracklisting

1.Still Life 05:46

2.Conform (To Belong) 04:40

3.A Gift 06:15

4.A Sun From A Sun 08:11

Lineup

Henrik Wikner

Christian Fransson

Review

Still Life is the debut EP from Swedish Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metallers SUN EMPRESS who perform music similar to the likes of YOB, KONGH and MONOLORD. Their music is expressed by a layer of Doomed Out melodies with an aura of ice-cold Psychedelic beats that soon transforms into waves of Ambient Post-Rock within the more reflective moments of the EP. For the most part SUN EMPRESS play an unsettling blend of modern based Sludge/Stoner grooves with the band playing some MASTODON-esque passages throughout the EP.

Opening track Still Life is a highly confident slice of Progressive energy with SUN EMPRESS exploring different themes from the Sludge/Stoner Metal environments whilst exploring different creative themes with subtle Ambient and Psychedelic touches measured against some excellent vocals at the same time. You can hear a slight Alt Metal and Grunge based sound bursting from the seams which comes into play on the later stages of the EP.

Second track Conform (To Belong) captures the classic Nineties Grunge/Alt-Metal attitude full on with shades of Soundgarden appearing before SUN EMPRESS return to their own Swedish Underground domain for a sound that can be quite GOTHIC and POST-PUNK influence in places. This is an interesting style with the vocals being slightly OVER THE TOP but it’s the band’s musical choices that make this such a great song to fully experience especially when the Post-Doom and Post-Sludge surroundings are applied against the backdrop of Stonergaze melodies.

The final two tracks A Gift and A Sun From Sun offer some darker moments with SUN EMPRESS embracing their Post-Metal identity even further with shades of Ambient and Sonic distortion developing within both of these tracks whilst keeping with their core Sludge/Stoner based dynamic. The songs are quite diverse with their different styles of Post-Whatever attitude keeping everything fresh and original. The lyrics are from the world of Alternative Metal which gives a warm-hearted and gloomy outlook both at the same time.

Still Life is a bold EP in every sense of the world where SUN EMPRESS deliver huge sounding anthemic grooves throughout that should hopefully gain them some wider notice and attention within the HEAVY ROCK underground scene. I’m looking forward to hearing more from SUN EMPRESS in the future. This is an emotionally charged record that you should all check out now.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Giants - Tracklisting

The Giant Magog (5:15)

The Giant Gog (8:25)

Lineup

Alfath Arya Nugraha - Guitar

Fikri Izza - Bass/Vocals

Review

 Psych/Doom/Stoner Metallers KAVEMAN are a duo based between South Tangerang, Indonesia and New York who are releasing their new EP - Giants. The EP is a great mix of modern day Heavy Psych merged with Doomed Out Stoner Metal passages with the band showing a slightly flamboyant style with influences from the likes of MASTODON, MELVINS and HIGH ON FIRE. The music can be slightly experimental but never boring with the overlapping Psychedelic sounds and classic Stoner Metal with a certain Progressive energy to it all. The two tracks of The Giant Magog and The Giant Cog are superbly played which has some blissful Post-Rock moments set against the turbo-charged music. Sometimes things can be quite JAZZ based that appear within the opening track. This does slow down the chaotic and fast-paced energy that KAVEMAN first opened the EP with but it’s good to see a more progressive and technical sound appear from behind the scenes. KAVEMAN is full-on Sludge/Stoner Metal aggression with little flashes of Sonic Exp

erimentation which is perhaps the standout track on the EP with the band aiming for a heavier, aggressive and intense delivery. The song is more riff-centric but KAVEMAN provide excellent vocals that leans heavily into the Stoner Metal underground scene with flashes of Prog Rock and Jazz interludes appearing once more. There’s also a tribal aspect to KAVEMAN’s aspect where I hoped they explored further but perhaps on future releases such as a longer EP or full length record so they can build a grander cinematic vision for their music. Giants is a stunning EP for KAVEMAN to make themselves known further within the underground scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Links 

Official| BandCamp | Instagram