Powertrip is a stoner rock trio from Mexico
and their EP Hell Rock is just bursting with laidback, infectious grooves and
spacey jams. They sit on the intersection of the desert rock sound, 70s
proto-metal and touch of kraut
expansiveness. Most of these songs stretch out over 7 minutes, with one
exception.
‘Full Of Stones’ rather than being the
Lemmy-style anthem the title suggests turns out to be a pretty trippy song,
built around some halting, interesting mid-tempo grooves, moving into a more
uptempo section about midway through.
The vocals are very raw edged and throaty especially when the second vocals,
pitched a bit higher, come in and they lend a sludgy edge to the sound. The amusingly titled ‘Sand Witch’ kicks in
with a piledriving mid-70s Sabbath riff. Some effective wah usage gives the
riffs that bell-bottomed stomp before the bass takes over, bringing in a
psychedelic mid-section that’s like a heavier take on a classic Neu! Jam. ‘Made
In Hell’ is another collection of mid-tempo riffage laced with some tasty hooks
and Iommi-evoking hammer-on flurries. Sometimes when the band works a riff,
putting it through a set of dynamics, they remind me a bit of Karma 2 Burn, the
masters of working a stoner groove. ‘In Flames’, the shortest song on the album
at 2 minutes 40 seconds, washes away memories of tedious melodeath excesses.
The energy of this song complements the hectoring vocal tone especially well.
The next song, ‘Shit Valley’ returns to a more extensive scale and has some of
my favourite riffs on the EP; in fact it’s guaranteed to leave you with a silly
grin on your face and an unexplained case of the munchies! The EP ends well
with ‘3:00 AM’, another feast of hypnotic riffs punctuated with uptempo sections
and some great jamming.
Powertrip is a true power trio, with the
rhythm section playing an integral roll in underpinning and complementing the
guitar. I was particularly pleased that the bass has a clear, ringing tone that
really lets you pick out the details and get into the groove. I could have done
with a thicker guitar sound, but all in all the production is clear and
effective. Fans of laidback stoner jamming will enjoy this record and I can see
it fitting equally well onto a psychedelic or sludge playlist.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/POWERTRIPHELLROCK/133189416714037words by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
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