ALBUM REVIEW: Flowers Of Death – Humulus
Sitting amongst the alps in the central Lombardy region of Italy is the city of Bergamo. It is a city steeped in ancient and medieval history, with its fortified upper city given UNESCO World Heritage Site status. This formidable Italian bastion is home to the heavy psych and stoner doom trio HUMULUS. Forming in 2009 and going through a number of changes in membership and sound over the last decade, despite this and much like their hometown, they have stood the test of time to return with their charming and psychedelic fourth album Flowers Of Death.
Following on from the band’s more atmospheric and introspective 2020 album The Deep, Flowers Of Death is a different beast entirely. With the departure of Andrea Bellicini in 2022 and the recruitment of Thomas Mascheroni (guitar, vocals), HUMULUS underwent another evolution. The Italian trio changed their approach to songwriting, and bonded over hours of jamming in the rehearsal room. As a result, Flowers Of Death is the most cohesively written and wonderfully performed album that the band have released to date.
Moving away from the long, ambient atmospheres that dominated The Deep, Flowers Of Death is a rejuvenating breath of fresh air, as a new lease on life rushes through the band’s veins. Whilst there is still their signature brand of stoner rock riffs, HUMULUS sound infinitely more settled as they explore the many layers of bluesy psychedelia. Like alchemists they have found a new formula that suited them better, and the result of this experimentation is an album that flows freely. As each track intricately intertwines with the last, Flowers Of Death is a dreamy and enchanting record that has you imagining that you’re floating through the Italian countryside with not a care in the world.
The band also had assistance from Stefan Koglek, guitarist and vocalist of Munich’s psychedelic stoner heavyweights COLOUR HAZE. With his input, it feels like the band have been able to find sturdy ground to build the foundations of this record on after years of uncertainty. You can hear a new sense of confidence and self-assuredness that isn’t on the band’s previous albums, which makes Flowers Of Death a certifiable turning point in HUMULUS’ history.
Musically, a plethora of influences come to the fore, mixing the likes of KYUSS, ORANGE GOBLIN and KARMA TO BURN but with their own signature Italian flair. This is best demonstrated on the album’s epic closing track, the ten-minute psychedelic riff-filled jam Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth. The resilience and determination of the band’s two core members Giorgio Bonacorsi (bass) and Massimiliano Boventi (drums) to continue on despite the challenges alongside the freshness that Mascheroni brought with him, is encapsulated in one thunderous song.
Another aspect that is noticeable on Flowers Of Death is how dynamic it feels. It never sits still and rides out the riff. The band’s newly found chemistry and hours of jamming together has pushed their creativity to all new heights. With an abundance of enchanting guitar melodies, synth layers, bass grooves, restless drum rhythms and hypnotic vocals, HUMULUS have put blood, sweat and passion into this and it shows.
Opening up with Black Water, the album kicks off with tumultuous riffs and garage rock grit, and from the outset you can tell this is a completely different HUMULUS emerging from the depths of Bergamo. Followed by Secret Room, the garage rock riffs and vibe are kept up, whilst being injected with a more prevalent blues influence. Alongside this the vocal melodies feel more psychedelic and spaced out, especially towards the last third of the track. Shimmer Haze is a bluesy, gritty, psychedelic stoner monolith – big riffs interwoven with dynamic guitar leads and hypnotic vocal melodies that conjure up hazy, cosmic images in your mind.
Buried By A Tree is a trippy stoner anthem filled with enormous riffing and swirling guitar melodies that seem to evolve each time they cycle round. It is here that you really get a sense of HUMULUS’ progressive and organic approach to songwriting; each track evolves naturally and this adds to the overarching and captivating flow of the album. 7th Sun takes on an Arabic music vibe, as the band use Eastern sounding melodies that weave in and out like a the intricate geometric patters of Islamic art. Title track Flowers Of Death is an upbeat, flowery and grooving track that could have been plucked straight out of the early 1970s. Leading into the aforementioned album closer Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth, the album finishes with a flourish of psychedelic brilliance that leaves you completely entranced as the final echoes of the guitar fade out.
HUMULUS’ Flowers Of Death are certainly blooming in full colour. The band’s fourth outing sees them more settled, cohesive and creative as they explore their new songwriting capabilities after a decade of uncertainty.
Rating: 8/10
Flowers Of Death is set for release on November 10th via Go Down Records.
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