ALBUM REVIEW: Hear The Rivers – Greenleaf

Swedish stoners GREENLEAF, started as a side project in late 1999 by Tommi Holappa, Daniel Lidén and Bengt Bäcke. Since then they have released an impressive seven albums, and are set to release their eighth, Hear The Rivers. Hear The Rivers features ten tracks of many differing styles, from fast and intense, to calm and mellow.

Let It Out has a very heavy stoner vibe, but edges closer to rock rather than metal, aside from the odd riff. For a stoner track however, it is a bit more upbeat that you would perhaps expect, and some of the timings are reminiscent of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Right at the end of the track, a blistering bluesy solo appears from the ether. Sweet Is The Sound has a distinctly more southern sound to it with a groovy bassline and some sensational drumming by Sebastian Olsson. On top of that, it has a very catchy chorus and plenty of hooks throughout. The third track, A Point Of A Secret is a pretty solid track, but a bit unimaginative until the last minute or so where the tone and pace changes completely.

Good Ol’ Goat is one of those tracks that doesn’t seem much initially, but then kicks into gear with lyrics that are simple to sing along to. The drums, the mesmerising vocals and the stoner/blues guitar-work make this track a cracker, despite there not being a whole lot to it. The initial vibes from The Rumble And The Weight are exactly what the name says – rumbling, rhythmic drum patterns, and heavy riffs complemented by chunky basslines, rich in groovyness. The continual grumble of the instruments and Arvid Hällagård’s voice meld together fantastically all the way through, a juxtaposition to the intensity of the last half where everything descends into organised chaos.

Sixth track We Are The Pawns is one of the more chilled and relaxing songs on Hear The Rivers, focusing on the melody of the guitar graciously provided by Tommi Holappa, with a basic drum pattern that is pretty much there to keep timing and fill in the audio dead space. The following track Oh My Bones enters with a rip-roaring riff, much faster than we’re used to hearing on this album so far, with percussion heavy drum work filling the overall sound with some massive impacts. As the song takes a dip in pace, it soars back up again with even more energy to finish on this short track. As we grow closer to the end of the album, we come across In The Caverns Bones, a track that heavily features the bass and a strangely narrative element to the lyrics. Some of the effects used to distort and warp the vocals and instruments, such as reverb, gives the illusion of being within the deepest depths of a cave.

Penultimate track High Fever, the second shortest on the release, starts off strong with some upbeat chugging and fast-talking vocals, bringing with it an incredibly high energy. After about forty-five seconds or so there is a brief intermission where the grooviest, and blues-iest bass so far tears onto the scene, provided by the masterful Hans Fröhlich. The rest of the track maintains this power and force throughout its duration. The only negative with the track is that it might be better served with another 30 seconds to a minute extra run-time. The Rivers Lullaby is by far the longest track on Hear The River and the most diverse in its composition. There are moments of slow, sludgy riffs, calm melodic acoustics, upbeat segments, and intense and ferocious playing. Its really a mixed bag with what comes next, but it works rather well altogether. As a final track it almost fully encompasses the scope of talent and production that GREENLEAF have to offer.

From start to finish GREENLEAF have produced a powerful album, with almost every track standing its ground. Some notable mentions are The Rumble And The Weight, Let It Out, and Oh My Bones. Between the members of GREENLEAF they have a wide repertoire of knowledge and experience to call upon, and it shows that they’ve used that as a basis for this album. Hear The Rivers is strong contender in the stoner world and worth keeping an eye on.

Rating: 8/10

Hear The Rivers is out now via Napalm Records. 

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