ALBUM REVIEW: Sideral Voivod – Godzilla Was Too Drunk To Destroy Tokyo

On their third full-length album Italian stoner rockers GODZILLA WAS TOO DRUNK TO DESTROY TOKYO establish their place in the stranger side of Europe’s underground scene with psychedelic textures and sci-fi fuelled experimentation.

With a name that conjures images of a stumbling behemoth haphazardly crushing buildings and a sound to match, GODZILLA WAS TOO DRUNK TO DESTROY TOKYO launch straight from the small Italian town of Calice Ligure on a stoney journey through the stars. Throwing together the low and slow sounds of bands like KYLESA and KYUSS with 60s psychedelia and sci-fi storytelling, the band’s latest effort Sideral Voivod is full of chaotic energy and fascinating turns.

If you’re new to their world then Sideral Voivod’s opening track Interstellar Greyhound presents GODZILLA WAS TOO DRUNK TO DESTROY TOKYO at their most accessible yet eclectic, building a cocoon of fuzzy chaos around a straightforward groove. Sounding familiar to fans of acts like MELVINS or UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, Interstellar Greyhound builds up around a thunderous bass groove from frontwoman Sara De Luca alongside stomping percussion from Nicola Viola before descending into unhinged, shredding solos from guitarist Alessandro Camurati. Like many stoner and doom acts, the bedrock on which GODZILLA build their sound is as solid as it is simple, allowing their more bizarre ideas to come across in the fine details.

Throughout the thirteen track runtime of Sideral Voivod, GODZILLA delve deeper into their doomy psych sound overlaid with a veneer of wacky cryptid and retro science fiction storytelling. While tracks like Ouija Witch and Whale keep to the familiar formula and steady pace others such as Telekinetic Thunder Yeti, with its thrash inspired main riff, or Stomp with its punky chugging riff and driving percussion, shake things up enough to stay fresh. While Sideral Voivod has a solid core of psych inspired stoner rock and does occasionally shift gears, stepping a tender foot into other genres on a handful of tracks, a few more pushes outside of the band’s comfort zone could’ve really elevated the album.

Closing track Summer In The Void acts as an appropriately doomy topper to an album packed with hard-hitting, distorted riffs. While there are moments where De Luca’s vocals shine throughout Sideral Voivod, this final track makes full use of her snarling growl, cutting through a haze of BLACK SABBATH style overdriven guitars and punchy drums like a sabre before the track explodes into a fuzz-driven climax. De Luca’s voice works perfectly for this kind of grungey, lo-fi stoner rock, piercing through the clouds of fuzz with a ferocious bark, challenging the crushing guitars for dominance of the sonic turf.

GODZILLA WAS TOO DRUNK TO DESTROY TOKYO’s fuzzy, psychedelic approach to stoner and doom rock is certain to be intriguing and wacky enough to draw in fans of the genre looking for something new to rattle their skulls. While not quite breaking brand new ground Sideral Voivod delivers enough sonic exploration and thunderous riffs to keep the listener mostly hooked throughout.

Rating: 5/10

Sideral Voivod is set out now via Octopus Rising.

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