ALBUM REVIEW: The Lord Knows – Tidal Wave
After rocking the Swedish stoner scene with their enrapturing debut album Blueberry Muffin, the quartet of fuzz lovers in TIDAL WAVE turn outwards and look set to start their riff-fuelled campaign for world domination. Even though TIDAL WAVE are still relative newcomers, they play with a chemistry and cohesion beyond their years, utilising their musical talents to create in your face, fiery stoner rock that will no doubt get your body moving. With the passion and intensity of a band hungry to make it to the top, their sophomore album The Lord Knows ups the ante and melts your face with epic riffs and soaring vocals.
One of the many beautiful things about The Lord Knows is its inherent grittiness. Like the blood that courses through your veins, this album thrives on raw heaviness and one way it achieves this monstrous sound is with an old school punk attitude that is reminiscent of ORANGE GOBLIN’s early years. With a deep, earthy and bluesy sensibility The Lord Knows is one of those albums that grabs you by the scruff of your neck and encourages you to let loose and have a good time. This rip-roaring deluge of mighty riffs and fuzz will delight anyone who is a fan of salt of the earth rock ’n’ roll.
A high octane ride from start to finish, TIDAL WAVE bring together bluesy solos, hulking, fuzzy bass grooves, booming drums and soaring, charismatic vocals into one neat package. In comparison to the band’s debut, The Lord Knows sees them retain their BLACK SABBATH Sabotage/Sabbath Bloody Sabbath era vibes and fuse them with a hefty dose of 1990s grunge. Whilst they aren’t two genres that are commonly seen together, the fusion works incredibly well here; hypothetically speaking if AUDIOSLAVE made stoner records it would sound something not too dissimilar to The Lord Knows.
TIDAL WAVE have a sound that oozes ruffian charm, and you can’t help but fall for its musical tricks. Every molecule of every fuzz-drenched riff seeps into your soul, making you want to move and headbang uncontrollably. This is one of those memorable albums that you’d take on a road trip and blast it on repeat as you scream down the motorways, autobahns and highways of the world. Possibly the most unique quality of the album is the sharp clarity of Alexander ‘Sunkan’ Sundqvist’s vocals. While a large number of other bands in the scene revert to a slower, quieter vocals, Sundqvist belts out those melodies with pride, much like fellow Swede Karl Buhre of GOATESS. With each song being infectiously memorable, TIDAL WAVE’s passion and exuberance is clear to hear.
Ripping open the proverbial can of worms is Lizard King. From the very first second the energy levels are raised from 0 to 100 with a bulky, introductory riff. The song shifts through several dynamic periods and gives you a taste of what is to come. End Of The Line is a nonstop, high-octane musical rollercoaster. Pounding drums and a catchy lead melody drive the song forward. Even though TIDAL WAVE love fuzz, they know when to let a song breathe and that is the case here as the heavier sections are much more impactful, and this happens a lot throughout the album. Marijuana Trench brings in the trippy psych elements of stoner, as well as showcasing the biggest BLACK SABBATH influence. Pentagram starts as a monstrous, slow and groove-laden track before it ramps up with a catchy Sabbathian riff as Sundqvist lets us know the rules of the ritual that we’ve joined.
Robbero Bobbero is a fun one after the heaviness of Pentagram – a cathartic, balls to the wall rock song that just makes you smile and groove simultaneously. Order Of The King brings in more psychedelic flavours, slowing the energy down ever so slightly and utilising glimpses of the Phrygian to create a hypnotic moment of calm. This leads perfectly into the anthemic Purple Bird, a song that would certainly be at home reverberating off the walls of an arena. Bringing in the bulky stoner riffs and for the first time really mixing them in with a heavy psych influence, it is definitely one of the stand out tracks on the album. Album closer Thorsakir kicks off with a brilliant scream by Sundqvist. It starts dark and slow with long, soaring vocals that simply stun you and then it kicks into one more flourish of raucous up-tempo stoner brilliance.
The Lord Knows will satiate many a stoner rock appetite. It is a fun and energetic album that will certainly blow the January blues out of your butt. TIDAL WAVE are an exciting and exuberant band and considering that this is only their sophomore album, you can’t help but be floored by their proficiency and passion.
Rating: 9/10
The Lord Knows is set for release on January 20th via Ripple Music.
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