ALBUM REVIEW: Tundra Rock – Slomosa
Sitting on the West Coast of Norway, surrounded by fjords, mountains and being the first place to get an absolute battering from North Atlantic storms, is the city of Bergen. The city has a prestigious music scene, with the likes of Einar Selvik (WARDRUNA), AURORA and Edvard Grieg all calling it their hometown. It is also famous for being the black metal capital of Norway in the early 1990s – so it truly is a place where genres collide and get forged anew in the dramatic Norwegian landscape. One band that encapsulates the tumultuous nature of Bergen is underground stoner heroes SLOMOSA. Back with their highly-anticipated sophomore album Tundra Rock, the band’s penchant for big stoner riffs, punk attitude and grungy hooks is unleashed once more and they are better than ever.
The band originally started out as a “casual excuse to drink beer, smoke, and play rock music with friends” hobby project for Benjamin Berdous (vocals, guitar), but they gained popularity considerably quickly with their critically applauded self-titled debut album. So much so it secured SLOMOSA slots at Alcatraz Open Air and Hellfest, and earned them invites to tour with the likes of ALKALINE TRIO. Representing the more emotional side of the band, Tundra Rock is a little darker, more melancholic and more melodic than their debut, yet SLOMOSA make sure that they still pack that weighty punch with their signature stoner riffs.
Melody is at the heart of Tundra Rock, there’s more of a focus on expressing and exploring more complex emotions and subject matter – as a result, you get a more atmospheric feeling album. SLOMOSA’s intoxicating mix of grunge and stoner is what makes them stand out amongst their peers, and Tundra Rock sees Berdous, Marie Moe (vocals, bass), Tor Erik Bye (guitar) and Jard Hole (drums) audibly lean significantly more into their NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS influences. As a result, the melodies that the band have created throughout this album wouldn’t sound out of place in those halcyon days of the early 1990s, as is demonstrated the best on penultimate track MJ. Alongside their fluid dynamics and Berdous’ unique, accented and memorable vocals, the riffs and hooks worm their way into your brain with spectacular ease, to the point you’ll be humming them long after the album is finished.
One song that stands out, demonstrates SLOMOSA’s evolution, and is particularly poignant is Battling Guns. Initially written about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict – yet applicable to conflicts around the world – the song’s lyrics are thought-provoking and humbling, especially the verse: “Shape our hands as our whole world burns / Like animals, we dig the earth / Raise your hands as our whole world burns / Shrug it off, face away and turn”. As well as being a vehemently anti-war, anti-fascist track, the band’s songwriting is much more melancholic here. Unlike the bulldozing tracks Cabin Fever and Rice, it utilises a tense ascending and descending melody before erupting into grungy rock anthem – a voice for the voiceless.
The album opens up with Afghansk Rev, which gets proceedings off to a flying start with a trippy, groove-laden riff fest before launching into the uptempo stoner rock bulldozer Rice. The latter is a signature SLOMOSA track with all the trimmings: ballsy and grungy with an incredibly catchy chorus. This is followed up by the equally bombastic and anthemic Cabin Fever, which introduces some slightly bluesier, more BLACK SABBATH-esque elements to the guitar melodies and riffs. Red Thundra changes up the vibe a little bit, slowing it down and adding some more of those SOUNDGARDEN-esque atmospheres to the proceedings.
Interlude track Good Mourning bisects the album and offers a brief moment of calm with a melancholic piano passage. It also acts as a provocative build up to the aforementioned Battling Guns. The shuffling beat at the beginning of the song makes you feel restless and uneasy as Berdous delivers his thought-provoking lyrics. Monomann brings us back into the realms of stoner rock with a slowly building bass intro before erupting into a steady rock beat and gliding guitar riffs. MJ could be considered the band’s homage to grunge but it’s so much better than that – the epitome of the band’s infusion of stoner and grunge with a swaggering groove to boot. The album closes with the hypnotic track Dune, which utilises tribal rhythms and a chanted vocal that is a certified earworm.
SLOMOSA have significantly upped their game and honed their intoxicating mix of stoner and grunge on Tundra Rock. Taking inspiration from the great white tundras of Northern Europe and writing megalithic music to match, the Norwegian quartet take you on one hell of a ride that is fun, energetic, thought-provoking and everything else in between.
Rating: 9/10
Tundra Rock is set for release on September 13th via Stickman Records.
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