ALBUM REVIEW: Weedsconsin – Bongzilla

BONGZILLA was born in the mid-nineties, amid a hostile atmosphere of prohibition and cultural conservatism. Medicinal marijuana reforms were underway, but smoking weed was still a subcultural phenomenon, and the satanic panic of the eighties was not long over either. Potheads and metalheads alike had cause for righteous indignation. Californian pioneers KYUSS, SLEEP and ACID KING had sown the seeds for a new strain of heavy music, which incorporated saturated tones, Iommic riffs and a defiant appetite for cannabis. This style proliferated across the United States, with Wisconsin’s representatives BONGZILLA among the vanguard.

BONGZILLA took enthusiasm for weed and wordplay to new heights with anthems like H.P. Keefmaker and 666Lb. Bongsession, and soon became the grinning caricature of stoner metal’s self-referential absurdity. When Amerijuanican was released in 2005 they had four-full lengths under their belt, with three EPs and six splits to boot. All burned out, that was the last new material we thought we would see from BONGZILLA, but, after a six-year hiatus, the band resumed live performances in 2015. Another six years later and Weedsconsin is here, set for a 4/20 release.

“Have you heard everyone is talking about that herb?” snarls vocalist Mike ‘Muleboy’ Makela at the top of lead-single and album-opener Sundae Driver. This is straightforward and satisfying stoned riffing as you remember it, without pretention or complication. It’s remarkable that BONGZILLA have managed to produce an album so close to their original formula, without adopting the extraneous features of the style which they have helped to develop: the songs are long, but aren’t minimal monstrosities; the pace is leisurely, without being soporific; the tone is crunchy, but still clear.

BONGZILLA have their sacred spice, but if variety is the spice of life, then there’s plenty of that here as well. Free The Weed errs towards doom in the BLACK SABBATH sense, and Space Rock flirts with psychedelia, but both without drifting too far from their core sound. The centrepiece of this album is the three-part suite Earth Bong/Smoked/Mags Bags, which sustains itself over fifteen minutes with many of the albums more interesting moments: nourishing breaks, satiating solos and memorable hooks. The material featured on Weedsconsin ranks among the strongest in BONGZILLA‘s catalogue: this is not just a worthwhile return for the trio, but a great collection of songs in their own right.

Merry laughter offsets the darker tone of the concluding Gummies: a one-riff, doom piece outro for BONGZILLA’s long-awaited full-length. Weedsconsin clocks in at a considerate forty-minutes, but we still feel short-changed. The extra material on the strictly-limited (and excellent) Nectar Collector single isn’t included as part of the album: maybe it would spoil the fun for owners but, for the rest of us, it’s easy to feel like there’s another ten minutes missing. If you can forgive that, and are happy waiting to hear it live, then Weedsconsin is still a complete album in its own right.

Cannabis culture has progressed immeasurably while they have been away, but Wisconsin’s stoner sludge icons have picked up right where they left off. The trio are still writing the bong-shattering riffs and potent grooves which brought them infamy in the nineties, without succumbing to the sobering clarity of modern production. These meandering blues jams are laced with the dank odour of high-grade and amplifier tweed, and have the intoxicating air of familiarity about them. BONGZILLA are back, and Weedsconsin is sure to leave it’s listener in high-spirits.

Rating: 7/10

Weedsconsin is out now via Heavy Psych Sounds.

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