EP REVIEW: Moan – Moan

It’s the time of year when you can really appreciate a good stomp to get you through the cold and MOAN‘s debut self-titled EP that could very well act as that soundtrack. A canvas of chunky riffs spanning from psychedelic and progressive sludge to classic, towering metal, this EP sets MOAN up as a quartet that like to take their time and enjoy the jam.

While not in any way a bad song in and of itself, Burning Man unfortunately feels like a poor choice to open this record. While it ticks plenty of boxes to absolutely qualify it as sludge/stoner, there’s not much in the way of innovation or spark of originality. That’s obviously not a requirement, and fans of old school classics like BLACK SABBATH will find good enjoyment here. It’s a beefy slab of chugging, with the vocals on high gain, a good beat and nice little lead lines. But it doesn’t have a chaotic pull, or a heavy breakdown to give it any edge. The solo in and of itself is fine, but not massively inspiring.

Things do take a turn for the better now the scene has been set however. While the general feel for tone and perspective has been established, it’s time for the dramatics to kick in. Nothing In Nature bends and wails its guitars, taking its time over the steady beat of the drums. The intro takes a solid 90 seconds to add some dreamy chords and for the vocals to accompany the melody. A first pass would call this doom, but despite sounding like a giant chewing gravel, it’s zingier and more experimental with the lighter tones in the mix. That makes for some decent repeat listens, which also means some bang for your buck as this track almost breaches the 13-minute mark.

MOAN, both as a band and as an EP, is the definition of a slow burn, with plenty of drama and atmosphere languishing in its deep, fuzzy depths. The guitars are the main talker here, but as with all deeply heavy music, it’s the combination of bass and drums stirring away in the background that really adds the hearty centre to all the frills of the melody. The swoosh and grunt of MOAN’s tone is somewhere between sludge and hard rock in the vein of KYUSS and SUNN O))). Sometimes it lifts itself to a near groove, the chug deepening and focusing in to where you find yourself swaying and nodding along.

Learn To Bleed is the kind of bassy track that immediately warrants a stank face. With a little more push to it that the previous song. It still bears the doomy stylings of the rest of the songs within the EP, but it’s got more bounce to it than perhaps Nothing In Nature and should please fans of southern rock, classic metal and doom. The jewel of this EP though is Desert Island Drugs, swaying into a psychedelic dirge that both bites and soothes, like a harsh dune wind. The crunch of the guitars and the oscillation pushing into new and more dramatic places is really what pulls it away from being traditionally regarded as doom; it’s more fluid than that, but still holds those melancholy commotions close to its heart.

A solid effort all round from MOAN, this self-titled EP is a nice chunk of sludgy, doom-inspired heavy metal that nods to the classics while allowing itself the time to settle into some experimental, stomping dramatics.

Rating: 6/10

MOAN is set for release on November 25th via AudioSport Records.

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