When Dungen made a big critical impact in 2004 with their third album, Ta Det Lungt, it seemed remarkable that an album recorded explicitly to sound like it was made in 1972 would be so popular, not to mention all the lyrics being sung in Swedish. Multi-instrumentalist Gustav Estjes of Vastergotland, Sweden grew up on folk and hip-hop, and discovered a wealth of Swedish underground psychedelic rock from 1968-74 while cratedigging for beats. I loved that sound, and knew there had to be a lot of other bands doing similar stuff, including ones with heavier influences. It seemed that they did not receive as much critical attention as Dungen for the same reasons that Black Sabbath was derided back in the day. Their music seemed primitive next to groups who incorporated bits of folk, prog, classical and avant garde jazz.
However, there were plenty of other groups who understood what made Black Sabbath sound beautiful. Their fat, bulbous, throbbing bass, fuzzy guitar tones, and rhythmic groove turned out to be the pinnacle of proto-metal, and the seeds of stoner rock. This mix of qualities could be found in Pentagram, Sweden's own November, Atomic Rooster, Blue Cheer, Budgie, Buffalo, Groundhogs, Uriah Heep, Sir Lord Baltimore, Dust, Bang, Stray and others. Metal evolved through great bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, and in the 90s exploded into dozens of sub-genres like death metal, black metal, doom, grindcore, etc. The music became more impressive in many ways, and usually more extreme, in turn splintering the fanbase. To an average music fan, this in a way signals a death of a genre, just like many stopped listening to new classical after 1950, and jazz after 1970. It's not that the music stopped progressing, it's that it evolved so far into avant garde territory that it became virtually unlistenable to anyone who wasn't an expert connoisseur. That's another advantage of stoner rock, your girlfriend or wife are far more likely to at least tolerate it over the new black metal album.
There seems to always be bands influenced by Black Sabbath, but in general, modern stoner rock has roots in the 80s when American hardcore punkers Black Flag slowed down the tempo and grew their hair out. Overkill, The Melvins, Earth, Sleep, Monster Magnet, Masters Of Reality all touched on elements, and Kyuss really got things rolling with their fresh take on desert rock. They splintered into a half dozen projects, including Queens Of The Stone Age, who after their first album would vary widely into both harder rock and catchier pop. Bands like Fu Manchu, Nebula, Spirit Caravan, Solarized, Dozer and Solace stayed more consistently true to form.
However from the past decade I'm partial mostly to the Swedes. They're so ridiculously meticulous about coaxing the perfect vintage timbres that I can't help but be in awe. Here's my favorites:
Witchcraft, The Alchemist (Candelight) 07
Witchcraft are the most well known of the group, but that doesn't mean they're the best by far. With humble beginnings as merely a Pentagram tribute band, their first self-titled 2005 album had some weaknesses. Firewood (2006) showed a remarkable improvement in sound production, while their latest took a leap forward in developing their own voice as great songwriters. It's a perfect gateway into the tip of the mountain of stoner rock.
Graveyard (Tee Pee) 08
Arisen from the ashes of the band Albatros, Graveyard shares Witchcraft's love of Pentagram and excellent songwriting. They rock just a bit harder, and singer/guitarist Joakim Nilsson has a stronger voice. Nearly every cut is killer, with "Thin Line" and "Lost In Confusion" providing some impressive emotional intensity. They're touring the U.S. in July and August 2009 with CKY.
Abramis Brama, Smakar Söndag (Transubstans) 09
Abramis Brama have been kicking around for over a decade. With a half dozen great albums under their belts, they're still virtually unknown outside of Europe. This will hopefully change this year with Smakar Söndag, a real corker. Like Dungen, they usually sing only in Swedish, although in 2003 they re-recorded some of their early songs in English for Nothing Changes. Rubicon (2005) is great too, but difficult to find. With some hard touring perhaps they will create enough demand to make more of the catalog available. Their live shows are legendary, rocking hard enough to rival not only their Swedish peers, but the likes of Motörhead.
Colour Haze, All (Elektrohash) 08
Colour Haze have been around even longer than Abramis Brama. Here I make an exception in that this band is from Germany. The key to their sound is an absolutely gorgeous guitar tone. Whether it was laboratory precision or unholy voodoo, they managed to make the perfect mix of Hendrix and Kyuss. Songs are often long and meandering, with minimal vocals, which wisely do not interfere with the mesmerizing psychedelia that is absolutely addictive. Early work like Seven (1998) and Periscope (1999) are far more raw and aggressive, with possibly some influence from the likes of Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu. Los Sounds de Krauts (2003), Colour Haze (2004), Tempel (2006) and last year's All, get progressively more psychedelic, perfecting their sound.
Dead Man, Euphoria (Crusher) 08
Dead Man include former members of Norrsken, which also had Witchcraft's Magnus Pelander and a couple guys from Graveyard. On their self-titled 2006 debut, they stood apart from the pack by including elements of acoustic folk and prog, while Kristoffer Sjoedahl has a unique warble that may take some getting used to, but certainly lends to their own style. Euphoria is heavier and, in my opinion, better.
Sahg, I (Candlelight) 06
A slightly more popular spinoff genre inspired by Black Sabbath is doom metal, which includes bands like Acrimony, Candlemass, Cathedral, Church Of Misery, Doomsword, Electric Wizard, Gates Of Slumber, Northwinds, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Solstice, Trouble, We and Witchfynder General. Members of Audrey Horne, Gorgoroth and Manngard got together in Sahg to toe the line between stoner rock and heavier doom to great effect on I. II (2008) is more of the same, so much so that it disappointed me at first. However, I just can't get enough of that sound, so it grew on me.
Siena Root, Far From The Sun (Transubstans) 08
Formed in 1997, Stockholm's Siena Root rocks hard at times, but also incorporates organs and flute, influenced by Deep Purple and Jethro Tull. On A New Day Dawning (2004) and the hard to find Kaleidoscope (2006), singer Oskar Lundström's soulful quaver was similar to Dead Man's Kristoffer Sjoedahl and Paul Rodgers. Sartez Faraj replaced him on Far From The Sun, and their fourth album, Different Realities, which comes out August 29, will incorporate more Middle Eastern melodies and possibly a variety of vocalists.
Burning Saviours, Hundus (I Hate Records) 06
Burning Saviours were gone before I ever heard of them, flaming out in early 2008 after just three albums where they refined their originally heavier doom metal into more progressive stoner rock. Their self-titled 2005 debut and Nymphs And Weavers (2008) are good, but I think they hit their peak with their second album, Hundus.
Grand Magus, Monument (Rise Above) 03
Grand Magus is lead by singer/guitarist JB from the Spiritual Beggars, who's great pipes and guitar playing reach a peak with this album. By Wolf's Return (2005) and
Iron Will (2008), the band drifted into more 80s style power metal.
Krux, Krux II (GMR) 06
Krux is a sort of supergroup with Jörgen Sandström, and drummer Peter Stjärnvind of Entombed, and Candlemass bassist Leif Edling. They definitely lean more towards the heavier doom metal side of things, and is sometimes difficult to tell apart from Candlemass, aside from just a touch more of that vintage 70s Sabbath sound.
Horisont, Två Sidor Av Horisonten (Crusher) September 25, 2009
Dead Man labelmates will issue their debut on September 25th. Referencing November, Blue Cheer and of course Sabbath, they should be a welcome addition to the bunch of Swedish rockers.
Half the album is sung in Swedish, half in English.
Honorable mentions
I won't go into Dungen's albums, which are all great, because they've had plenty of attention everywhere. Like Dungen, Elope explores a lighter, psychedelic pop side, their best being The No Name Record (2004). Dozer's Beyond Colossal (2008) is aptly titled for its spine-crushing doom metal along the lines of YOB. Colour Haze labelmates My Sleeping Karma offer relatively more laidback grooves on Satya (2008). Gentleman's Pistols released their self-titled debut album in 2007. They're from Leeds, England, but fit in well with the Swedish bands. In 2008, Toronto, Canada's Blood Ceremony issued their own self-titled debut album that adds some Jethro Tull-inspired flute to the mix, and female vocalist Alia O'Brien. This year, Iowa band Radio Moscow released their second album, Brain Cycles, great power trio blues rock that cites the Groundhogs among their influences. I'm kicking myself for missing their tour last winter with Dead Man.
I ordered a lot of these albums from All That Is Heavy. It was my first time ordering, and when I got both a free CD with a $50 order and free shipping, I figured it would take about two to three weeks to get it, which is my experience with other free shipping deals. I ordered on a Thursday afternoon, got an email just a few hours later that it had shipped, and it was waiting for me when I got home on Monday. Awesome! I'm so pleased, I'm posting a free ad for them for a few weeks. You can get almost all the albums I mentioned there, and you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal.
Cool live performance from Dead Man:
Here's a really raw live video. Beware, turn your speakers way down when you play it:
While all of Jack White's various projects delve into various types of retro rock, the Dead Weather album has little in common with stoner rock. This cover of Pentagram's "Forever My Queen" suggests a stoner rock project wouldn't be a bad idea!
