Connecticut doom/sludge veterans return with their fourth release, a monstrous 2CD set titled Drifting Towards The Edge Of The Earth. That's exactly how you'll feel after experiencing this monolithic collection of sounds, as the band toss every possible bit of classic doom, funeral, stoner, psychedelic, and sludge element at the listener, so turn on your lava lamp, fire up whatever recreational materials you might have, and let yourself go.
Let's get it out of the way right off the bat, Drifting Towards The Edge Of The Earth is not 'cruising in the car' music by any means. This is a CD that you pop in on a damp, dreary rainy day, with the lights dimmed and the mood set just right. It's something you soak in, rather than 'get into', if that makes any sense. A track like "Too Much Perfection Is a Mistake" is just so dripping in melancholy that it's almost heartbreaking, as the repetitive, lilting chords simply tug at your inner being. The bands ability to create crushing, almost funeral doom dirges, as on "The Woods Are Full of Killers" and "Sleeps in Burning Hills" is spot on, yet when they drop in a more upbeat, sludgy slice of stoner rock, as on "The Scavengers Daughter", the little bit of groove laden headbanging is much appreciated. I could have done without the monotony of "California Comes the Rain" (though I do like the massive distortion), but "GunSwallower" delivers some massive riffs and busy drum beats in what is a manacing sludge-metal delight. "Hide the Bodies From God" is raucous and noisy, as chaotic drums collide with equally manic bass & guitar riffs over which violent vocal screams shatter your senses. As furious as the first half of the song is, the latter part morphs into this atmospheric, moody tranquility that is quite breathtaking. The heavy stoner vibe returns on "We Are the Wolves", a crushing slice of psychedelic biker rock complete with raging wah-wah guitar licks and pummeling rhythms. This gives way to the massive 5-part epic "My Coffin Is Loaded with Sand and Fire", roughly 50-minutes of doomy delights for any fan of the genre. As they do on the first disc, When the Deadbolt Breaks throw in all but the kitchen sink, so look for all sorts of styles throughout this epic. I hear some Danzig, Neurosis, Motorhead, The Cure, Isis, Sleep, and Ramesses influence throughout this lengthy jaunt, and while there are some passages that just go on way too long (Part 3 for instance could have been omitted in my opinion), much of it really works and packs a punch.
If close to 2 hours of sludge-ridden doom sounds like too much for you, then perhaps Drifting Towards The Edge Of The Earth won't be your cup of tea. However, I know there's plenty of addicts out there for the type of dirges that this band creates, so for those folks I say drink deep, as there's tons of crushing sounds to be savored here.
Track Listing
1. The Woods Are Full of Killers 12:04
2. The Scavengers Daughter 7:24
3. Sleeps in Burning Hills 10:49
4. Too Much Perfection Is a Mistake 5:09
5. California Comes the Rain 7:21
6. Hide the Bodies from God 8:19
7. GunSwallower 8:41
8. We Are the Wolves 7:22
9. My Coffin Is Loaded with Sand and Fire Part 1 11:16
10. My Coffin Is Loaded with Sand and Fire Part 2 5:18
11. My Coffin Is Loaded with Sand and Fire Part 3 9:12
12. My Coffin Is Loaded with Sand and Fire Part 4 13:32
13. My Coffin Is Loaded with Sand and Fire Part 5 10:25
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