What do you get when you combine the styles of Grand Funk Railroad, The James Gang, and Black Sabbath? Something pretty similar to the Texas trio known as Crypt Trip and their sophomore full-length release Rootstock. While their debut self-titled album from 2014 treaded much more into stoner/doom territory ala vintage Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, this latest release injects a healthy dose of psychedelia, blues, and classic rock tones into their hard hitting yet groove laden attack. The band are comprised of Ryan Lee (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Cameron Martin (drums, vocals), and Sam Bryant (bass), and they've written eight exciting, hard rocking tunes here that are well worth your attention. "Heartslave" kicks things off in fine fashion, a psych drenched blues rock jam with some killer guitar tones, and that segues into the uptempo rocker "Boogie No. 6", a tune that seems straight out of a time capsule from 1970. The crystalline wah-wah comes out on the gorgeous "Aquarena Daydream", bringing up images of Robin Trower but the sublime electric piano adds a nice proggy/psychedelic touch, and there's a nice jam at the end that's almost like a midnight session between the Allman Brothers and Grand Funk. "Rio Vista" is barnstorming hard rock, again conjuring up vintage James Gang with its sizzling guitar licks and beefy bass lines, and Bryant's fat bass again is the driving force on the meaty "Natural Child" alongside Lee's awesome wah-wah soaked riffs...think Grand Funk's first three albums and you know what you are in store for here. Fantastic stuff. "Tears of Gaia" ups the speed a bit for a raucous rocker that approaches metal, complete with some neat time changes and plenty of acrobatic riffs & drumming, while the more psych drenched closer "Soul Games" is prefaced by the brief instrumental "Mabon Song", both fantastic cuts that show additional sides to the band.
It's incredible to hear both Crypt Trip's debut and this release, as they almost sound like two different bands, but each are great examples of what this hot trio have to offer. Rootstock is a rewarding and truly enjoyable trip back to the days where heavy rock was in its infancy, and psychedelia and blues both played a significant part in its maturation. Highly recommended stuff here, and I personally can't wait to hear more from this band.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1.
Heartslave 05:19
2.
Boogie No. 6 04:18
3.
Aquarena Daydream 06:02
4.
Rio Vista 03:17
5.
Natural Child 06:46
6.
Tears of Gaia 05:08
7.
Mabon Song 01:42
8.
Soul Games 06:25
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