Sweden's Electric Earth sure do show a love for bands like Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, and KISS on their latest heavy rock platter Vol. II-Words Unspoken, out now on Mausoleum Records. While some have chosen to label these guys as 'stoner metal', that sort of does the band a little injustice. At their core, Electric Earth are just a a very good heavy rock band, as they blend thick, crunchy riffs, pounding rhythms, and catchy melodies quite nicely throughout this CD without ever falling into the non-stop psychedelic dirge rut that many bands in the stoner genre sink. Tunes like "Again and Again", "Antichrist", and "Drowning" bristle with electrifying guitar riffs and the commanding vocals of Peter Gottlieb, who sounds more than a bit like Chris Cornell from Soundgarden/Audioslave. There's a sense of groove here that also can't be denied, as the rhythm section of bassist Lyris Karlsson & drummer Draken rumble and burn through standout cuts like "Wheels of Confession", "Serpent Serpentine", and "Magnetic Soul", while lead guitarist Tommy Scalisi fires off one scathing riff after another. The feedback soaked "Heroes" recalls not only the vintage early 70's Black Sabbath sound, but the beginnings of the Seattle grunge era as well. All in all, Vol. II-Words Unspoken has a lot to offer to any hard rock fan, and shows that Electric Earth have the goods to take their career to another level.
Track Listing
1. Drowning
2. Words Unspoken
3. Again & Again
4. Concubine
5. Antichrist
6. Wheels Of Confession
7. Serpent Serpentine
8. Magnetic Soul
9. Little Song
10. Amplified
11. Heroes
12. Leaving the Darklands