The leader of the British indie/psychedelic rock trio KingBathmat returns to his earlier status as a one-man band with the self-titled debut from Gravity Field. John Bassett plays and sings everything on this album, which skews heavier than his other band — taking influences from Black Sabbath and Rage Against the Machine, but also subtly working in references to Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. As grinding as they are spacey, these songs allow Bassett to work out his musical demons, channeling Nirvana on "The Wall of Sorrow" and Thin Lizzy on "Illuminati Apocalypse." If your speakers survive the crunch of "Psychoanalyze," look out for the sheer brute force of the muddy, riff-driven "Sheeple" and the gut-wrenching weight of "Chapter 322."
I've rhetorically asked this question before when reviewing Bassett's previous work, and I'll ask it again now: Considering the material on the four albums from KingBathmat (two of them released when that band was just a one-man project) and the way Bassett mind-melds heavy stoner rock with airy prog on Gravity Field, why isn't this dude famous?
Oh, great song titles, too. "Dead Cat Bounce," anyone?
Track Listing:
1) Lost Forever
2) Paris Based Think Tank
3) Psychoanalyze
4) Sheeple
5) Illuminati Apocalypse
6) Chapter 322
7) Dead Cat Bounce
8) The Wall of Sorrow
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