German trio Grandloom follow a stylistic course that seems to be hitting some kind of new echelon of prominence in 2011: namely, instrumental heavy psychedelia. The Cottbus threesome – guitar, bass, drums – rest in an in-between spot on the spectrum. They’re not as progressive as was 35007, not as riffy as Karma to Burn, not as desert-minded as their countrymen in Colour Haze, but one could just as easily argue they take influence from all three of those acts as well as some of Kyuss’ more spontaneous moments. The six mostly-extended tracks of Grandloom’s self-released debut studio full-length, Sunburst (which was preceded by 2010’s 5 Dollar Jam EP and 2009’s Live at Bautzener Tor), finds the Stoned From the Underground veterans following semi-plotted courses to meandering heaviness, occasionally relying on build structures or repeated parts, but not being afraid to throw a song into the ether and seeing how far out it goes. Though Sunburst begins straightforward with the opening movement of “Orbit Wobbler,” that soon proves to be pretty far out.

Without a vocalist and without any other kind of synth or noise contributions to fill out their sound, the onus is really on the three members of Grandloom to carry across their tracks with chemistry and fluidity – otherwise Sunburst simply falls flat. The record isn’t without its wandering moments, and occasionally in listening I’m left feeling they haven’t quite been able to pull a song like 12-minute closer “Earthvalley” as far back as they need to, but for the most part, they seem aware of the balance between quality jams and songwriting, and are able to walk that line well. The shortest inclusion here is second cut “Woodbridge” at 4:20, and it follows “Orbit Wobbler” with relatively straightforward stoner riffing that would have been no stretch to fit verses over, despite guitarist Thomas’ liberal soloing. It’s here though that bassist Hans begins to make his presence known in the rhythm section alongside drummer Rischi, offering fills that not only run alongside Thomas and contrast in the Butler/Iommi tradition, but are genuinely responsible for much of Sunburst’s character as the album develops. Hans’ playing becomes a major factor in the sound of the band, and much to both his and its credit.

This proves perhaps most true of all on “Apollo Moon,” wherein at about four of its total 10 minutes, the guitars open-strum the song into a kind of minimalist oblivion, and even more than the stick clicks from Rischi, it’s the bass I’m waiting for to reground the song. “Apollo Moon” boasts some of Grandloom’s best basswork, and as the track progresses, it’s really Hans in the lead, however bright and prominent Thomas is in the mix. And that’s not to slight Thomas’ playing somehow – his Orange-hued riffing is as essential to Sunburst as one might expect – but without that warm, characteristically European low end (I’ve still yet to hear an American band who can effectively match what these acts are doing overseas, and I’d very much like to) from Hans, Grandloom would be sunk. The guitars play a role in that as well, and while I’m giving performance credits, one is due to Rischi as well for the subtlety of his snare work; ghost notes peppered “Apollo Moon,” “The Holy Letter” and elsewhere. Still, as Grandloom nestles between Kyuss’ “El Rodeo” and Queens of the Stone Age’s “Mexicola” on “Larry Fairy,” it’s Hans left with the task of distinguishing the band from either song.

Some mixed results there, but as “Larry Fairy” unfolds, it moves in a different direction anyway, only going back to that riff in the closing moments, setting up the quiet/loud shifts that come on with “The Holy Letter.” The song runs through two cycles of softer parts into louder ones, ending, appropriately, on the more rocking side, demonstrating that Grandloom, for as off-the-cuff as they sound at times, are capable also of working within a plotted structure. Aforementioned closer “Earthvalley” has probably the widest sprawl of any of the material on Sunburst, and also the sunniest sound, thanks to some layered solos from Thomas, but with a solid 38 minutes of material preceding, it’s easy to lose grip on the track. Doubtless that’s part of the band’s intent, but even as “Earthvalley” comes back around to a semi-crunching finale, by then the prior four minutes of straight jamming have relaxed to a near-hypnotic state, and the build on which Grandloom embarks in the final two minutes of the song is cut short at the end of the record before any real payoff. As such, Sunburst isn’t without its incongruities, but heavy jam heads should still be able to find plenty to dig on throughout its six songs. With their debut LP, Grandloom join the ranks of an increasingly crowded scene, but given the solidity of their playing and the overall flow of these tracks, there’s nothing stopping them from leaving an individual mark going forward.

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Grandloom on Last FM

Tags: Cottbus, Germany, Grandloom, Unsigned bands

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at 11:47 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.