WhiteBuzz at the Temple of Jerusalem
Though somewhat less musically foreboding than the album art would have you believe, the four very-extended tracks (plus an untitled secret track) joining forces to make up the MeteorCity debut of young German trio WhiteBuzz are no less stoned. Zagging around a bee line to hypnotic riff repetition and Om-style spiritual communion, Book of Whyte is one psychedelic shift after another, offering quiet ambience one minute (two minutes, three, four, five) and forceful riff metal the next. Definitely graduates of the School of Cisneros, WhiteBuzz maintain a casual, flowing atmosphere wherever the song takes them.
Perhaps the most Om of the four main tracks of Book of Whyte is the 16-minute ?A Journey through the Orchestral Labyrinth of the Wide Plateau,? the beginning, bass-led moments of which could have easily come off of Conference of the Birds. The subtle touches of guitar from Cris, who also handles vocals, make all the difference, however, and as the song rolls onward, WhiteBuzz jam their way to an individuality still based on a familiar foundation, but split into different means of expression. That is to say, you feel kind of like you?ve been there before, but with WhiteBuzz driving, you get a chance to look out the window at a new angle. The track ends with whispering and birdsong that largely serves as an intro for the closer ?Antipocalypse,? itself a considerable presence on the disc at just over 12 riffy minutes.
If it feels like this review started backwards, you?re right. The simple fact is that with WhiteBuzz, you might just lose time and find yourself regaining consciousness 40 minutes in. And yes, by the way, 40 minutes in does mean the third track. Book of Whtye opens with the Sleepy 15:29 ?Pentaprisma? and the staggering 19:28 of ?The Return of Phoenix.? Cris? tone takes on a Dopesmoker edge in the album?s first few minutes that matches the bass of Andr? for thickness while the expected ride work of Tim provides foundation for the groove. It?s basically Om meets Sleep in different measures throughout, but what makes Book of Whyte worth hearing is the deftness with which the transitions between parts are made and the subdued, organic progressions across the board.
It?s simple science that you?ll be immersed in ?The Return of Phoenix? whether you want to or not. The track is simply too long and too encompassing to not become engrossed in it. For personal preference in atmosphere, I?ll take ?A Journey through the Orchestral Labyrinth of the Wide Plateau,? but the song immediately preceding it is undeniably an album unto itself, a grown microcosm of the larger Book of Whyte on which WhiteBuzz plot a course for their stoner caravan spanning galaxies inward and outward, pushing minimalism and kitchen-sinkery into green psychedelic skies in the name of heralding the new generation of cosmic classicism. Book of Whyte is right in line in terms of both quality and style with latter day MeteorCity offerings from Elder, Black Pyramid and Flood, but don?t take that for calling WhiteBuzz generic. They are not to be missed by hailers of the riff.
band kills, the mind reels.