The Italian stoner scene continues to flourish as Longiano natives Pater Nembrot release Sequoia Seeds, their second album through Go Down Records. The hour-long, nine-track collection (plus a hidden cut called “Dark Age Dawn”) embarks on a systematic exploration of the varied sides of the stonerly genres, elements of space rock, psychedelia, drone and crunchier doom coming out of their surprisingly varied material. It may not sound like much on first listen, but subsequent sessions find the trio demonstrating a melodic awareness and an underlying ‘90s-style grunge feel that sets Pater Nembrot apart from those who simply worship the fuzz (not that there’s anything wrong with that, provided it’s done well). Guitarist, vocalist synth-specialist and occasional flautist Philip Leonardi seems to shift his tone to match whatever a given song is trying to evoke, coming across on opener “The Weaner” with a semi-doomed groove that’s a hook before the chorus even arrives.

It’s not track-by-track genre defiance by any stretch, but Pater Nembrot does stave off redundancy across Sequoia Seeds, varied track lengths from about two to about 10 minutes adding to the apparent complexity of their songwriting formula as much as bassist Jack Pasghin’s thickness provides the foundation for the stoner bop of “H.a.a.r.p.,” on which producer Enrì (Mondo Cane) contributes guest organ work following a dead stop. Leonardi doesn’t shred, but neither is he shy in his leads, bridging verses and choruses fluidly and adding an element of continuity to whatever turn Pater Nembrot might be looking to take. Drummer Alfredo “Big J” Casoni is similarly adaptable, adjusting his fills to best suit Leonardi’s Soundgarden-esque vocalizing toward the end of the track. In this way, Pater Nembrot’s playing off each other makes Sequoia Seeds work. “Supercell,” which is probably as fuzz-caked as they get, includes a Pasghin-led space-inflected break. All hail the bass solo, short though it may be. Waves and swirls of psychedelic noise fill out the background and the song proves to be one of Sequoia Seeds’ several high points.

A strong opening already behind them, Pater Nembrot offset the preceding three cuts with the two-minute “Three Gorges Damn’” (extra apostrophe on purpose), which quickly moves from ambient lines from Leonardi to punkish instrumentality à la The Atomic Bitchwax or maybe even Fatso Jetson, with whom Pater Nembrot has played in the past. It’s an energetic lead in for “The River,” which justifies the special attention via the unpretentious and somewhat brighter rock vibe it emits. Pasghin takes a back seat for the verses, but rounds out the chorus nicely with fills, contributing a classic rock vibe to the otherwise modern stoner take. That vibe continues into the more Southern guitar/vocal “Sequoia,” where Leonardi goes it alone, adding a moody sensibility without necessarily sacrificing the momentum and also setting up the more progressive feel of “Once Were Mud,” on which Leonardi breaks out the flute for the first time. Apart from the closer, “Once Were Mud” is the longest track on Sequoia Seeds, and it’s probably the highlight, moving into some of the same melodic territory Snail inhabited on their 2009 reunion album, Blood and featuring the album’s most memorable chorus. And the flute, dude. It’s not Ian Anderson, but it’s a nice touch.

“Awakening with Curiosity” is a more developed version of some of the same ideas “Sequoia” presented, but loses something for its more filled out arrangement, Leonardi’s vocals having a touch of Zakk Wylde’s balladry warble to them. At three minutes, it’s over relatively quick, and the more classic shuffle of “Ratla Klim” takes hold. Enzo Vita of early Italian proggers Il Rovescio della Medaglia contributes guitar to both cuts as well as the more massive (and, appropriately, progressive) instrumental closer “No Man’s Land,” on which desert atmosphere meets with synth swirls and effects-laden guitar. There’s a slow build to a heavy and xylophone-inclusive conclusion, and after a couple minutes, “Dark Age Dawn” returns Sequoia Seeds one last time to its ‘90s-style stonerisms for about five and a half minutes. After the far-out trip to “No Man’s Land,” “Dark Age Dawn” is a little anticlimactic, but with Pasghin’s bass driving the verse, it’s engaging nonetheless, or at least not egregiously out of place, Leonardi’s synth tying it eventually to what came before.

Pater Nembrot’s second album probably won’t change your conception of stoner rock, but it is done well and with natural-sounding shifts that not every band is able to pull off. For its subtle intricacies and textural feel, Sequoia Seeds is worth checking out for heads looking for something not overboard in its psychedelia and still acknowledging its ‘90s roots. The balance Leonardi, Pasghin and Casoni strike throughout these songs is basically what individualizes Pater Nembrot, and it’s an individuality likewise balanced between familiar genre elements and semi-quirked chemistry. Cool tunes, good vibe. No complaints.

Pater Nembrot’s website

Go Down Records

Tags: Go Down Records, Italy, Longiano, Pater Nembrot

This entry was posted on Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 12:21 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.