One thing’s for sure: When boozy Swedish doom rockers The Graviators decided to call their new album Motherload, they weren’t kidding. The 2LP — their third overall and second for Napalm Records — checks in at a massive 76 minutes, and is an undertaking front to back of bluesy classic heavy rocking and pure, traditional-style doom. They’ve got one foot in the grave and one in the arena, in other words, and across Motherload, they put on a show of considerable proportion, beginning right from the start of “Leif’s Last Breath/Dance of the Valkyrie” to showcase a varied but fluid and engaging approach from the four-piece of vocalist Niklas Sjöberg, lead and rhythm guitarist Martin Fairbanks, bassist Johan Holm and drummer Henrik Bergman.

As a frontman, Sjöberg is a steady presence in the mix, but as the opening cut shows, he’s not an overbearing singer and knows when the song is best served by stepping back to let Fairbanks top a building Sabbathian groove with a worthy solo. The shortest of Motherload‘s nine cuts is “Bed of Bitches” at 5:31, so everyone gets plenty of room throughout to ply their trade, whether it’s on the hook-laden “Narrow Minded Bastards” (video premiere here) — Holm‘s bassline alone makes the song a necessity — or the longest form works, “Lost Lord” (11:09) and “Druid’s Ritual” (13:50), each of which serves as the finale for its half of the album and offers a spirited jam to mark the occasion, Fairbanks leading the way on guitar, but both Holm and Bergman exploring as well a jazzy and deep-running rhythm section dynamic that’s obviously developed over the course of The Graviators‘ years since making their self-titled full-length debut in 2009.

Those songs provide a neat summary of the scope, but whether it’s that bass ‘n’ drum swing and spacey guitar, huge riffing, wailing doom defiance, bottle-tipping rush or plodding, feedback-heavy doom, Motherload delivers what Motherload promises, whether it’s the traditional metal of “Tigress of Sibiria,” the eerie spaciousness of “Drowned in Leaves” (note the “Die Young” reference from Sjöberg in the second half), or the floor-shaking siren-topped nod of “Eagles Rising.” The Graviators tie it all together through a clear affinity for big riffs, big tones all things wicked and/or doomed, and even though one could hardly accuse them of brevity, Motherload is never more over-the-top than it wants to be and The Graviators never meander so far that they lose sight of serving the track at hand.

It’s my pleasure today to host a full stream of Motherload for those who’d go wandering through its blue skies and murky depths. The album hits beginning this week (it’s out April 8 in North America), and The Graviators start a European tour to support it on April 21, playing the Berlin Desertfest and Copenhagen’s Heavy Days in Doomtown along the way. More details about the release and tour dates can be found under the player below.

Please enjoy:

After the release of their fantastic and critically acclaimed full length “Evil Deeds” and the split 7″ with their label mates MONKEY3, THE GRAVIATORS return with their latest studio effort “Motherload”. The brilliant vintage analog sound combines the Hard Rock of the Seventies with a good dose of Doom Metal and Stoner Rock. For the very first time, THE GRAVIATORS pay homage to their cultural heritage. The result is the song “Leifs Last Breath / Dance of the Valkyrie”. It is an epic track that could have been written by Quorthon (BATHORY) himself. The songs give off an occult vibe that mainly results from the enthralling vocals. A special bonus is the re-recording of “Druid´s Ritual”, a classic from the band’s back catalogue. The song clocks in at almost 14min and is a testament to the band’s brilliance. “Motherload” is an impressive Doom Stoner Metal album filled with highlights and will elevate THE GRAVIATORS from being an insider’s tip to the top of the scene.

Release Dates:
ESP/SWE/NOR: 02.04.2014
G/A/S, FIN & Benelux: 28.03.2014
EUROPE: 31.03.2014
USA/CAN: 08.04.2014

THE GRAVIATORS on Tour
21.04.14 SE – Stockholm / tba
22.04.14 SE – Lund / Hemgarden
23.04.14 DE – Berlin / Jägerklause
24.04.14 DE – Wiesbaden / Kulturpalast
25.04.14 NL – Groningen / Vera
26.04.14 DE – Berlin / Desertfest
27.04.14 DE – Köln / Underground
28.04.14 DE – Dresden / Ost Pol
29.04.14 DE – München / Feierwerk
30.04.14 DE – Dresden / Ost-Pol
02.05.14 DE – Jena / Black Night
04.05.14 DK – Copenhagen / Heavy Days Doom Town

The Graviators on Thee Facebooks

Graviators at Napalm Records

Tags: Karlshamn, Malmö, Motherload, Napalm Records, Sweden, The Graviators, The Graviators Motherload

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2014 at 8:59 am and is filed under audiObelisk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.