Greenseeker Premiere Debut Album The Wish in Full; Vinyl Out May 27
Tomorrow, May 13, marks the digital release and vinyl preorder launch for Greenseeker‘s debut album, The Wish. Set to release through StoneFly Records at the end of the month, the 2LP offering is relatively straightforward in its arrangements — guitar, keys, bass, drums, vocals — and earlier-Sabbathian in its loyalties, but not at all void of ambition. Harnessing its tale-telling sensibilities from folk-leaning ’70s heavy prog and bringing them together with classic doom vibes, the seven-song/53-minute undertaking — upwards of 58 if you get the vinyl with their 2020 cover of “Lucifer” by Axas on side D — the record presents a story beginning in opening track “The Iron Tree” that’s both grandiose and organic, mystical and real, maybe an allegory about power corrupting as a High Priestess seeks the magical stone that will supposedly make wishes come true.
And yes, if your head is already spinning thinking about what you’d wish for, I think that’s part of the point. But for second track “The Wheel and Stone,” which is shorter at 4:52 even with that King Crimsony chase in its midsection, every cut is over seven minutes long and closer “The Wish” culminates at 11:41, so there is no shortage of room for the four-piece of keyboardist/vocalist Lauren Hatch, guitarist Max Siegfried, bassist Selina Cleary and drummer Shea Gegan, to flesh out, go to exploring, and most of all, to take their time, which is precisely what they do throughout most of the record.
To wit, “The Iron Tree” begins with the melodic hum of organ and gradually unfurls toward its chorus, keys prominent alongside the softer guitar. There’s a tempo pickup by the end of the song, but not before a chorus that reminds of Patti Smith meets that
increasing urgency head on. And “urgency” is relative, since even at its most intense — in the gallop of the second half of “The Wheel and Stone,” the distinctly proto-NWOBHM riff that begins “Return to the Mortal Plane” or the key-led bouncing progression that ends it, in the guitar solo-driven apex of “The Wish,” and so on — The Wish remains fairly laid back, not so much making a point of its patience since the movement within each piece is dynamic in how it works between one end of the song and the other.
That is to say, while the payoffs of “Diviner/Charmed Apprentice,” “The Iron Tree,” “Uncharted Realms” and “The Wish,” etc., are reliably in the back end of the songs, Greenseeker‘s debut is at least as much about voyage as destination, if not more. The penultimate “Master of the Storm” brings this into emphasis, with Hatch‘s keys again setting the fantasy atmosphere at the very start soon met by Gegan‘s far back drum thuds, which mark out a tension that the song mostly dares to leave hanging. Forward movement happens, but it’s not intended as a build in the same way as much of what comes before — there’s no specific point at which it “gets heavy.” It simply is.
Between that, the “Diviner” portion of “Diviner/Charmed Apprentice,” various breather-breaks throughout and the resonant jam that takes place in the title-track — something one hopes Greenseeker do more of from here on out; that blend of vital exploration and methodical, structured delivery is one rarely pulled off with such a natural feel for a band that has any relation to doom of any stripe, even plotted as it may be — The Wish is both understated in its presentation and notable for the breadth of its material. It is true to its willful engaging with ’70s roots in its vinyl-ready sound, and while it may be a first outing for the band with only their 2020 self-titled EP/demo prior, the hold it keeps on the listener is emblematic of Greenseeker‘s progressive drive. They are going to grow from here, refine the processes by which The Wish was made, which is as it should be. At least that’s one of the things I’d hope for if I had that stone. Also cash.
StoneFly has a release announcement following the full stream of the album below with more background on Greenseeker and the impending vinyl.
Please enjoy:
FROM PORTLAND, OREGON, HEAVY PSYCH / PROTO-METALLERS GREENSEEKER SIGNS TO STONEFLY RECORDS FOR A WORLDWIDE VINYL RELEASE OF THEIR ALBUM THE WISH ON MAY 27th, 2022.
StoneFly Records is very excited to announce the signing of Portland, OR Heavy Psych / Proto-Metallers Greenseeker and look forward to releasing their album The Wish on 180g vinyl. This album will be the 6th one released by StoneFly Records.
It hat was back in June 2021 when I was approached by Max Siegfried, axe wielder for Greenseeker to see if I was interested to release their new album The Wish. I was already familiar with the band. I loved their self-titled album they previously released in March 2020. I won’t lie, the perspective of releasing a 2LP was something putting me a bit on the fence. However, the fact that this album is so good and the willingness of the band to work me vanquished all my doubts! I would have been simply a fool to pass over that gem! A deal was cut between us. The fans of bands like Blood Ceremony, Uriah Heep, Rainbow or even Uncle Acid will most certainly by appealed by the evocative power of Greenseeker.
So, after few discussion with the band, we decided to lay down the album on the first 3 faces of the vinyl. Since it would have been a shame to waste a side, we decided to include on the fourth face, as a bonus song, the cover they released digitally in May 2020 of the song Lucifer by Axas. For those not familiar with Axas, they were a legendary Hard Rock/Psychedelic band hailing from the state of Indiana operating from the mid to the late seventies.
The Wish artwork was made by Jodie Beechem and the songs were mastered for digital and Vinyl by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.
Greenseeker’s The Wish will release digitally on May 13, 2022.
Vinyl Pre-Order will go live at the same date.
Vinyl will officially release on May 27th, 2022.
“The Wish” takes the listener on a journey through a fantasy universe filled with dark magic and mysterious characters. The High Priestess rules over the inhabitants of this realm through coercion and subterfuge, but fear of her own mortality and weakness leads her to seek an even greater power.
Several tales are told throughout the album, but the primary arc is played out in three acts: In The Wheel and the Stone, the High Priestess sends an adventurer out to find an enchanted stone believed to grant wishes, which she believes will sate her desire. In Uncharted Realms, an observer with the power to travel between worlds witnesses the Priestess unleash terror across the land and its citizens as her crusade for the stone wages on. Finally, in the title track, the Priestess holds the stone in her possession – but will it truly grant her wish?
GREENSEEKER IS:
Lauren Hatch: Keyboard, Vocals
Selina Cleary: Bass, Vocals
Shea Gegan: Drums
Max Siegfried: Guitar
