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.

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