It’s been said before, and not just by me, that stoner rock is what happens when punk kids grow up. If that case isn’t yet proven, I humbly submit York, PA/Baltimore, MD sludge rockers Swamp Vulture, whose two-song SP (when was the last time you saw those initials for a release?), Hunter-Gatherer has just seen digital release via upstart label, Eleventh Key. The trio of bassist/vocalist Toddst, guitarist Sean and drummer Chris — you know they’re young because they don’t have last names yet — offer densely packed, mid-paced Sleep-style Gretsch and Gibson grooves with some angrier doom flourishes, by and large keeping their sound stripped down and staying away from too much ambiance or atmospheric chicanery.

If Hunter-Gatherer was a DIY cassingle — which, I admit, is how I’ve been thinking of it — side one would be devoted entirely to the title track, which wastes no time with flashy intros, instead starting with the main verse riff and pounding it into the ground. Sean‘s tone is not overly fuzzed, but thick nonetheless and Toddst‘s bass does much to beef up the Swamp Vulture approach. There are a few pace changes, well done, and a requisite slow, heavy-as-balls part, but “Hunter-Gatherer” mostly shows that if nothing else, these dudes have their influences in line: Sleep, Goatsnake, Melvins.

Read more »