Electric Magma--Karaoke Bitchslap
Around Ahead 2004
"Stoner rock" has fallen on hard times over the last several years, most of which has been self created. Still, there are a handful of bands left doing worthy stuff within that realm. Electric Magma might be counted amongst that productive group if their new album Karaoke Bitch Slap is any indication. The results here are impressive, though somewhat incomplete feeling.
In the footsteps of bands such as Karma To Burn, Electric Magma take an instrumental approach to "stoner rock." Unlike similar trips down this path, Karaoke Bitch Slap is comprised of 100% quality riffage--no filler here. This disc also boasts enough power and fury to possibly connect with doomers, even though groove is king for these guys. It's a very solid affair, to say the least.
While Karaoke Bitch Slap is certainly damn good for what it is, this isn't really the kind of music you sit down and consume too intensely. Yes, the dynamic nature of "Moosehead Pie" and the mean groove of "The Blue Song" merit individual praise, but instro is mainly about crafting a unified whole. The reason for this is voxless music tends to wind up as party or background enhancement. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, and this disc seems perfect for that purpose.
Diehard "stoner rockers" are bound to flip out on Karaoke Bitch Slap. That said, as inherent as melodicism is in all these tunes, it seems somewhat of a waste Electric Magma weren't able to lend lyrics and vocals to these impressive pieces--the lead guitar voice doesn't move around enough to fully compensate for their absence. At the very least, you've got a stellar collection of riffs on your hands with this one.
Score this CD directly from ELECTRIC MAGMA
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