Track Listing
1. Hurricane 2. One inch man 3. Thee ol' boozeroony 4. Gloria Lewis 5. Phototropic 6. El rodeo 7. Jumbo blimp jumbo 8. Tangy zizzle 9. Size queen 10. Catamaran 11. Spaceship landing Year: 1995 Label: Elektra |
Kyuss - '...And the circus leaves town' - By S. Regan
The Palm Springs' bluesy stoner�s forth release �And the Circus Leaves Town� marked the � at the time unknown � end to their 10 year reign as stoner rock kings. Many coined Kyuss as the Black Sabbath of the '90s. This is a tag which I very much agree with, like Sabbath, Kyuss� songs centred around blues-based, heavy, yet melodic and frequently instrumental songs that incorporated a high degree of complexity and musical skill. Kyuss transcended the general mundane levels of your average heavy metal band. 'And the circus...' is built around long, progressive songs, which leave the listener in a hypnotic trance, unable to do anything but helplessly head-bang as slaves to their sound. Opening with the furious "Hurricane," with a pace setting drum sequence, Kyuss soon tear into a meaty riff. Josh Garcia croons in with the laid back �I feel nothin, said I don�t feel nothin� and I wont feel nuthin� at all-wo-ooh-oh�. The album�s first single �One Inch Man� certainly is a stand out track on the album, opening with a bassey down-tuned riff, before the drums kick in and set the pace for the same riff to continue effortlessly. The fantastic �mini-solo� on this song also breaks the song up nicely. Instrumental, "Thee Ole' Boozerooney," showcases Kyuss� innovative creativity as they combine basic riffs with complex rhythms and melodies to produce a truly original sound. The mostly instrumental "Phototropic," is simply the quintessential Kyuss-esque track on this album, opening with a quiet melodic guitar, which as every long term Kyuss fan knows, precedes the inevitable full on aural assault of the Kyuss rhythm section. After 2 minutes of sweet melody, in kicks a bassline so thick and meaty you fear getting too close for it might knock you right on your ass, along with Garcia�s trademark vocals. Other stand-outs on this album include the slightly quirky "El Rodeo," which takes a simple, if not silly, guitar lick and slowly expands it into one of the heaviest tracks on the album. The album's closing track, the eleven-minute Hessian progression aptly titled "Spaceship Landing," will put end to any doubts that you may have about Kyuss' well-deserved place as the kings of headbanger haven. With this track they manage to captivate the listener as they slowly combine the themes into a climaxing, if not captivating, perfect end to a near-perfect album. Kyuss' ability to fuse Sabbath-like riffs with a crunching, Melvins-heaviness certainly made them one of the few truly-unique hard rock bands of the 90s. With Kyuss, there's no gimmick, no frills, and no faux metal image to uphold. They just tune down, turn it up, and get down to business. Metal Obsessive Grade: 97% |