BIO

THEMS THAT WAIT

I don’t often pause in my usual racing through black, death, and doom metal to check out bands whose music is compared to the likes of Black Sabbath, Clutch, and Kyuss, but for some reason I did that in sampling some songs from the new album by Thems That Wait, a stoner rock power trio from Portland, Maine — and I’m damned glad I did.

I suppose it goes without saying that this style of music depends very heavily on riff-craft, and guitarist Craig Garland is a fucking fuzz-toned riff machine. The album is packed with immediately addictive riffs, laced with trippy solos, alluring melodies, and nuanced bass work. And while I find myself getting bored quickly while trying to wade through most stoner albums, that didn’t happen with this one. Each riff-driven song has its own hook-laden, addictive appeal.

But to be fair, there are other reasons why I didn’t lose interest, besides the power of the riffs. The gut-punching, skull-busting rhythms of bassist Mat Patterson and drummer Branden Clements have a lot to do with that, too, and they amplify the vibrant, muscular energy of the music, which really is usually vibrant rather than slow and syrup-thick. When the band do ease back on the throttle (as in “Dugout” and the surprising, mesmerizing “Vascular”), the moments are well-chosen to create contrast and an opportunity to catch your breath — though the spectacular extended guitar solo in “Paragon” may leave you breathing hard instead.

And last but not least, Craig Garland has a savage, growly voice, the kind you’d find in a death metal band, all the larynx vibrations coated with grit and venom. That’s especially appealing to someone like me, who as you might know has a low tolerance for crooning.

The name of the album is Stonework, and it was released on April 20th.

-Review from Nocleansinging.com

ALBUM

"Stonework"

• Mixing

• Engineering

• Production

• Released April 20th, 2020

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