Secret Entertainment 2017
Bonehead
Third EP from Finnish three-piece makes a point and a case for a stoner classic to be unearthed.
Lava-hot and sludge-like viscous, this group’s tracks don’t take the listener on protracted journeys, though; the Tampere team’s trips are measured in mini-albums rather than long plays. But, of course, some play is very much involved here, and the trio surely have a good laugh launching their third EP in seven years – the itch that doesn’t seem to be scratched with a full-length record – with “Once More With Feeling” where the mighty blues arise from swampy licks to shatter one’s bones…
…or to throw a bone to those who need to feed their head. The metal crunch of the title composition may bare the band’s psychedelic underbelly, yet while “No Gain” careens to the even more frantic side of things, the cut’s growling aggression still has a nice groove to it. Distilled to funk on “Flame Doesn’t Cast A Shadow” where Make Makkonen’s guitar, Jussi Vehman’s bass and Jape Makkonen’s drums engage in translucent interplay, rhythms embrace mystical figures, and the number’s nine minutes – almost dying down to silence in the middle – lead the listener beyond the pale.
At this point, reality is warped, which is the ultimate goal of any stoner album. Point made.
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