Wreathed in smoke and always looking to trip out to another plane of existence, stoner metal is something that has long had a foothold in many corners of the underground, but it can often feel as though it's always lingering in the shadow of its rock counterpart. I dare not dog on the excellence within the many different realms of stoner rock, but there is always so much excellence to be had within the metal reaches of stoner music should bands come along and simply seize it. Seeing the opportunity before them, Hashtronaut has taken a red-eyed approach to the sound that really makes one wonder how we aren't seeing bands like this sprout up out of nowhere left and right.
Despite having such icons like Bongzilla, Sleep, and Weedeater among the ranks of the sound, it's a mystery to me that we don't see fresh acts like Hashtronaut coming about to show us that there is still plenty to be had within the depths that stoner metal has too often. Paired with more than enough heaviness and loads of intensity to live up to such potential, though, the debut album of "No Return" effortlessly accomplishes that very goal at every given turn. Nine tracks of which all are more than capable of delivering intensities that forces you out of this conventional plane of existence to one where the very laws of physics are shifted to mean less than nothing while it's the sheer massive riffage of "No Return" that assures you accomplish just that. More than capable of infusing more than a little doom metal as well into the concoction to ensure that all the right boxes are marked off for success with an album of this level of menace, Hashtronaut almost seems overqualified for the sound out of the very gate. The sheer fact that this is but their first album is something that boggles the mind and really goes to show what an act we already have on our hands here as it's by no means that Hashtronaut sought to reinvent the wheel in the craft of this filthy record, but they manage to stand out, impress, and deliver the good in virtually every given instance. From the first moments of "No Return" is it obvious that these nine tokes would be something to really lean into, and that's the beginning of this wondrous trip through the densest of haze.
A magnificent entry in what stoner metal truly needs more of, Hashtronaut has immediately poised itself for great success. Any debut can be forgiven for any band as it is typically their first steps forward in moving as a singular unit to bring forth a sound that can really capture the masses, but it's for every moment of "No Return" that Hashtronaut proves to have no such struggle.
"No Return" releases on March 22nd via Blues Funeral Recordings!
LISTEN to an advanced track from "No Return" on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.
FOLLOW Hashtronaut on Instagram here.
No comments:
Post a Comment