Stoner and Sludge Metal are two genres that don't need to be constantly reinvented. It's practitioners are generally lovers of hard driving, rock your face off '70s hard rock, that simply want to blast at top volume, drive fast, and bang their heads. If it ain't broken, don't fix it. So while every other genus of music constantly cross-pollinates, in a series of bizarre and sometimes unnecessary (per)mutations, to shift some units, Stoner Rock and Sludge Metal remain pure and mighty.
BlackWater are a quartet of no frills, no bones about it hard rock maniacs from Cleveland, Ohio which has a long and storied career of no nonsense rock 'n roll. The BlackWater EP was recorded over the span over ten months by Henri Rapp. BlackWater decided to record in the same room, to capture the ferocity of their live performance, which has been winning them fans by the score. BlackWater is a 7 song EP of witches, swamp creatures, fast car, sex, eviction notices, and other realities of the terminally unhinged creature of the night. Most songs were captured live, in three takes or less, later overdubbing only the scorching guitar solos and vocals. This means that not only do the band have to be able to play, they also have to know their own material. After hearing millions of hours of pristine, clinical, fussy electronic music, it is rejuvenating to hear real musicians plying their trade, with sweat and flying fingers. And tight they are, tight as calfskin on a ceremonial drum, with a twin guitar assault of unison riffs, with a growling funky bass shaking the earth beneath your feet, which becomes like quicksand, sucking you into BlackWater's maddening world. To pick highlights would be almost fruitless, as every moment is a highlight, if you like lightning strike adrenalized r'n'r, but the creep bubbling intro of "BlackWater" is a real treat, like Black Sabbath writing a song about The Creature From The Black Lagoon, and the pyrotechnic soloing of "Barnacle Joe" is sure to light up blacklights in your mind. Speaking of Sabbath, you will have heard things that sound like BlackWater before. This EP is, at times, a bricolage of classic rock awesomeness, from the "War Pigs" drag of "She Rides", to the "Sabotage" breakdown of "The Witch," which also brings to mind garage rock legends The Sonics, who have a song by the same name. BlackWater are unabashed in their love of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and you can also detect traces of more recent bongslingers like Kyuss, Sleep, Om, Iron Monkey, and John Garcia's Hermano. BlackWater are their own thing, however, whose name will one day be listed alongside metal warriors such as these. The BlackWater EP contains all of the morbid fun and daemonic energy of early metal, but without the brown acid bummer vibes. This is good time music, music for partying, for drag racing the devil. So light the fire, fire up the lava lamp and christmas lights, and get ready for a world of fights and dark delights. A slamming good time!
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