Scotland’s Craig McColl is behind the new musical project Weird Terrain. During the pandemic lockdown, McColl set out to record his self-titled EP Weird Terrain. Influenced by the ‘60s and ‘70s era of psych and prog rock as well as the rock jazz fusion era, the artist wanted to create a record that was as noisy, unfiltered and as experimental as some of the artists he listened to. I think that McColl has succeeded in the very act. Weird Terrain covers prog rock territory with hints of electronica. His recordings are filled with narrations and some buried vocals to give off an ambient and experimental feel. With this EP, McColl has the prog rock, psychedelic and hard rock territory fully covered.
Weird Terrain opens up with “Who Speaks For Earth,” where some crunchy reverb comes in alongside some synths. Gradually, you could make out the sounds of some electronic riffs. The sound is rather alien and other-worldly. Some spoken word vocals from Carl Sagan arrive. The atmospheric sounds in the background support the vocal performance. Slowly, some guitar riffs are realized. This made for an ambient and atmospheric listen. Riffs roar out with an anthemic bang on “Conscious Drifter.” It gave off a fuzzy and distorted feel. I was reeled in by the energy. The sound meanders a bit. Next, a full band undertaking comes in alongside McColl’s vocals, giving off a fully charged emo/punk flourish. On “A Myriad Of Flickering Stars,” slowly some beats and wailing guitars meet the gamut of this track. Gradually, some drumming sidles in. The sound was gritty and edgy, which made me sit up and pay attention. This was a pure instrumental interlude with the artist going on to jam out to full effect. On “Analysis Paralysis,” some fast guitars gun through this recording. It made for an invigorating listening experience. I was getting hard rock and metal instances here. Out of the blue, comes McColl’s vocals which again sounded very punk and emo to my ears. Once more the artist eases into a sprawling prog rock sound that feels very atmospheric on “Strange Terrain.” Next, the tune becomes fast as McColl plays to speedy duress. The music that is unleashed feels energized and revved. This was an instrumental interlude that goes into an all-out jam-session and I think the artist does a good job here on this closer. For the most part, this album was entirely written and performed by McColl. Upon first listen, you can tell that McColl is all up for world-building on this EP. He creates sweeping soundscapes and with the opening track “Who Speaks For Earth?” being just under 13 minutes long, there’s a lot of room for listeners to settle in and enjoy the track. I had to say, there’s no rushing in these sonic landscapes as McColl lets the sound and vibe evolve on its own. A lot of times, it felt like McColl was simply experimenting on the guitar, letting whatever happens, happen. This noodling effect sometimes goes into a straight-out jamfest and I think the effect is oftentimes surprising. With that being said, McColl has a lot going on here and I look forward to seeing more good things from him.
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May 2024
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