The Shooters

[Zzzptm]

So I was listening to the new Fu Manchu earlier today and having a really average experience with it. I went out, had lunch, and then got down to something I'd put off for another day, giving Planet of the Black Sun by The Shooters a good, solid listen.

https://theshooters.bandcamp.com/album/planet-of-the-black-sun



  HOT.  DAMN.  TAMALES! 

This is an album that gets my blood flowing and my mind running. These guys got the magic and they're lighting up fireworks with their sound.

Vocals: guy's got a growl in his voice. About as much growl as a guy can have before sounding crappy like James Hetfield. Gutsy, beefy singing, no cookie monsters or shrieking.

Guitars: crunchy riffs, Gibsons firing on all cylinders, I can hear them Orange amps and fuzz pedals working. Whatever worked in the seventies, they got working here.

Bass 'n' drums: tight rhythm section, taking advantage of modern recording that can really bring out that bottom.

Biggest takeaway, from the start, they're playing in an exciting way. They're not wandering around the studio, looking for a plan. They've got their feet firmly planted and they've pointed their gear towards the Land of Groove.

Inevitable Comparison of the Stoner/Desert Band to Black Sabbath: very much reminiscent of "Paranoid" and the second half of Vol. 4 in terms of sound, particularly with the way the bass can wooooom underneath the guitar sound. Not a lot of drawing influence from the prog side of Sabbath's catalog. Neither do they reach towards doom. This is a groove recording, and it's a solid performance.

They're there to listen to on Bandcamp, link above, so you can try before you buy. I really recommend them and I plan to go through the rest of their catalog. I'll report back on them in this thread after I've finished spinning them.

[Zzzptm]

Great tune, makes me want to consider buying their full digital discography. Onward!

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Rock Pedal to the Floor... just as driving and compelling as Planet of the Black Sun, but the production is lacking. Volume is less than on the other album, so I guess I'll have to crank it up when this one comes on and then crank it back down for the next album. Gotta watch the hearing, remember that, kids!

All in all, it's a good effort from the band, consistent with the other releases. I'm looking forward to reviewing their 2015 release, up next in my queue.

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Dead Wilderness... back to good production values, I approve!    And, yes, having the smiley band there helps as I listen to the tracks, they're like a video for the music. 



Vocals on the opening track got a little sludgey, there. Not bad enough for me to bail on them, but I hope it's not a trend for the rest of the album. The opening track has more of a metal edge to it than what I've heard from them so far, but it still retains the groove sensibility of the band's work.

Second track, "War on You" gets complicated in its overall grooving, very nice. Third song keeps going with enough complexity to stay interesting, not so much that it confuses. More doomy touches in the riffing and grooving, album starting to remind me of... and here's the obligatory comparison of a stoner/desert band to Black Sabbath... the album is starting to remind me of the parts of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath that I like most. Vocals also less sludgey as I move through the album and the doom factor increases. Note on the doom - The Shooters can do the doomy tunes without getting cheesey, always a good thing to be able to say.

Album closes out with an 11-plus minute instrumental so if you like that sort of thing, you'll want to check it out. I like that sort of thing, so I checked it out and I was much pleased with it. 

I'm getting their whole catalog, just put it in my bandcamp basket. Come next paycheck, I'll have more MP3s on my hard drive. I can sense them already...