Bulbous Creation
You Won't Remember Dying

Sometimes it happens that masterpieces get lost over time, due to their scarcity and their mystical and dark feeling, too eccentric for the era. Hundreds of great bands formed in the 70s, but we give recognition to very few of them.

Among the great forgotten groups are these Bulbous Creation, a Texan band active in the early 70s, creators of a psychedelic sound that simultaneously foreshadows the metal that would come, based on riffs clearly rooted in Hendrix influences mixed with Black Sabbath doom, and especially with clear references (whether intentional or not) to the English hard rock school (especially the more sober and direct Uriah Heep).

Released in 1970 in only 500 vinyl copies (I'm not aware of a CD reissue, but there's a possibility to procure it through not exactly orthodox means on the web...), this "You Won't Remember Dying" is one of the most unhealthy and dark records you can listen to in hard rock. The content consists of guitar parts practically doom metal, if it weren't for the typical late 60s distortion; a very dynamic and agile bass, excellently supporting the guitar and remaining perfectly audible despite not-so-excellent production, and drums, perhaps the most distinctly rock and less extreme element, as it is based on a somewhat rockabilly tribal style, with some passages derived from jazz, played especially with the very delicate use of the Hi-hat. The album comprises only eight tracks, for a total of just under forty minutes.

The opening is entrusted to "End Of The Page", a sad, slow and desolate acoustic lament, very Latin in style. Although it is stylistically very different from the rest of the album, its unhealthy tones perfectly match the rest of the release, which will prove to be a journey into an increasingly dark universe, starting from the twilight atmosphere of this track to finally reach the darkest night, illuminated only by the fire from the sulfurous Hendrixian and "Iommian" guitar riffs.

The second track, "Having A Good Time" is a rock gallop that combines Led Zeppelin's rock 'n' roll spirit with Black Sabbath's dark feel. Nothing truly exceptional, but it remains pleasant to listen to. A merit for this track goes to the solo, even if derivative of other well-known groups of the time (Grateful Dead, for example), it manages to stand out for the style in which it is presented.

The third track, "Satan" is a true ritual halfway between doom rock and voodoobilly. Rough, obsessive, tribal, Mephistophelean: an insistent Sabbath of Iron Butterfly-like guitar riffs and Uriah Heep-like singing ("Very 'eavy... Very 'umble") in a desecrated version. Even though the music remains homogeneous throughout the track and is practically based on 4 riffs and some solos, the piece doesn't become boring.

The fourth track ("Fever Machine Man") is probably the masterpiece of the album: in addition to the bass/drums/guitar/vocals formation, a rock organ is added (played by whom I don't know, as there are no artist names on the cover, just the tracklist and the image of the band members without specifying what each plays). The structure is still based on doom riffs, but now it is the bass playing them alone, while the guitar transforms into a duet with the singer, who this time strives to reach higher notes, losing some of his hoarse voice's charisma (which returns in irregular wistful "ah!" emitted alternately with the verse) but gaining in versatility. All instruments perform a perfect cooperative work, turning this track into an underworld version of "Help Me” by Ten Years After, which, although it doesn't possess the charisma of the aforementioned track, remains one of the best tracks you might find in the hard rock domain.

With the fifth "Lets Go To The Sun", we are truly at an epic version of Black Sabbath: riffs that could be Iommi's off "Paranoid", drums that are the rock version of the tribalism in Venom's "Abandon", a delirious and dusty, warm but dry voice that brings the desolate Texas areas to mind, and the usual very dark bass, now an emblem of their sound. The ritual continues for several minutes, culminating in a solo that is nothing short of schizophrenic, surrounded by rushing water sound effects and the unexpected entry of a harmonica, only to give way to an even more cadenced voodoobilly than the start of the track, in which the singer's voice takes center stage for a while, then once again leaves space to the guitar for an even more schizoid solo than the first, which could surely be cataloged as one of the most extreme in hard rock.

We proceed with "Hooked", where we find a sunnier, calm and soothing atmosphere, despite the lyrics being the usual cries of despair (from what I gathered listening, as I didn't have the opportunity to read the lyrics, the recurring themes are Satanism (no surprise? with a song like "Satan", what else could they sing about?) and existential pain ("oh, lord, I just wanna die," the singer screams around the 3-minute mark of this track, a classic but always relevant theme). The organ returns with ceremonial solos in this piece, while the weight of the bass is somewhat lessened as it acts as a simple counterpoint to the guitar. Nevertheless, the central riff is remarkable and will imprint itself in your memory (and it has imprinted itself in the memory of many other artists who, although very valid, have since created riffs that draw heavily from this record).

"Under The Black Sun", the penultimate piece, is the most aggressive track on the album: fiery and infernal rock 'n' roll, with lyrics clearly inspired by the occult (as far as I could understand). This is the album's energy climax: here, all the artists give their best to unleash hell, not dark and morbid as in previous songs, but sulfurous and burning, typically rock and typically psychedelic.

Starting with folk, continuing with doom rock and hard rock, the album concludes with the nighttime, smoky blues of Stormy Monday, a slow ballad with an English taste with a memorable riff that will make history and greatly influence the few fortunate ones who managed to procure the vinyl when it was first published.

Rating: 9/10