Halfway To Gone
Second Season

The stoner rock, one of the genres that in recent years has invaded the underground, has given rise to hundreds and hundreds of bands that do nothing but follow the path proposed by Kyuss and other pioneers of the genre. Stoner rock might be a road that too soon feels old, yet there are still bands that manage to thrill passionate listeners. Among these, I found these Halfway To Gone, hailing from New Jersey. This band, formed by a singer and bassist, a guitarist, and a drummer, debuted with a Split with the famous Alabama Thunderpussy, and has released 3 albums, the last of which dates back to 2004. What I am about to discuss is the second album of the band, "Second Season".

Halfway To Gone is certainly a band that encapsulates almost all the elements of stoner rock, such as the low tuning and certain slow riffs with a Sludge flavor, but with an attitude much more inclined towards classic rock, captivating songs, several solos, and a lot of Blues. In fact, Blues is an essential element in this second album "Second Season". The album opens with "Great American Scumbag", the singer/bassist starts singing the first words of the verse and immediately kicks off with a raw and distorted rock, you can immediately perceive that the guitar tuning is low, but the riffs are quite fast and the song maintains a good rhythm. Sure, this band won't change the history of rock nor does it intend to, but if you are looking for a recent album (this one dates back to 2002) that incorporates all the influences of the great Heavy Bands of the '60s and '70s, like Black Sabbath, but also Budgie and Blue Cheer, this is certainly the right thing for you. The themes addressed by the band, well, are the classic themes one expects from a group of this genre, like the total veneration for Whiskey, a praise fully expressed in the song "Whiskey Train" (and even on the album cover). Another element that I think is absolutely spot-on by the group is the use of the harmonica in some songs, which adds a touch of rogue Blues to everything, especially in the three instrumental tracks of the album, where the band's great attachment to old rustic sounds is evident. The Doom Metal part that often characterizes all stoner rock bands is therefore left out by this group that only intends to play a raw, dark, and heavy Hard Rock.

In short, if you are a fan of the genre, I recommend giving this album a listen, always knowing that it is simply raw, dark, and heavy Hard rock, nothing more, nothing less.