Various Artists
Nebula / Lowrider

LA RECENSIONE

Late nineties, 1998 to be precise.

The Stoner "with balls" Rock has spread to every corner of the globe, thanks to the decisive push of superbands like Kyuss, blessed be they, Fu Manchu, etc... etc...

Two bands find themselves banging on their musical instruments with nothing to envy the colleagues I just mentioned above.

They are the Americans Nebula, born from a split in the Fu Manchu camp (it's always the same names chasing each other) and the very young Swedes Lowrider making their recording debut.

Eight tracks equally divided. Just under forty minutes played live with so much vehemence and incisiveness.

It's Nebula's turn to set things off with the four chosen songs.

The initial "Anything from You" quite unexpectedly begins calm, psychedelically bright. The timing is held back (very barely), guitars only noisy at the right moments. But let's not be fooled because it's a sort of warm-up; with "Full Throttle" the physicality bursts in wildly. The sound becomes stormy, the drums move on rough timings, the six-string erupts with downtuned notes. A very brief slowdown, just to catch your breath, and then back down at full throttle: DEADLY!!

Lowrider's response is equally successful. The initial "Lameneshma" is a daughter, or better yet, a granddaughter, of the Black (Sabbath) and the Kyuss. Repeated endless lead riff, bass and drums setting the pace to follow, the voice drawn properly and finally the lead guitar ranging from psychedelia to Stoner, with a Garage-Punk aftertaste that makes everything sharper. Things don’t change much with the remaining three songs, always soaked in that seventies HardRockBlues taste that delights me in listening. The closure is entrusted to the slow and narcoleptic notes of "Upon the Dune" where the scorching desert sand blows driven by an impetuous and very hot autumn wind.

Maximum score, of course!

Ad Maiora.