Review: Josiah ‘We Lay On Cold Stone’
Blues Funeral Recordings has worked some magic these last few years. PostWax Volume I was an enormous hit and bringing back Lowrider after a twenty-year silence was incredible. Their album reached #1 on many top ten lists of 2020 and deservingly so. Now two years later PostWax Volume II has been announced and in full force.
It’s a time I have been patiently (not really) waiting for, and how does PostWax Volume II start you ask? Well, by being back Josiah AND Mammoth Volume after a long hiatus. Today we will discuss the one and only Josiah. Mammoth Volume, we will discuss its greatness soon! Josiah’s We Lay On Cold Stone is set to release on July 15th, 2022. Let’s begin.
Rats (To The Bitter End) starts the album with just the sound of crows. A mysterious and haunting intro and the perfect way to start this series. Dan Lockton is first heard on this album with a fast-paced moving drum beat that could double as a cardio workout exercise. I’m exhausted just listening to it. The fancy footwork continues as the band kicks in. The classic rock tones melt into the drums and create a timeless vibe. The instrumental showcases the talent of these three musicians and how amazing they lock in with each other.
Saltwater switches it up slightly and this time Mathew Bethancourt takes the spotlight with a killer treble soaked riff. I’m not sure who takes lead vocals on the song (sorry) as both Betherancourt and Sie Beasley are listed as vocals but whoever it is, it’s perfect. I get a slight Trent Reznor vibe as well. Beasley’s bass and Lockton’s drums kick in all at once filling in the low end and the treble guitar riff continues on to fill out the sonic spectrum. The intensity rises throughout with a brief return to the intro before an explosive end.
A sci-fi intro begins the next track with sounds from beyond this tiny blue planet. Let The Lambs See The Knife fades in the groove with a steady drum beat and fuzzy riffs. The vocals are a bit more gritty on this song and both vocalists are clearly heard and harmonize faultlessly. It’s a catchy song with some nice lead guitar sprinkled throughout.
This is one hell of a comeback album for Josiah and sets the standards insanely high…
I had to check halfway through Cut Them Free that my playlist didn’t skip and put on an Earthless song. The instrumental is filled with epic solos backed by incredible rhythm and takes this album to new heights. I’ve been heavy into instrumental bands lately and this was grand.
Two songs remain for the first release of one of my favorite series of all time but it’s nowhere near over yet. (Realise) We Are Not Real clocks in at a near eleven minutes and starts with skillful drumming from Lockton. The almost punkish start quickly switches gears and the song weaves through various sounds and rhythms always keeping you on the edge of your seat. It’s long (well, not really for doom) but engaging and interesting while setting up the concluding song The Bitter End.
Say it ain’t so! The album can’t be wrapping up. Bethancourt opens the song with a catchy and memorable riff and the sound again fills out when the trio kicks in shortly after. With some of the higher vocal lines, I get a Chris Stapleton vibe which is very cool to hear and not one I’d be expecting to write a comparison to. Beasley has a nasty bass riff at the bridge just before the song erupts to its conclusion. The transition back into the song is amazing and had to be repeated a few times to fully grasp it!
This is one hell of a comeback album for Josiah and sets the standards insanely high for this series. Luckily, the line-up of bands on PostWax is extremely strong and will no doubt blow our minds. I don’t know how all these albums in the series won’t end up on my top 10 list for 2022, but right now Josiah’s We Lay On Cold Stone is on it.
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Josh Schneider
