Review: Liquid Earth ‘Teufelskreis’
I’m still not sure how I feel about buildings made from used shipping containers. Sure, it’s great to recycle pre-existing structures for some 21st century green-friendly house concept, but what about the cold? Or the insulation? Or the plumbing? Nevertheless, shipping containers do make for good band practice rooms, which is exactly where Vienna’s Liquid Earth were born.
This instrumental three piece have now released their third release Teufelskreis (German for ‘vicious circle’) on Electric Fire records. It is a collection of five tracks of an appropriate mix of tripped-cosmic forays ala The Space Lords with some muscular riffage that is sure to please fans of straight forward heavy soundscapes.
The first track Katerfrühstück gives you a pretty good idea of what the band is about. It is the first single accompanied by a pretty humorous video in the tradition of Red Fang (the Liquid Earth boys are fans of a different kind of liquid, it seems). The song begins with a delicate, wispy guitar part that floats through the atmosphere just prior to touching upon the main riff’s lunar surface. It has a great hook anchored by some very frenetic and solid drumming which makes for a fine seven-plus minute excursion to a headbanger planet.
Liquid Earth absolutely deliver with this release…
The song ends with some great lead guitar work, and then we launch into our next expedition, the ripping Vollrauch. Much faster than its predecessor, this number was tailor made for speeding down the highway, or whatever intergalactic shipping lane you prefer to use. Most surprising is a daresay ‘funk’-ish section at the halfway point that clears the way for some clean guitar.
Filmriss has a very King Buffalo-esque vibe in the beginning before morphing into something that sounds along the lines of Elder’s more recent output. The sprawling Brettwoman follows the pattern of using gentle and clean tones to build towards a more crushing riff output, before returning back to a mellow soundscape and ascending the stairs again. The closer Rosenofen might be the weakest track on Teufelskreis, although not a bad number by any means. It just meanders in a way somewhat less visceral and compelling than the record’s previous tracks.
Admittedly, Liquid Earth are not reinventing the wheel here. This is a somewhat familiar take on the genre of instrumental heavy rock. But as I’ve often said, execution is key, and Liquid Earth absolutely deliver with this release. I’m still not so sure about my future with shipping containers, but if a kick ass trio can put together a fine collection of celestial oomph in the confines of one, perhaps I should open my horizons?
Label: Electric Fire Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Rob Walsh
