Magma Rise / The Asound – Split 7″ 2011
Split EP’s are a fantastic idea to my mind. A frustratingly short sample of music from the band you like and another (potentially) new experience for you to discover and love.
From a bands point of view you could get to increase your audience by joining forces with other like minded or (depending on how open minded you are hoping people are) someone coming from a completely different musical take, all released on the retro cool format of seven inch vinyl.
This sampler from Tsuguri Records brings together an international collaboration on one side we have Hungary’s Magma Rise who have recently released their solid debut ‘A Lazy Stream of Steel’ on Psychedoomelic records. Here the ex Wall Of Sleep and Mood members have the excellent unreleased track ‘Five’. Picking up from where ‘Lazy Stream…’ left off this tune is more of the same Black Sabbath/Trouble inspired doom riffage with a huge groove that has you nodding your head instantly. Leaning more towards the style of the first five Sabbath albums this is one of their more mid paced stompers which gives a vague tip of the hat to Iron Man but manages to keep itself out of the reach of accusations of plagiarism. It is a great complement to their album and displays the same taught song writing.
On the flipside of the disc is The Asound’s offering of ‘The Baron’. Having decided that they had spent long enough away from music after the hiatus of Seven Foot Spleen and Stone Of Abel members Chad Wyrick and Jon Cox have seemingly found musical soul mates with ex-James Dean Werewolf drummer Michael Crump and formed a powerful art rock tio. Based in North Carolina the band have infused themselves with 70’s hard rock, punk, psychedelia, prog and of course Black Sabbath (to give the common thread between the two bands). The Baron is a lurching jarring track that seems to pulse like an alarm one minute and groove the next. Like Five on the other side this has a definite march like stomp to it and Chad’s vocals are definitely reminiscent of Ozzy, well a younger one, when he could sing anyway.
Like I said this is a great idea, I knew Magma Rise having reviewed them back in June but was completely unfamiliar with The Asound and on the strength of their contribution I’ll be checking them out. Dig out the turntable and give these two bands a spin.
Label: Tsuguri Records
Magma Rise: www.magmarise.net
The Asound: www.myspace.com/theasoundpage
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
