“Blackened surf rock/nautical horror”. Well, now I’ve heard it all. Although, to be fair, any band with a glockenspiel and waterphone isn’t to be denied for adventuresomeness alone.
‘Space Beach Massacre’ begins, already substantially more creeped-out and terrifying than 99.9% of death metal intro tracks, quickly slipping into the churning foam, flecks of black metal howl and DICK DALE guitar stranglings a’ flying and, believe it or not, ending too quickly for my taste. It’s alright, though, as the brilliantly titled ‘Squall Of Cthulhu’ rises, not as inherently frenetic as its predecessor, more lurking as its namesake befits. Imagine, if you would, Mos Eisley’s Cantina Band, but submerged within the depths, eldritch and jamming away to summon their liquidian lord, and you’ve got the idea.
The most straightforward track to be found on Black Tides, ‘Tethis’ nonetheless retains a firm grasp on the theme at work here, impressive guitarwork almost reminiscent of Japanese early ‘70s psych/blues rock when the solo gets going. Hopefully named after the “so bad it’s good” ‘80s TV series, ‘Riptide’ sloshes and swirls in its instrumental pool, while ‘Endless Bummer’ calls up the drone and dolor before strapping the boards atop the Woodie and heading to the beach for some fun.
‘Is This Real?’ has a bit of BENNY GOODMAN swing, but all sinks low before the reverb-drenched closer ‘The Kraken’, climactic, cataclysmic, and an ideal finale for such a weird, welcome album as Black Tides. Would’ve liked a bit more of the furor of THE TRASHMEN, but I’m not gonna be picky-choosy on this small of a point. Maybe they’ll inject more inky blackness next time ‘round, but in the meantime, let’s get wet!
Review By: Lord Randall
KÓLGA
Black Tides
Otitis Media Records