Spaceboy
Searching the Stone Library
Southern Lord
Southern Lord has got to be one of the best labels on the entire planet! This label consistently puts out challenging and intimidating music, in a wide variety of metal genres; pretty much everything they put out is wonderful.
Searching the Stone Library is no exception to the rule. Spaceboy combine angular math rock sensibilities of Universal Order of Armageddon, throw in some super thick, sludgy guitars playing riffs bigger than the grand canyon, and add curiously buried drums which remain powerful enough to get the point across. Make no mistake, this record is all about the guitars; they dominate the entire recording! The vocals here are sparse and angrily spoken/ screamed, but in a manner that the words can actually be deciphered, instead of “arrghh, rooougff, rouuggggff, arrgghh” which typically sums up a lot of vocalists in the sludge metal genre.
On some levels, Searching… could be considered stoner rock. At times, the guitars have some weird phaser pedal effects that are pretty trippy and bizarre, but very cool. It’s weird to think of stoners listening to this, but it makes sense, because this is some really complex, otherworldly music.
What makes this unique would be the distant recording quality; it sounds as if the record was recorded in an enchanted forest, with sparkling emeralds on the mountaintops and blood red waterfalls splashing upon a bed of skulls. This is metal for the thinking man/woman, one who likes to envision something bigger in life, like spreading a set of dragon wings and learning to fly, finding the weak elk, swooping down, and ripping out its throat. Totally worth checking out.
Southern Lord Records: http://www.southernlord.com
