Artist: Keelrider
Title: North
Genre: Grunge / Stoner / Post Grunge
Release Date: 5th March 2018
Label: Self-released
Album Review
Greetings once again Pilgrims. This time RoD and I present a rather extraordinary mixture of Stoner, Grunge and Metal that also borders on Doom. KEELRIDER is the name and dark and brooding sounds are their game. Just recently I went on Facebook to get the stuff I need for reviews (info, pics and music of course) and KEELRIDER#s vocalist and sole ruler eh, hm I mean CEO (according to Facebook), of the band quickly provided me with the desired ingredients to forge a fine review.
These guys are around since 2015, ‘North’ was their critically acclaimed debut in 2018 and in 2020 there’s more to come. They also won a few radio and podcast prices in 2018. Funnily there is not that much of information to be cited here and I don’t want to cite another press text for a few days so I will just talk about what happens to me when I play this record. A few years ago I absolutely could not stand Stoner Rock / Metal because my older brother could not stop playing KYUSS on his stereo. Over and over, KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, ORANGE GOBLIN and so on, you see I just was not ready, blasting only Power Metal and a few ICED EARTH tunes day in, day out. You have to have a special mind-set or experience of life for music that is psychedelic or dark and depressive (or just fuelled by drug abuse).
So, long story short: I broke my hand when I was partying drunk and I could not work for five weeks so I dug deep into Rock and Metal, read, researched and listened to a crazy fuckton of music and I experienced a heavy metal enlightenment: Grunge, Stoner and Doom are related to each other like sibling and all of this is Metal. I was ready for KYUSS and all the great bands in their likes. KEELRIDER is a band I would not have understood 10 years ago, I would not have reviewed them. But I have changed, my taste has changed and my understanding of music has changed. That change is a good thing because I really enjoy stuff like this, KEELRIDER makes dark, moody and badass music. And vocalist Björn Birnir really delivers all the anger, despair and heavy-heartedness we Stoner fans need. I really hope the guys are fine because this sounds awfully atrabilious (but I really dig it).
Tracklist
01. Over
02. Dissolved
03. Martyr
04. Stay
05. Beneath The Monolith
06. The Marsh
Line-up
Björn Birnir - Vocals
Benedikt Sveinbjörnsson - Rhythm Guitar
Stefán Pétur Bachmann Bjarnason - Lead Guitar
Egill Fabien Posocco - Bass
Pétur Pétursson - Drums
Website
https://keelrider.bandcamp.com / https://www.facebook.com/Keelrider
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
