Half Gramme of Soma – Marche au Noir [2014; Hgos]

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Five tracks of heavy rock with a touch of stoner sensibilities, without much to make them stand out from other modern heavy rock acts.  A few momentary touch-ups of studio effects lend things a little more pizzazz, and the drift into playful bluesiness with midway track “Hitch Hike” shows a life to the song-writing that’s essentially absent from the rest of the songs, but the bulk of it ends up unmemorable due to playing it too safe (even in the ~9-minute “Cage”), an approach that goes right against the presented values of the style.  Fans of that style who aren’t too picky about the earnestness or creativity behind the music they listen to should be able to get some enjoyment out of this (and admittedly, there’s some very nice work done with the guitar tones), but for those who need something higher-grade, there’s plenty of preferable options.

Drifter – Head [2012; self-released]

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Five tracks of heavy desert rock from Australia, with the Drifter trio providing a rowdy blend of punkish guitar, thumping drums, and bumping bass-lines.  Things move fast, with just one of the songs breaking three minutes, and the rough-edged energy suits the style well.  As the band’s first release, it comes off nicely, excusing some of the faults and making the successful parts that much more impressive.  Unfortunately, it seems the band only released one album after this (so far, at least), but it’s still a treat for fans of obscure and well-played rock.

Narcoiris – Cazador [2009; self-released]

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On the debut EP from the Argentinian band of Narcoiris, the group puts forth a blend of heavy rock with bluesy psychedelic leanings, letting the strength of their grooves carry most of the songs.  Tasty string tones and a good amount of interplay between the musicians strengthen the experience, but despite running just six songs long, the music starts feeling somewhat repetitive about halfway through the set.  There’s enough little twists to help keep it from feeling like a drag (and moments like the injection of cello-sounding strings in “Remoto” shows the band wanting to expand their flavors), and as a first release, there’s some stumbles to be expected, so on the whole it’s not too bad, just a little undercooked.