ASTRODEATH – Vol. II
Written by: Tom Wilson @thetomwilsonexperiment - Sense Music Media | Wednesday 10th May 2023
Stoner Metal Duo Knock it out of the Park
You know that giddy feeling you get when you hear something that blows your socks off, and before the song is even over, you’re planning on telling people about it? That was me about a minute into Permafrost, the opening track of ASTRODEATH’s Vol. II. Elegant in its simplicity, full of fuzzed-out riffs the size of weather formations and utterly righteous vocals, it’s as heavy as a truckful of anvils, and I had to keep reminding myself that this lumbering wall of sound is made entirely by two people, guitarist/vocalist Tim Lancken and drummer Yoshi Hausler.
Released last year, the one-two punch of Red Weed and Ceremonial Blood pack a devastating punch, and your neck is at the mercy of Yoshi’s snare. The distorted vocal that opens Ceremonial Blood conjures up memories of hearing SLAYER’s Hell Awaits for the first time, and the drawn-out scream that closes it will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Golden Death Machine cranks the tempo up slightly, moving the pace from a slow rumble to a pounding march best enjoyed when driving down a highway in the glaring Australian sun. Invasion manages to open with an air raid siren and not sound clichéd – which is impressive, because it’s pretty much become a trope at this point – and the riffs that follow put the listener at risk of a neck injury. The End is six minutes of speaker-blowing riffage, segueing into a delicate, beautiful bridge of fuzzed-out chords, before the groove drops back in heavy enough to register on the Richter scale. It’s mesmerising, glorious metal, distilled to its Sabbath-worshipping base elements, and as it came to a slow, crashing close, I was immediately skipping back to listen to it again.
This album is going to sound astonishing live, and I cannot wait to catch them in Brisbane at the end of this tour and have Yoshi’s kick drum resonating in my chest cavity. Miss them at your peril, because Vol. II is stunning.