When you first hear this band, you think Fu Manchu, Dozer, and of course Kyuss and just like those bands at their peak, this band never releases inconsistent albums. 'Autumn Woods' is a no-holds barred start to finish riff-a-thon that avoids following any one formula and yet this is one of the freshest sounding stoner-rock/metal albums released all year. Their official website describes this album as ....."Heavy Metallic Punk Rock on the Doom and Roll. The 10th Dali's Llama album Autumn Woods blends punk aggression and energy with metal doom heaviness. Produced by the legendary Scott Reeder (bass player - Kyuss, The Obsessed) and mastered by JJ Golden (mastering - OFF!, The Sword). This cd has a similar vibe to Danzig, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Witch, Zeke, The Damned and Killing Joke". As accurate as that is, they actually sell themselves a little short with that description. One song on this album ('Blowholes and Fur') has a distinct Deep Purple flavor for example but that is only one small piece to the puzzle.
It could be argued that the best stoner/desert rock had a punky quality and after all, the original stoner bands all had one foot in the punk rock scene of the 90's and Dali's Llama do have the metallic-punk meets stoner/garage rock thing perfected in every possible way. However the band isn't your typical stoner-metal act as this has more nods to the 70's hard rock scene than it does 90's desert rock. There is a quality to the songwriting and musicianship that is usually only ever heard from 70's bands which puts this head and shoulders above most other similar bands. I almost feel like song-titles and a track by track review is almost pointless with a band like this. They rarely produce anything that could be classed as "filler" but I will name a few highlights.
The opening 'Bad Dreams' sounds like Motorhead after too many bongs but it kicks total ass. Original band member Zach is again in top form, playing like a demon and with a voice to match. 'Goatface' is next and is one the albums more "retro-rock" sounding tracks with great infectious grooves. 'Nostalgia' makes the marrying of punk-like energy and stoner blues seem effortless while the almost 10 minute marathon which is the title track is simply a orgasmic romp of traditional doom and bluesy 70's proto-metal and is possibly the darkest, doomiest track the band has ever recorded. The albums most sabbathian moment quite appropriately comes in a tune called 'The Gods' which is more than a fitting title for this riff-fest of a tune. Elsewhere the songs range from stoner blues to doom to bludgeoning punk-metal and there is not a nano-second wasted.
After so many years together and with so much music recorded already, it is remarkable that Dali's Llama have still yet to make a wrong turn in their recording career. There is NO other stoner-ish band band with this much consistently good music under their belts. Even so-called gods Kyuss had some iffy moments just 3 albums into their career while Fu Manchu were making some questionable musical decisions a decade or more ago (and still are in my opinion). Dali's Llama continue to satisfy all these years later and now I have read somewhere that someone is making a documentary about them and about time. There are not many other bands within the stoner-rock scene that deserves a film made about them like the Llama do. The band will continue to carry on under-appreciated which is the only tragedy to speak of here. The album is a near perfect example of how to make passionate hard rock music without following a specific formula but without avoiding what makes heavy music so great as in great riffs, vocals and melodies. 'Autumn Woods' is no better or no worse than anything else they have released, in other words....it is excellent...check it out....9.5/10.
Words: Ed & Sally
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