Simply put Mage is one of the more exciting UK stoner-doom acts going around but it is because of what they DON'T do that makes all the difference. The band writes short to the point songs - everything on this album is under 5 minutes. The band doesn't play the obvious, songs like the second track 'Degenerate' has a trash-metal flavor mixed with the usual stoner-metal tendencies so that makes this such as easily digestible release. Mage play classic UK stoner-doom in the vain of Cathedral and Acrimony and therefore sound 100 percent British all the way through except for the odd up-tempo passages when they sound like a hyper Black Pyramid to me. The short songs do one thing and that is, it keeps this album flowing by fast, almost too fast. This 39 minute album flies by with 10 very concise tunes that simply stomp on the listeners senses and then leave before you know what hit you.
Every track is a highlight whether it be the Down-ish sounding opening track 'Cosmic Cruiser X' or the stoner thrash of 'Rust' or 'Degenerate.' The thrash element (which is pure 80's by the way) makes this a unique brand of stoner-metal that is one part nostalgia, one part modern and original. The band often sound like what would have happen if Metallica turned doom metal in the mid 80's. Or to put it another way imagine a more metallic and doomy Orange Goblin and you will be getting closer to the sound of Mage.
The band seemed to have found their niche and have avoided a lot of the usual stoner/doom clichés in the process. Tracks like 'Surfing Temporal Tides' is a classic example of how this band work their magic. There is a whirlwind of fuzzy, infectious riffing along with more hooks that most bands manage to drag up throughout their entire career and this is just one 4 minute blast of infectious grooves. 'Star Born' and 'Drowning Doom' showcase the bands songwriting niche with the perfect balanced of catchy hooks and sheer shit-your-pants doom crunch.....you could say this album has it all, well almost. If there is one thing this album lacks it is the epic track, the epic track where the band can stretch and develop a mood within a song. Some of these songs seem underdone, like they are too short for their own good. Take the under 3 minutes of 'Star Born' and 'Hulk Out' for examples, killer tracks that always fizzle out just as they are building up steam.
So the album is not perfect but apart from some overly short songs, I can't find any real faults anywhere. The production is excellent and while the artwork looks somewhat primitive, I can tell you, the music is not. Mage are in a unique place musically. They have one foot in the nostalgic side of the 80's and 90's as a lot of this sounds like a long-lost Mans Ruin Records release (remember bands like Altamont?) but there is also a modern edge to the band that makes this sound fresh and certainly not recycled. The album has too many songs that seem half done but that is a small price to pay when you have so many yummy stoner-metal riffs and grooves going on. Have to highly recommend this one....8.5/10.
Words: Jack Sabbath (Review dedicated to Ed - we all miss you, hope a miracle happens soon and someone comes to the rescue)
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Every track is a highlight whether it be the Down-ish sounding opening track 'Cosmic Cruiser X' or the stoner thrash of 'Rust' or 'Degenerate.' The thrash element (which is pure 80's by the way) makes this a unique brand of stoner-metal that is one part nostalgia, one part modern and original. The band often sound like what would have happen if Metallica turned doom metal in the mid 80's. Or to put it another way imagine a more metallic and doomy Orange Goblin and you will be getting closer to the sound of Mage.
The band seemed to have found their niche and have avoided a lot of the usual stoner/doom clichés in the process. Tracks like 'Surfing Temporal Tides' is a classic example of how this band work their magic. There is a whirlwind of fuzzy, infectious riffing along with more hooks that most bands manage to drag up throughout their entire career and this is just one 4 minute blast of infectious grooves. 'Star Born' and 'Drowning Doom' showcase the bands songwriting niche with the perfect balanced of catchy hooks and sheer shit-your-pants doom crunch.....you could say this album has it all, well almost. If there is one thing this album lacks it is the epic track, the epic track where the band can stretch and develop a mood within a song. Some of these songs seem underdone, like they are too short for their own good. Take the under 3 minutes of 'Star Born' and 'Hulk Out' for examples, killer tracks that always fizzle out just as they are building up steam.
So the album is not perfect but apart from some overly short songs, I can't find any real faults anywhere. The production is excellent and while the artwork looks somewhat primitive, I can tell you, the music is not. Mage are in a unique place musically. They have one foot in the nostalgic side of the 80's and 90's as a lot of this sounds like a long-lost Mans Ruin Records release (remember bands like Altamont?) but there is also a modern edge to the band that makes this sound fresh and certainly not recycled. The album has too many songs that seem half done but that is a small price to pay when you have so many yummy stoner-metal riffs and grooves going on. Have to highly recommend this one....8.5/10.
Words: Jack Sabbath (Review dedicated to Ed - we all miss you, hope a miracle happens soon and someone comes to the rescue)
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