Released By : Sound Guerilla
Genre : Space Rock
Links : http://www.myspace.com/blackspaceriders
Lineup:
JE – Lead Vocals, Guitar
SLI – Guitar, Backing Vocals
SAQ – Bass, Backing Vocals
CRIP – Drums, Other Instruments
Tracklist:
1. Space Bomb
2. Black Space Pt. I – Blackspacing
3. Black Space Pt. II – Space Is Black
4. Stoned Bikers In Space
5. Hide From The Spacelight
6. Black Book Of Cosmic Salvation Pt. I – A Short Message From The Black Space Rider
7. Black Book Of Cosmic Salvation Pt. II – Black Space Messiah
8. Voodoo Spaceship
9. Ride On, Black Space Rider
10. Lonely Space Truckin’ Man
11. Space Trilogy Pt. I – Black is The Color Of Space
12. Space Trilogy Pt. II – About Life In Space (Thoughts Of A Reflective Robot)
13. Space Trilogy Pt. III – Space Collision
Sounding like a cross between HAWKWIND and KYUSS, via a short trip past EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, comes one of the most eclectic yet mesmerizing albums I have heard all year. The band is called BLACK SPACE RIDERS, and this is their self-titled full length debut album. As you will plainly see from the track listing, the band are disciples of the space rock genre, and have fully embrace every nuance of this particular style and mashed it up with a bit of a modern flair and piled some doom rock on top too.
Obviously if you think of space rock as a genre, the first band that comes to mind is HAWKWIND, who certainly must have had a big influence on BLACK SPACE RIDERS, but not content with sounding like imitators they have also added these other layers of sound into their music. There is the obvious nod to desert rock bands like KYUSS, but there is also some of the machismo that is usually reserved for bands like EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, the occasional segment that sounds as if it could have been written by LES CLAYPOOL, and even an unexpected almost death metal influence on the track VOODOO SPACESHIP.
I would recommend coming in to this album with a bit of an open mind, because it’s far from orthodox, and can be a lot to take in if taken lightly. It’s a great album to listen to under some, ahem… influences, but it’s not the kind of music you just have on in the background, it demands your full attention from start to finish and the whole album works much better together than any of the songs do individually. The band’s decision to use retro recording equipment, and the fact that each song is lyrically connected to the next, makes this album feel like it should have been released as a double gatefold LP somewhere back in 1972-73.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 9/10
About Author
