Genre: Stoner
Majestic Mountain Records
Release Date – June 2nd 2023
Line Up:
Mads Melvold – Vocals/Guitar/Bass/Keyboards
Adam Suleiman – Drums
Trackilist:
1 – Psychedelic Man
2 – Blood Meridian
3 – Among Stone Columns
4 – Bone Cave Escape
5 – Nothing To Come
6 – Death Don’t have No Mercy
7 – Supralux Voyager
Saint Karloff started their journey in Oslo in 2015. They released their debut in 2018 and the sophomore effort a year later. Tragedy struck shortly after when founder member and bass player Ole Sletner succumbed to cancer. This release is dedicated to his memory. The remaining members enlisted Ole’s brother, Elvind, to help with the lyrics and album artwork and they now use Nico Munkvold to handle the bass live.
Since they released their debut Saint Karloff has developed with far heavier and increasingly psychedelic occult rock outfit influenced by the ’70s, so much so that on opener ‘Psychedelic Man’ you’re transported back to the time of three-day weeks, power cuts, and strikes – some things don’t change. ‘Blood Mountain’ has shades of Status Quo with a full-tilt boogie before it goes into a messy noise. Things come down on the gentle psych instrumental of ‘Among The Stone Columns’ before we get a good going over from the bludgeon of ‘Bone Cave Escape’ – it’s heavy, simple, and to the point. The acoustics come out for the beginning of ‘Nothing To Come’ which sounds like Jethro Tull then it powers up into an early Rush-like jam. Surprisingly we get a cover version, ‘Death Don’t Have No Mercy’ written by a little-known bluesman – Blind Gary Davis – who was born in South Carolina in 1896 and got sent to live with his grandmother after his mother abused him. The final cut is the epic we’ve all been expecting – ‘Supralux Voyager’ all 8.25 minutes of psych and stoner grooves and movements that lift you and take you away.
If you never lived through the 70s and want to know what it was like just give this a listen. It’s raw and basic at times and has that warmth that vintage equipment gives you when it’s placed in the right hands. Music influenced by a simpler time played by excellent musicians with a real feel.
Score: 8/10
Reviewed by: Smudge
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