Swedish band EGONAUT have been around since 2005, with three EPs and one full length album to their name prior to the release of “Mount Egonaut” in 2013, the first of their productions to be released by Swedish label Transubstans Records.
It is an intriguing production too, on a number of different levels. We have a lead vocalist with a voice and timbre fairly similar to James Hetfield, but with a greater ability for powerful melodic delivery, but is also able to take on a more talk-like delivery as well as forceful, gritty snarls with more of a punk-oriented edge. Smoothly going from one to the other or in between. The rhythm department is tight and strong, with a distinct booming bass guitar that creates a doom-laced undercurrent throughout. Then there’s the guitars. Tight, compact yet melodic and energetic riff constructions is the main ingredient, but with punk or perhaps hardcore influenced stabbing riffs and grittier circulating motifs all a part of the game here, and there’s also room for some classic purebred doom metal Black Sabbath style as documented to perfection on final piece Pallation, and while the echoes of Sabbath’s Children of the Grave in the main recurring theme of The Fight might be accidental I get a sneaky suspicion they aren’t. At last but not least we have the organ, hovering as a subtle presence occasionally given a more dominant position in the arrangements, adding a distinct 70’s flavoring to the proceedings.
It all adds up to an energetic romp of enjoyable heavy metal, with shades of Deep Purple, punk and early NWOBHM set to a stoner rock template that to my ears have it’s foundation somewhere pretty close to Queens of the Stone Age. Accessible, easily enjoyable aggressive heavy metal with sing-a-long qualities that invites to headbanging or other physical manifestations of enjoying the music immensely. The one notable exception Something Nothing, a piece of what to my ears came across as a hair metal tinged creation neither vocalist nor instrumentalists really manage to cope with.
While the most impressive composition to my ears is the deeply Black Sabbath inspired end piece Pallation, my recommendation for this disc is that fans of stoner rock in general and Queens of the Stone Age in particular should seek this one out. Especially those amongst them that enjoy a touch of Deep Purple or merely are fans of the good, old Hammond organ.
My rating: 80/100
