Review: Retro Grave EP
Label: Retro Grave Music
Released: June 15, 2007 (stream is available at mp3.com now)
Retro Grave is Trouble drummer Jeff Oly Olsen's side-project. The five song EP, which should be followed by a full-length release sometime next year, is entirely written and performed by Olsen. Working alone may have some benefits, but likely more drawbacks. This isn't a big departure from Trouble, but does seem somewaht limited by the lack of collaborative effort.
The 12 minute "Pyramus & Thisbe" opens the album. Just due to its length, it seems an odd choice for the first track, but while it is inconsistent, it is varied enough to avoid getting bogged down early. There are plenty of heavy, sludgey guitars as well as some more delicate parts that keep it interesting. It has some cumbersome parts, but isn't nearly the burden that a track of its length could be. "Five Sentences" is a pretty straightforward, medium-paced tune. The riff is solid but not all that interesting and the song breaks down a bit in the middle as if Olsen wanted to break things up, but wasn't sure how. "Utopiotomy" is a step back in the right direction with heavy Sabbath riffs. Olsen makes up for his vocal shortcomings by speaking more than singing and adding a creepy flange effect. The song finishes with a manic, noisey crescendo which helps make it the album's strongest track. The simple organ intro of "Birth Death/Retro Grave" slowly mixes with more guitar heaviness and then spoken vocals. Everything but the vocal drops out by the end of the song's first part. It's not great stuff, but passable as an intro into the rest of the song. The song itself makes up for the intro with throbbing riffs over a string part that adds nicely to the doom effect. The EP finishes up with perhaps its most macabre piece, the droning "Stone Head" which finds Olsen repeating the title over and over, oddly reminiscent of "redrum" from the Shining.
All in all, this EP is a bit disappointing considering the expectations raised by Trouble's output over the years. It is clear that Olsen's preference is percussion, because the drums are significantly tighter than everything else. The vocals are often flat and the guitar work, while usually adequate, never really shines. The production is poor which doesn't help bring the album together. Still, Olsen does hit stride often enough to make this a worhwhile listen for doom fans.
Rating: 5/10
Released: June 15, 2007 (stream is available at mp3.com now)
Retro Grave is Trouble drummer Jeff Oly Olsen's side-project. The five song EP, which should be followed by a full-length release sometime next year, is entirely written and performed by Olsen. Working alone may have some benefits, but likely more drawbacks. This isn't a big departure from Trouble, but does seem somewaht limited by the lack of collaborative effort.
The 12 minute "Pyramus & Thisbe" opens the album. Just due to its length, it seems an odd choice for the first track, but while it is inconsistent, it is varied enough to avoid getting bogged down early. There are plenty of heavy, sludgey guitars as well as some more delicate parts that keep it interesting. It has some cumbersome parts, but isn't nearly the burden that a track of its length could be. "Five Sentences" is a pretty straightforward, medium-paced tune. The riff is solid but not all that interesting and the song breaks down a bit in the middle as if Olsen wanted to break things up, but wasn't sure how. "Utopiotomy" is a step back in the right direction with heavy Sabbath riffs. Olsen makes up for his vocal shortcomings by speaking more than singing and adding a creepy flange effect. The song finishes with a manic, noisey crescendo which helps make it the album's strongest track. The simple organ intro of "Birth Death/Retro Grave" slowly mixes with more guitar heaviness and then spoken vocals. Everything but the vocal drops out by the end of the song's first part. It's not great stuff, but passable as an intro into the rest of the song. The song itself makes up for the intro with throbbing riffs over a string part that adds nicely to the doom effect. The EP finishes up with perhaps its most macabre piece, the droning "Stone Head" which finds Olsen repeating the title over and over, oddly reminiscent of "redrum" from the Shining.
All in all, this EP is a bit disappointing considering the expectations raised by Trouble's output over the years. It is clear that Olsen's preference is percussion, because the drums are significantly tighter than everything else. The vocals are often flat and the guitar work, while usually adequate, never really shines. The production is poor which doesn't help bring the album together. Still, Olsen does hit stride often enough to make this a worhwhile listen for doom fans.
Rating: 5/10
posted by bob_vinyl at 4:29 PM
2 Comments:
sounds weird, but I'd like to hear the percussion for sure...at least the new Candlemass album is killa!
I wouldn't say this is a percussion tour de force. It's just the drums are a lot tighter than everything else and it's clear where Olsen is most comfortable.
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