Otis Reaper. A new one for the B.A.N
palette to enjoy, these guys (and girl) are bringing the shit to fuel
the fan out in Tennessee. There is a seriously rich mix of all heavy
things going on here so if you're in a mood for something tasty and
brutal check this bastard out!
Something akin to Kyuss' 'Wretch' is
invoked as soon as “Traversing the Orbs of Time” blasts out with
all its single coil pickup fury (not a guitar player? Google single
coil pickup). Dreadlocked guitarist Ben Price lays the grit on thick
and caramely with flustered, grunge-era guitar tones, while drummer
Cres Murchison and bassist Madison Clifton keeps things bouncy and
smooth down below. On top of all this, frontman Jay Murchison
screeches a pained vocal, keeping all this energy firmly grounded in
good hard sludge. And he wastes no time in asserting himself; whereas
many singers will allow such a guitar driven track time to breathe
with a long intro, Jay jumps right in the thick of it before long!
On we march to “Optimator”. This
one has a bizarre southern cheeriness to it, that combined with the
guitar tones described above, becomes reminiscent of the vibe of
Black Sabbath's 'Sabotage' album. No doubt the recent good news of
Sabbath's return won't do Otis Reaper any harm since this is the
case! Up next, “Footprints in the Dead Earth”, things get
altogether heavier. The southern bite remains but is coupled with
rolling rhythms from Cres and low, low guitar riffs, not far away
from the early Baroness records. Nothin' wrong with that says I!
Jay's barked and spat vocal brings additional aggression during the
track's breakdown. The weight and madness last a savage seven
minutes, all filled with fuckin' top notch riffing and already the
band have demonstrated a diverse plethora of influences and
capability to explore them.
We all love a little Traditional Doom
and next track, “Graveyard Sorcery”, is just the fix you want.
Old-school Obsessed style riffing and slow, ponderous drums with a
relentless occult vocal and lyrical content. Guitarist Ben displays
his dexterity on this one with some Brent Hinds influenced
fret-bending work. Finally we are hit hard by the punk rock chops of
“Unspeakable Acts of Intoxication”. It smacks of angsty Melvins
atmosphere and puts it to brilliant affect. Ben Price stands out like
a shining star made of riffs turned visual in some unknowable act of
a forgotten psychedelic god: what a monster of a track! Of the whole
record this one is going down as my personal favourite.
These guys are a rare breed; a band
that know what they want and at the same time pays tribute to who
they love. There is a tremendous air of honesty about the material
that is only ever achieved on record when a band really loves what
they're playing and don't need to feign the smiles, very punk and
very cool! The extremely raw production only adds to the effect, like
those old Black Flag or Melvins records you love, the production
becomes part of the sound. These guys are one to watch because I'm
gonna put my money on these guys climbing the local scene ladder in
the coming months and years. Pull out Otis Reaper's self-titled
record, lash it on the stereo, bring the lads over, crack a few cans,
sit down, talk shite and bloody enjoy, you won't be disappointed!
Otis Reaper – Self-titled, 2011.
Rating: 8/10
For fans of: early Baroness, Black
Sabbath, The Obsessed, Melvins.
Standout Tracks: Footprints in the Dead
Earth, Graveyard Sorcery, Unspeakable Acts of Intoxication.
Listen Here: http://www.reverbnation.com/otisreaper
Edward Gerard Brophy
bornagainnihilst@gmail(DOT)com
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