Chuck Schuldiner Project

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Weed Demon - Astrological Passages


Every once in a while you stumble across a band who sound exactly like their name suggests. This isn't necessarily a bad thing it just kind of makes me giggle. Such is the case with Weed Demon and their new record Astrological Passages. This Columbus, Ohio quartet is deeply devoted to loud riffs, crazed solos and the sort of forward motion that makes this entire genre worth digging into in the first place. There is an ethereal crush about this record that speaks to their weirdly beautiful midwestern conjurings.

While the Electric Wizard and Black Sabbath influences are worn pretty clearly, the band also is evidently unafraid to bring in a few more exotic elements. The weird melodies that define the album closer, Jettisoned, which remains also perhaps the bands finest hour serve to show there is a lot of depth here. There is a breadth to the production that is also really exciting. The bottom end roars forward, a fitting underpinning to monstrous vocals and bizarre sonic explorations into the darkest parts of the human psyche. It's the sort of surrealistic and wonderfully stoned tone journey that you're not going to easily forget.

This all being said, the band still has something of a sense of humor, they are called Weed Demon after all. This sense of humor serves to further ground what's being done here in reality and forces us to acknowledge that this is more than just another silly band. While the group still needs to work to break free of some tropes and might benefit from shorter songs, this is still a nice little offering from the Sons Ov Midwestern Dankness. Astrological Passages is going to take you on a journey, and while it might be aided by a bong rip or two, it's certainly a fun trip to take.

Find them on Facebook! 
https://www.facebook.com/weeddemonsludge/

Pre-order the record! 
https://smokeweeddemon.bandcamp.com/album/astrological-passages

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