Pass the bucket
A five second review of Black Angels debut 'Passover' would be that it sounds like The Doors mixed in with the Velvet Underground with lashings of fuzz guitar and as the press release aptly puts it; "This is the sound of a bad mescaline trip in the searing heat of the desert". It really does have that kind of a feel to it, reverb bass, tambourine and Morrison style vocals. The band describe their sound as Native American Drone 'n' Roll and certainly opening track 'Young Men Dead' fits that description perfectly.
The majority of the album retains the feel of the opener, it never quite reaches jogging pace but moves along relentlessly like a slow but unstoppable lava flow. This does give the album a feel of consistency but it also means that a couple of the tracks don't really have any dynamics to hold the interest, after a couple of minutes 'Sniper at the Gates of Heaven' for instance you find yourself not really listening to it anymore. Now on certain occasions this kind of music is just perfect, primarily when the rolling mats are out. 'Passover' isn't an easy album just to sit and listen to, it evokes a mood and works better serving as an accessory to whatever else is going on.
Lyrically it's all rather dark but the lyrics aren't really that important, they just flow over the songs and whilst essential in their contribution to the overall sound they don't stand out or deliver hammer blows of profoundness. On occasion the vocals do lift themselves beyond the drone of the backing, 'Manipulation' being a prime example and it's a welcome change. The longer the album goes on the better it gets, once you get into the feel of 'Passover' it's a great album but you really need to be in the zone to get the full effect.
This is minimalist garage psychedelia for the 21st Century and in the right setting it will probably blow your mind, in the wrong setting you may well find it hard work.