Released in 1973,
this true underground
gem is quite an awesome
find. Metal was just
sprouting back then, and
its definitive forces
were Black Sabbath, Deep
Purple, Sir Lord
Baltimore, and the list
can go on. Numerous band
that tried copying these
band's sound appeared
and disappeared almost
every day, and Buffalo
from Australia were one
of those bands- but they
took the new sound a
whole new direction:
They created stoner
rock.
Sleep seems like a new
heavy reincarnation of
the band, with tracks
like Freedom and The
Prophet being the best
examples. Their riffs
are very drug fueled,
semi-progressive and
have a very distorted
sound, a thing that
won't be heard until
Soundgarden's debut EP-
which shows how much
this band was way ahead
of its time. The rest of
the songs also play a
major part in the album,
with the most notable
Sunrise and Shylock that
can be called as
forerunners to
Motorhead, and 'Til My
Death showing some very
fast drumming and very
unorthodox solos
compared to other heavy
metal bands of 1973.
The songs themselves
aren't too dragging,
compared to other stoner
rock bands. They have a
lot of catchy riffs,
interesting vocals that
sound like a more rough
James Hetfield and an
overall stoned attitude,
which could be accepted
among hippies and Blue
Cheer fans alike- a
thing that wasn't very
common and still seems
uncommon today. Even the
lyrics are
weed-infested- they
aren't necessarily about
doing drugs (like some
of the modern stoner
bands), but sound like
they came out of a
stoner's mouth:
"Your senses are
returning,
you'll soon be on your
way
the old bridges burning,
it's your new life's
first day" (Freedom)
If you haven't listened
to this yet and you call
yourself a fan of stoner
rock/metal, or just a
fan of heavy metal,
listen to it
immediately. Very
Recommended.
(raspberrysoda/metal-archives.com)
Dave Tice - Vocals
John Baxter - Guitar
Peter Wells - Bass
Guitar
Jimmy Economou - Drums