Atomic Mold - Hybrid Slow Flood

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Italian Stoner Doom rockers ATOMIC MOLD are here to blow out your speakers. If you like your music loud and filled with fuzz, you have brought your ears to the right place. “Hypnosis,” is a great opener and lives up to its title.  At just under five minutes in length, the very hypnotic sound doesn’t wear out its welcome.  Instead, you find yourself dazed by the psychedelic, yet grooved out riffs from Davide and constantly hammered down by Antonio’s bass that is as thick as early morning fog.  He also does vocals—the band relies mostly on their apt instrumental prowess than vocals but his, while nothing real special, get the job done.

The second track, “I Fall,” has a long build up but that is ok because the riffs are solid and Marco’s drums lay a foundation of crashing cymbals and solid snare work that moves the song along even when the drone sets in for a bit too long.  The whole song is good but the 11:22 to the end is pure genius.  The tempo picks up, the bass ratchets up a notch, and a even a slight punk buzz a la IRON MAIDEN’s first album, brings the whole 13:36 long package together. “Yellow Crocodille,” continues the more up temp sound but doesn’t skimp on the riffs or creatively intense drumming.  The band itself at the 2:30 mark sounds like the audio equivalent of rubber bands as they stretch their sounds out of dissonance and back again.

The opening bass on the last track, the epic 19 minute long “Woodline” would make even the most stoned among Doom’s elite stand up and take notice.  Davide’s trippy guitar solo close to the five minute mark is adventurous while also still binding the song together. The solo leads into a barrage of riffs and a constant attacking of the drum kit.  After this assault finishes, the solo returns as if it never left.  This time it a bit more subtle but has the same care and devotion to the genre’s craft.  The ending of the song is carried by the fuzz bass and the album finishes. With just four tracks that strike a balance in length, and a runtime of 40 odd minutes, this Stoner trio has managed to create an exploration into the psyche of Doom and still keep me glued to my seat thru it all.

Songwriting: 8
Originality: 7
Memorability: 8
Production:8