Review: MOSS – “Tombs of the Blind Drugged”

Moss – Tombs of the Blind Drugged
released July 7, 2009 on Rise Above

Cold. Dead. Gloomy. Dark. All of these words likely come to mind when describing the sound of Moss, one of the few notable drone/doom bands to come out of England. They are part of a handful of bands paying tribute to Seattle, Washington natives Burning Witch, who have become famous for their unique brand of slow, churning doom. This is the not the Pentagram that your father listened to. This is something almost entirely different.

One thing I would attribute Moss‘s success to would be that they are, believe it or not, more up-beat than most bands playing their style. They stick at an average tempo looming somewhere around 50-60 BPM. Though this is still incredibly slow, it’s actually “headbangable,” if you would call it that. This can be blamed on a much stronger influence from sludge than, say, Monarch, their French buds who keep around a nice 20-30 BPM. They also make a reference to hardcore punk, with a cover of Discharge‘s classic “Maimed and Slaughtered,” a bonus track on the CD version. Don’t be fooled, though. It sounds almost nothing like the original.

Strangely enough, Moss has no bassist. The lineup consists of Chris Chantier on drums, Dominic Finbow playing the gloom axe, and Olly Pearson taking over vocals and, yes, the Hammond organ. This added texture brings the vibe of being trapped in Count Dracula’s lair. Track 2 purveys this the best, featuring a lengthy outro of just organ playing.

If you have been looking to get into drone, but bands like Sunn O))), Boris, and Burning Witch just don’t seem to do it for you, I certainly recommend this EP. The songs are shorter than you’ll find on their previous full-length, Sub Templum, and, as mentioned before, faster. If you don’t like for your music to make you feel trapped in a blind nightmare, however, you won’t be able to get into this, but if that sounds right up your ally, this should tide you over during the wait for another album from these guys.

FCC OK
Try 1, 2, 4

01. Skeletal Keys
02. Tombs of the Blind Drugged
03. Serpent
04. Maimed and Slaughtered (Discharge cover)

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