Back 10 years ago or so when I started this site , one of the things I most wanted to achieve was to review something by Ripple Music.
The label had a band I was obsessed with, Stone Axe, and that was enough. For the first five years of the site I reviewed most of what they put out, but time moves on, tastes change, I wasn’t really prepared for the 200 albums that come a week.
But Ripple always loved a split album, their “Turned To Stone” series, with half the songs from one band and half from another. This one – the 9th over the years – is a transatlantic affair focused on Philadelphia’s Ritual Earth and Italy’s Kazak.
And when it comes to the former, just one listen to “In The Wake”, and you think you’ve got them pegged. At least that is, until the verses. The heavy, doom groove. That’s one thing, then the wonderful blues melody that’s quite another. The voice of George Chamberlain, the hooks. These boys are special.
And its funny how you get preconceived ideas based on song titles. “Through Interstellar Medium” has you imagining some space rock like Hawkwind. But this is simply a really brilliant heavy blues band.
And yes they like a jam, “Ominous Aurorae” (and lets be honest, when you don’t understand the title it’s a good start, isn’t it?) is over eight minutes, but the lead guitar is exemplary.
Kazak, though, are very much that band that Ripple always had . Hypnotic. There are Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats vibes all over this. It sort of oozes in by osmosis. “Haze” is aptly named, existing as it seems to in the fog, shimmering with only the occasional glimpse.
Likewise “Sunset Symphony” is deliberately opaque, while “25th Hour” ends their section, which in truth is a touch one paced, but not without it’s captivating charms.
The first few, though are the sort of thing that this series was designed for. To reignite passion.
When it comes to doom metal, just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.
Overall 8/10
