Plainride: Plainride

Hailing from Cologne, Germany, the stoner/bluesy rock of Plainride has been tickling listener ears for over a decade. A few years back I reviewed their 2018 sophomore effort Life On Ares and it received a well-earned four stars. Back then I wrote, “Life On Ares is just an excellent disc, reinforcing my love for stoner and bluesy rock music all the more.�

The power three piece is:
Max Rebel (vocals and guitar)
Florian “F.J.� Schlenker (drums)
Bob Vogston (guitar and bass guitar)

What makes this band so special are the unexpected twists and turns you do not typically hear from a stoner rock band. Take the album opening “Fire In The Sky�. The funky guitar riffs and vibrant horns sound like they came from a ‘70s detective show, very effective with a head sticking melody and soulful lead vocals, the kind that make you want to listen again and again. With “Hello, Operator� the band’s bluesy classic rock approach is perfectly crafted making for another melodic burner with great riffs and vocals. A droning sound ebbs and flows, in the beginning of “You Wanna?� and then it gets completely crazy with its hard left into old time show tunes and jazz, then back to that distorted guitar crunch that helps to define the band’s stoner roots. You might think this to be disjointed but nothing could be further from the truth. It is this playfulness that makes Plainride such a fun and ‘progressive’ listen. With “Wanderer�, a gritty blues sound changes into heavy rock with massive distortion and back and forth it goes showcasing the band’s innate ability to change directions. Wonderful acoustic guitar highlights the pretty instrumental “Siebengebirge� while the heavy “Ritual� recalls Alice In Chains in all their glory.

Plainride have outdone themselves with this self-titled release. I love how they take an unbridled, creative approach to heavy rock while still managing to write an album loaded with hooks. Absolutely recommended!

A Ripple Music release.

Track Listing:
1. Fire In The Sky (5:31)
2. Hello, Operator (2:51)
3. You Wanna? (0:35)
4. S.O.T.U. (4:05)
5. Wanderer (4:08)
6. Siebengebirge (3:09)
7. Ritual (3:15)
8. Shepherd (7:14)
9. Hour Of The Mûmakil (4:15)
10. The Lilies (7:16)

Added: December 17th 2025
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 33
Language: english

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