Cities Of Mars: The Horologist

Here’s some doom/stoner metal coming at you, this time from Gothenburg, Sweden. Cities Of Mars formed in 2014 and released their debut Temporal Rifts in 2017. Their sophomore effort is titled The Horologist and was released this year. The band continues to delve in science fiction revisiting Mars’ ancient civilization, first discovered in the ‘70s by a Russian cosmonaut.

In the band are Danne Palm (vocal, bass, synthesizer), Christoffer Norén (vocals and guitar) and Johan Aronstedt (drums and percussion).

All hail the fuzz. The heavy fuzz erupts in the opening tune “Necronograph�, a huge slab of heavy stoner/doom rock. The drums plod and crash as the riffs slowly etch their way into the soundscape. A mellow section of gentle guitar notes ensures plenty of variety. From there the tempo surges as the drums and guitar set a blistering pace. The vocals are half shouted but in a pretty catchy way and fit well within the band’s sound. More heavy doom can be heard on “Trenches Of Bahb-Elon� but with more introspective moments. The moody and tranquil parts really showcase the singer’s melodic sensibilities. The faster guitar soloing at song’s end is excellent. Moody picked guitar chords begin “Inner Sanctum, Outer Space� before the fuzz breaks out in a big way. Some of the guitar is quite angular in this one. Off kilter tempo changes, creative riffs and moody guitar outbursts create a dense sound layer in the heavy “Hydrahead� while trippy synthesizers and chiming guitar notes introduce the mood laden “The Last Electric Dream�, another excellent track where the monotone vocals ideally suit the mood.

The Horologist continues a long list of excellent doom and stoner rock/metal releases in 2019. Fuzz and distortion has rarely sounded this good.

Another standout release courtesy of Ripple Music.

Track Listing:
1. Necronograph
2. Trenches Of Bahb-Elon
3. Inner Sanctum, Outer Space
4. Hydrahead
5. The Last Electric Dream
6. The Nameless Museum
7. Work Song
8. Lines In The Dark

Added: November 30th 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 855
Language: english

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