Semistereo: Zabriskii

The Netherlands sure has a lot of great bands and one my favourites from that part of the world is the moody progressive rock band Semistereo. The band is back with a new disc titled Zabriskii and a fine one it is.

Semistereo continues to redefine moody progressive/alternative rock and with this album they amp up the heaviness as well. The guitar seems to be more distorted than it’s ever been, take the first track “Last Part of the Trail� as a prime example. The opening guitar is moody and very distorted as trippy sustained chords envelope the soundscape. Once the groove develops the riffs become even more tasty and the lead vocals of Paul Glandorf are superb. His voice is one of the high points throughout the disc. Some stoner elements creep into the heavy riffs in “Leap Into Flames� with its deep bass groove and distorted guitar that descends into trippiness. More great guitar can be heard in the slow and fast moving “Crooked Teeth Necklace� as well as in the somewhat brooding “A Tale of Ravenous Longing�. The catchy vocals in “Lethargic� and the gorgeous melody in “South of Sobriety Street� end the disc in a most delightful way.

Zabriskii is fifty minutes of delightful and slightly unnerving alternative progressive rock that should give a wide range of listeners plenty to enjoy. The bands on Freia Music keep on churning out great stuff. Highly recommended.

Band members:
Paul Glandorf (lead and backing vocals)
Martijn Weijburg (guitars, keyboards, theremin, backing vocals)
Frank Weijers (guitars)
Max Mastrangeli (bass guitar, grand piano)
Marcel van de graaf (drums, percussion)

Discography:
Welcome, You Knight (2009)
Semistereo (2012)
Reignite (EP) (2015)
Your Drama (EP) (2017)
Trans Earth Injection (2017)
Zabriskii (2019)

Track Listing:
1. Last Part of the Trail (6:15)
2. Leap Into Flames (5:31)
3. Crooked Teeth Necklace (6:18)
4. A Tale of Ravenous Longing (5:52)
5. Tide (6:00)
6. Wreckage (5:21)
7. Lethargic (6:08)
8. South of Sobriety Street (8:12)

Added: December 19th 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 790
Language: english

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