By Rob Thompson
Billow is the new nine-track album from Los Angeles power trio Moab. It is the latest release in Scion AV's free to download series and you can get it via Scion's Soundcloud page. Billow is a follow-up to 2009's excellent Ab Ovo which clocked in at #25 on Decibel magazine’s top 40 releases of 2011. In terms of progression this release shows a huge step up. It’s a clanking, energetic and tremendously entertaining aural assault which bashes together hard rock, downtuned doom, stoner and metal. Billow displays all of the usual heavy riffing you would expect from these genres sprinkled with more thoughtful spaced out psychedelic undertones. The retro vibe on offer is reminiscent of Baroness bludgeoning High on Fire into submission down a dark back alley. Moab have cunningly calibrated their sound against the classic groups of yesteryear, but this isn't just a cut and paste job, rather they have managed to add a modern twist all of their own.
In terms of the song-writing the band maintains a fast paced tempo on most of the catchy tracks with the bass interweaving with the lead guitar and higher register vocals. Songs such as 'Nothing Escapes' could perhaps be classified as California desert rock while others pummel the listener into submission with lumbering doom or thrashy riffs. The rhythm section is simply colossal, bashing home any hooks which haven’t made themselves clear. You also get the impression with this release that Moab is attempting to construct a coherent musical narrative as opposed to just pulling together a collection of several separate songs.
So, all in all a record which shows a clear direction and focus for the band as they move forward and try to challenge themselves to craft a different feel to each release. I can only hope they follow this up with an extensive tour to hammer home the quality of the music to a wider fan base.
