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Released on August 14, 2015 via Lay Bare Recordings
A new slew of country-ish artists seem to have surfaced in recent years, some names such as Sturgill Simpson and Whitey Morgan and The 78’s seem to be stand outs. Like a lot of people, I have always been put off by a large majority of what the genre offers, bar the brilliance of Cash and the like. However this new vein that’s beginning to show up from the underground suggest some serious promise; Bellhound Choir‘s blend of country sensibilities and stoner rock roots make it a new project to confirm this for me.
Christian Hede Madsen is the former front man for the bluesy stoner rock outfit Pet The Preacher, so in a way Bellhound Choir is a natural progression in a solo format. Yet Madsen manages to forge something far more refreshing whilst still reflecting on his musical roots. Stray Screech Beast is the debut EP, with intent to hint toward a 2016 full-length; from start to finish it’s a whiskey-soaked, gloomy and emotional ode to the likes of old school blues rock whilst sounding like a metal artist could have been involved. The reverb sticks to the guitar work throughout, like the floor of a dingy bar after bottles of bourbon. It is safe to say that Madsen plays the blues on Stray Screech Beast, with the opener being entitled ‘Self Loathing’, the listener knows they’re in for a foreboding ride. The track starts with a steady muffled, drum beat before the electric guitar bursts through and reverberates like the haze of the sun at dawn. At this point you know country is but one influence, with folk and blues added to the fold as well as nods to stoner rock.
The deep, soothing vocals of Madsen is the epitome of the sound achieved. In spite of his sorrowful tones and lyrics, he sounds inviting and powerful to far higher degree to anything he’s done before this project. The strength and confidence in his voice is what makes these songs convincing and engaging from start to finish.
‘Self Loathing’ is by far the “catchiest” track so to speak, the lyrical content full of despair in one-self and losing touch. After his initial crooning Madsen introduces some spoken word, which when layered over the instrumentation sounds truly poetic and natural as he describes the “new breed of beast”, the Bellhound itself.
The tracks follow with this cathartic, low toned, and dusty feel within them. The next three tracks all feel deep yet almost skeletal at times, but remain vast and wandering. Madsen’s vocals remain the most engaging factor, although the short use of cello on the track ‘Stuck (Old Song)’ demonstrates where Bellhound Choir’s sound could really expand in future releases.
‘Bless Me’ changes the atmosphere for a time, introducing light guitar drones to start with before incorporating drums to a steady beat underneath the Pearl Jam-esque elevation in Madsen’s voice that echoes through the depth of the track. This track would be the best example of my main issues throughout this initial project of Bellhound Choir; I feel the tracks could last longer, and there is plenty of room for some of the song ideas to be expanded. It’s easy to enjoy the build and layering of instrumentation before the song dies down prematurely. Perhaps this is intentional however, as this EP serves as an introduction to the project and the album that will follow.
For me, the absolute pinnacle of what Bellhound Choir is doing is encompassed into ‘Good Life’. Just a lone reverb sodden guitar, Madsen’s vocals and the glorious female backing vocals, the track builds in a perfect way. The strumming and chord progressions slowly trudge and drone whilst the vocals run parallel to each other, showing off both vocalists in a magnificently gloomy light. To end the track off, Madsen croons on his own and the strumming intensifies, at this point you want to swing your leg over the motorcycle and rumble into the desert.
The EP ends with the proper mountain song ‘Trails Of You’, and a brilliant live in studio session on the track ‘Black Spot’. This EP leaves a lot to be desired; however this is probably the intention as these are early tracks for Bellhound Choir. Stray Screech Beast serves as a solid taster to what may come. I think if Madsen continues to wear his Stoner Rock/Country influences on his sleeve, then this project will have a lot of potential in the way of a full-length.
