Some personal news: This year marks my 10th anniversary of my first review for the greatest, most diverse and friendliest music site on the planet.
So to mark the occasion I put my hand up to review this album, which I thought was nailed on to sound as if it could have been released any time in the last 10 years – or indeed the last 30. It is the first full-length from the Finnish trio since 2018 – 1st Sound, which was unapologetically rooted in desert fuzz.
And on first impression, the feel of 2nd Sound also reeks of nostalgia –of the mid to late-90s stoner-rock era, with all its fuzz, hooks and big-ballast bass.
All the components are there: an exuberant opening track made for driving fast with the windows down. Ominous sci-fi samples about monsters. A brooding acoustic number towards the back end of the album. A 10-minute finale with an epic riff and lyrics based around a major geological event.
But there is a hell of a lot more to it than desert-worship. The opening track, ‘Brotha’ may be a high-octane stoner romp, but it has touching, heartfelt lyrics paying tribute to “a saint inside of a sinner” who taught the singer “how to stand tall and hold your ground”. To paraphrase Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, this isn’t your usual weed-worshipping, gettin’-into-a-stoner-album bullshit.
And the pleasant surprises are abundant throughout. Even when Kaiser are planting themselves firmly in familiar stoner territory, such as in ‘Meteorhead’, it is done with such aplomb that we don’t mind that it could have come from the much-missed Molten Universe compilation series from the turn of the century.
And it sounds amazing. The guitars are enormous, the bass has a crunch, the drums are sharp and the vocals have a swagger, with just enough range to carry the hooks (and some satisfying harmonising, too boot). It is worth mentioning that some of the credit for the warm, spacious sound of the record should go to Monolord drummer Esben Willems, who mastered the record. If there is one person who would know how slabs of fuzz should sound, it is Esben.
All the elements coalesce in extremely satisfying fashion in ‘Awaken Monster’ and ‘A Clockwork Green’. The former lumbers from a low-end hum, through ominous spoken-word samples to the mother of all beat drops. Gorgeous. And the latter starts with an almost jazz-swing shuffle, reminiscent of Kyuss at their noodly best on Welcome to Sky Valley. I don’t know about you, but stoner rock was often enhanced by straying outside a 4-4 beat – and it is showcased here.
The biggest is saved for last, though, with ‘Aftershock’. Fittingly, the 10-minute monolith has a riff that tumbles downwards like a boulder rolling down a scree-covered mountain. It is huge – it may even register on the Richter scale if it is played loud enough.
And it is a fantastic ending to a great record, one that I am glad I gave to myself as my 10-year anniversary present. It is so good that I can see myself still listening to it when I hit the 20-year milestone.
