BOMBUS
'The Poet And The Parrot' (intriguing title) is the sophomore album from Swedish Hard Rock/Metal outfit Bombus (intriguing name); however, it is their debut album for Century Media, who appear to think there is something quite special about this four piece. Now, whilst I'm not going to shoot that opinion down in flames, I am going to be a little more reserved about their mix of stoner, punk, rock, sludge and metal than a lot of reviewers who seem to think this band are the second coming of Motorhead! By the way, if you are interested, Bombus means bumblebees and opener 'Enter The Night' is a prime example of the band at their best. Short, sharp, raw and quick, with a definite sting in the tail. It does indeed have plenty of Motorhead references and is a great song with which to kick off the album. Guitarists Fredrik Berglund and Matthias Jacobsson provide lead vocals with a twist. They sing every song in unison which adds real bite to proceedings and is just something, along with the raw and fuzzy production, that little bit different.
When you get to the next song, though, I'm slightly less impressed and it is a feeling that permeates itself throughout a majority of the material on offer. None of the songs are bad - there are some great riffs and a lot of foot tapping ensues - but Bombus need a good editor. Their music isn't exactly complicated and many of the intros, outros and bridging riffs are repetitive and overplayed, making songs too long for no reason. 'Master The Reality' is one of the songs in question. It comes to a natural conclusion, there is a short pause...and then it starts again for an extra ninety seconds before fading out, and there is just no need for that to happen which is a shame because, otherwise, it's excellent, sounding like a stoner version of Bathory. Another example is final track 'Into The Fire'. The intro riff has a wonderful sludgy, Sabbath or Candlemass feel but it doesn't need to go on for two minutes before anyone starts singing. Bombus work best with songs around the 3-4 minute mark such as 'Apparatus' or 'Let Her Die'. Any longer than that and they just start to get a bit boring. I hate to sound negative but it just feels like they've strung out the tracks to get the album up to forty minutes in length!
Perhaps I'm missing something. Like I said, all other reviews seem to be universal in their praise for the album, but it hasn't hit my sweet spot and purely for the reason outlined. Everything else is good and Bombus have a very bright future but they either need to write in a more concise manner or give something a little more diverse in the areas that are not sung over, otherwise the sting they provide might be a little less severe than they hoped for.
When you get to the next song, though, I'm slightly less impressed and it is a feeling that permeates itself throughout a majority of the material on offer. None of the songs are bad - there are some great riffs and a lot of foot tapping ensues - but Bombus need a good editor. Their music isn't exactly complicated and many of the intros, outros and bridging riffs are repetitive and overplayed, making songs too long for no reason. 'Master The Reality' is one of the songs in question. It comes to a natural conclusion, there is a short pause...and then it starts again for an extra ninety seconds before fading out, and there is just no need for that to happen which is a shame because, otherwise, it's excellent, sounding like a stoner version of Bathory. Another example is final track 'Into The Fire'. The intro riff has a wonderful sludgy, Sabbath or Candlemass feel but it doesn't need to go on for two minutes before anyone starts singing. Bombus work best with songs around the 3-4 minute mark such as 'Apparatus' or 'Let Her Die'. Any longer than that and they just start to get a bit boring. I hate to sound negative but it just feels like they've strung out the tracks to get the album up to forty minutes in length!
Perhaps I'm missing something. Like I said, all other reviews seem to be universal in their praise for the album, but it hasn't hit my sweet spot and purely for the reason outlined. Everything else is good and Bombus have a very bright future but they either need to write in a more concise manner or give something a little more diverse in the areas that are not sung over, otherwise the sting they provide might be a little less severe than they hoped for.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Century Media
Album
THE POET AND THE PARROT
Review by Rick Tilley
RUNNING TIME:
40:41
RELEASE DATE:
26th Aug 2013
TRACK LISTING
1) Enter the Night
2) The Poet and the Parrot
3) Liars
4) A Safe Passage
5) Apparatus
6) Let Her Die
7) Master the Reality
8) Into the Fire
2) The Poet and the Parrot
3) Liars
4) A Safe Passage
5) Apparatus
6) Let Her Die
7) Master the Reality
8) Into the Fire
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Sweden
"Guitarists Fredrik Berglund and Matthias Jacobsson provide lead vocals with a twist. They sing every song in unison which adds real bite to proceedings and is just something, along with the raw and fuzzy production, that little bit different."
