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7.5
- Bands:
BLACK TUSK - Duration: 00:35:49
- Available from: 04/26/2024
- Label:
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Season Of Mist
In this season of abundant returns from the most rotten and furious bands of the broad stoner/doom spectrum, it’s nice to find the Savannah band again, bringing back their assault, fat but enjoyable like a street food fry.
As you can imagine from the premise, the title “The Way Forward” would perhaps be pretentious if referring to the musical direction of Black Tusk, but at the same time there is quite a bit of news.
The cover alone can suggest a different attitude after the inevitable dark period experienced by the band following the death of the former bassist; after the parenthesis of the ex Kylesa Corey Barhorst, here we find the unknown (at least to us) Derek Lynch, who contributes excellently to the firepower, also adding tasty synths (excellent graft on the almost folk start of the title track) , and contributing excellently to the vocal parts (“Brushfire”).
Then, for the first time in the history of the Georgian combo, here is the second guitar: and you can hear it, indeed. On the usual, adrenaline-filled stoner formula turned to hardcore (“Lift Yourself”), riffs, dynamics and melody find more and more space, with a great variety between the songs.
There are more euphoric moments (“Harness (The Alchemist)”) and darker ones: an example of this is the riff of “Lessons Through Deception” with many references to their “neighbors” Mastodon, but also the curious instrumental of “ Ocean Of Obsidian”. We have the wall of sound of “Breath Of Life”, and then the usual frontal offensive songs based on ignorance, spilled beers and trucker hats thrown in the air before a fight: but is it perhaps a problem to enjoy three minutes or so of pure adrenaline, as in “Out Of The Grasp”, “Dance On Your Grave”? The work behind the skins of James May also deserves a constant honorable mention, relentlessly pounding, but sought after when needed, with his excellent fills.
In short, if after four decades of activity it is difficult to think that Black Tusk will ever earn the covers of the Rolling Stones, we can only be happy about it: it is better to enjoy their constant, excellent work as skilled carpenters from our point of view of the world of failed rednecks.
