France’s Glowsun are a primarily instrumental band that have that psychedelic, stoner metal vibe to them. Anyone remember Kyuss? You know, the band that Josh Homme was in before Queens of the Stone Age. Kyuss was awesome. They had that dirty, dry sound. The riffs were thick, powerful and went places. That’s the same with Glowsun.
“Beyond the Wall of Time” is like Kyuss meets Sabbath at a Yes concert. Sabbath? I add them because I think Glowsun owe more to them than even Kyuss did. That’s a good thing. Yes? Glowsun are far more technical, at the right times than most of their stoner metal counterparts. The lead track “Arrow of Time” is a hard charging, fist pumping rocker with those thick riffs that bands like The Sword have made a living on.
The progressive elements of Yes show themselves on tracks like “Flower of Mist” which is far more expansive sounding and even doomy until the three minute mark when the song goes off the rails, getting a bit proggy in the process. Glowsun take their songs to places that your average stoner metal band does. For example, the riff on “Shadow of Dreams” is more like Tool than The Sword.
The only issue I have is the use of vocals during “Against the Clock.” Not because the vocals are bad (they aren’t great though), but they just aren’t needed. With the rest of the album being a truly killer instrumental affair, it seems odd to include vocals. Especially since the vocals aren’t even all that clear, the song would sound even better without them. This is probably just my usual nitpicking.
Glowsun’s “Beyond the Wall of Time” is a very satisfying album from start to finish, vocal detour aside. Fans of more complex stoner metal will really enjoy it. Glowsun aren’t retro either. They have their influences and they are obvious but unlike bands like Orchid or Kadavar, they aren’t trying to imitate anyone. It’s a current band channeling the past perfectly!
Rating: 8/10
Tracklist:
1. Arrow of Time
2. Last Watchmaker´s Grave
3. Behind the Moon
4. Flower of Mist
5. Shadow of Dreams
6. Against the Clock
7. Endless Caravan
Label: Napalm Records
