StoneBirds / Stangala – Kreizh Breizh Session 1 (2013)

Making its way from France, today we have two very interesting Stoner/Sludge/Doom Metal bands that make up the “Kreizh Breizh Session 1” split release. While StoneBirds are a more traditional Sludge/Stoner Metal band, Stangala delivers their lyrics in the Breton language and have a very trippy mixture of Doom/Sludge with a certain retro psychedelic vibe. We can say that we completely enjoyed how the both bands complement each other and make this unique split release very different from what we usually receive in the mail.

The StoneBrids gracefully open this release with the hard-hitting “Red is the Sky”. In this Sludgy tune the band shows their riffing powers and how engaging their lead vocals are. Having that certain Southern/Stoner vibe in their catchy sound allows for the band to sound like The New Black, Chrome Division, and similar acts. As “Game Over” and “Outro Drama” roll by, the band’s sound is nicely consolidated and keeps the crunchy riffs flowing. “Red Lights” shifts gears into a fuzzier and more distorted track with heavier vocals, giving the band a certain edge that makes them sound different from your run of the mill artist. Saving the best for last, “Dark Passenger” closes out the band’s ‘side’ of this split with a mellow doomy vibe.

Clearly noticing the change, “Kemper” marks the beginning of Stangala’s side of the release with a different pace. This song has a nice old-school Doom vibe to it with fuzzy guitars, very relaxing vocals, and funky percussions. “Konk Kerne” opens up with a very aggressive pace, but it slowly progresses into a weird Jethro Tull-esque acoustic passage that completely changed our expectations of the song (in a good way). Our favorite track is the crafty “Ar Stang” and it’s very cool pace, while it is still Sludge/Doom, it also dabbles into Psychedelic and Progressive realms with a retro touch to it. The weirdness continues with the jazzy/psychedelic “Evel ar re yen” and “St Alar et les algues hallucinogens”, both having very cool old school vibes and excellent usage of saxophone and even funky organ-like sounds here and there.

Overall, “Kreizh Breizh Session 1” is one very interesting split release. On ‘side A’, StormBirds deliver a more traditional, but well crafted, mixture of styles that is quite enjoyable. The weirdness immediately comes on ‘side B’, with Stangala’s very unique and trippy style. As a whole, any fan of Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal will be delighted to hear two bands providing ten tracks (five each) of very creative music that surpasses the norms of the genres. We can’t wait to hear more from these two outfits, but until then, we can only play this release over and over.

Label: Self-Released

Release: 2013

Genre: Sludge / Doom / Stoner Metal

Country: France