Review: GNOB - Electric Dream Demon

The Drone Rock conveyor belt of top class records rumbles on, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. Although this may be bad for the wallet, for the ears and the soul this is a very good thing indeed! Next from them comes this lovely record courtesy of the delightfully named GNOB. The band are a "a 3 piece power trio who came to light in late 2014, based in and around East London" who, having travelled the world soaking up sounds and cultures, ply a heady line of fuzzy stoner psych infused with a real sense of the exotic. 'Electric Dream Demon' proves to be the ideal outlet for this - an album that is as powerful as it is deeply trippy.

'Electric Dream Demon' opens with nice heavy riffs before settling down into some gloriously psychedelic space rock - guitars swirling majestically around some primal drums. When the vocals hit it becomes something a tad more stoner (but still the psych end of that particular spectrum). 'Dancing Plant' comes over initially like a heavy surf number, no particular twang but still something redolent of all those 'Hang 10' instrumentals. Again when the vocals join the vibe, and indeed the tempo, changes to become something entirely different, entering as they do with a rich eastern feel. It has an ebb and flow to it, with the slower vocal passages matched by the heavier, faster instrumental sections but it is when the guitar really lets loose that the sparks fly...some fantastic psych that takes things to the cosmos and back. 'Flowers And Rainbows' takes the eastern cues from 'Dancing Plant' and runs with it...heavy riffs that combine a subtle exotic flavour with some real power and the combination harks back to the halcyon days of the seventies when heavy psych was king (and at times the guitar reminded me of Mick Ronson circa 'Width Of A Circle'). 'Freedom 45' opens in a very Sabbathian way...slow but heavy riffs married to some impassioned vocals. A little way into the track the tempo picks up dramatically and the guitar simply flies...sparks flying as it weaves its magic across the firmament....stunning and breathless stuff! The track is seen out by a low'n'slow bassline along with stabs of guitar and some spacey effects, giving us a moment to catch our breath after the fireworks. 'The Offering' is another hi-octane, hard-rockin' track...once more the guitar lays down some more lysergically charged riffs that are quite simply enthralling...eddying around the speakers and melting the brain. 'Jungle Trance' is probably my own personal favourite of all the tracks....another heavy psych monster with more hints of eastern promise but with riffs that are much, much more than hints while 'The Midnight Sun' takes the eastern aura and magnifies it tenfold to produce something wonderfully exotic and still gloriously heavy. I must say I really like the way these guys from East London manage to imbue their music with exoticism with subtlety and nous...a lesser band would crowbar in these motifs and it would sound a tad clumsy, but GNOB do it with elan and a deft touch and, more importantly, not to the detriment of the sheer muscularity of the music. 'Genie In The Raagini' is a prime example....absolutely drenched in eastern vibes but still with enough power to keep even the most hardened head happy. 'Snake Charmer' brings proceedings to a close with an another cracker; a blistering rush of mystical guitar and pounding rhythms that sets the heart beating and the pulse racing.

'Electric Dream Demon' is an album of monumental stature....rich with exotic flavours and exhilarating power but all done with subtlety and craft. The band appear to have an innate sense of when to cut loose and fry some brains and when to drop the tempo and woo the listener with some deeply lysergic melodies. There are plenty of stoner bands out there that pry eastern vibes into their fuzzy rock.....they need to listen to these guys and take notes...there is nothing clumsy or forced, it all flows with a satisfying fluidity that makes this a pretty damned top notch listen. It is different fare for Drone Rock but, again, shows that Adam has an unerring sense of what makes a good listen. As an added sign of quality (as if you need one!) the album was mastered by John McBain. 'Electric Dream Demon' is up for pre-order on the Drone Rock website here...get it while you can!

For those in or around Brighton on the 24th Feb, you can catch Gnob plus a stelar line-up (Carlton Melton, Psychic Lemon, Melt Dunes, Stereocilia & Sleeping Creatures) at the Drone Rock Records Showcase...