Sungrazer – Mirador ...

After releasing their impressive self titled début a year ago, Sungrazer return with Mirador, an album packed full of fuzzed out riffs, cosmic bass lines and soothing vocals. If your unaware of Sungrazer, imagine Kyuss mixed with Hawkwind via Jimi Hendrix and your only just scratching the surface. Although these guys have been around for a short time, they have proved themselves to be a prominent act on the European Stoner Rock scene, touring with the likes of Colour Haze and Rotor on the Up in Smoke Tour, while also performing stand out gigs at this years Roadburn Festival and Stoned From The Underground.

So is the album any good? Yes it bloody is. Since receiving this record, its been on constant spin on my CD player, there is something intoxicating about their dreamlike vocals, and massive yet laid back sound that is highly infectious. Kicking off the album with style 'Wild Goose' immediately transports the listener to a cosmic plane, with its soft beat and mellow sounds the listener is instantly placed in the moment, and when the bassy, heavy riff kicks in its difficult not tap your feet and go with the flow.

After a great album opener the band change pace slightly with cheeky instrumental 'Octo'. Each band member gets time to shine during its brief three-minute running time, from bassist Sander Haagmans laying down a frantic groove to Guitarist/Vocalist Rutger Smeets weaving a hypnotic guitar solo and drummer Hans Mulders pelting of cymbals. It's a nice change of pace and takes the listener out of their hazy mind-set and shakes them about, before dropping them back into a calm atmosphere with 'Sea', another tranquil song rife with rumbling notes and a great crescendoed mid eighth.

Other tracks such as 'Goldstrike', 'Mirador' and '34 & more' continue this laid back feel, yet the highlight of the album is 'Behind', a truly beautiful song that throws out the fuzz and volume, only to be replaced by soothing guitar parts and dreamlike vocals, and when the heaviness kicks back in it still carries that calm, soothing feel but with copious amounts of volume. It is these shuffles between mellow moments juxtaposed against bassy colossal heaviness that make the album this writers favourite of the year.

While describing the album words such as dreamlike, escapism and absolute spring to mind, yet to fully appreciate the band and their sound its best to catch Sungrazer in a live setting, where psychedelic images swirl around on a projection screen, hot lights shine down on an awe-struck crowd, and their laid back grooves spiral out from massive amps. However if your lack of transport/money is a defining factor, you could just pick up this album it's just as good.....10/10

Words – Saul Crowley

Sungrazer @ Myspace