ALUNAH / QUEEN ELEPHANTINE (s/t) Split 7"
This nice 7" has been announced a few years ago, and finally Catacomb Records have released it at the end of 2009. As usual, this split is strictly limited to 250 purple copies and probably you should hurry up before it's too late. ALUNAH (originally called Aluna) opens with a re-recorded version of 'Song of The Sun' from their first demo 'Crystal Voyage'. The new version is definitely more powerful and shows that the band has grown in recent years. If you are interested in a good blend of Acrimony's riffery and Blue Cheer's fuzzed-out blues psychedelics than may you'll like 'Song of The Sun'. Not to forget the female vocals that will give you an extra trippy dimension. The contrast between Soph's lovely voice and the massive wall of riffs is very effective and I like it. In comparison to that, QUEEN ELEPHANTINE's 'Mephistopheles' is less interesting to me. Perhaps it is because I never was really into Sleep's 'Dopesmoker' album, because there are certain similarities between both bands. QUEEN ELEPHANTINE try to achieve a hypnotic and trance-like effect by constantly repeating the same riffs. Later the song changes a little without losing its main theme. I cannot deny that 'Mephistopheles' has its psychedelic charm, but much too little is happening here for my liking. I personally would buy this 7" because of ALUNAH's contribution, but it also provides an opportunity to discover two relatively unknown bands.
(KK)