GENERAL (Where Are Your Gods Now?) CD
The opener 'Better Dead' starts with the line that made the album title. The answer for General, UK's next asset in Stoner/Groove/Heavy Rock, might be easy at first listen. I could mention quite a few bands here. Typically Kyuss or early Monster Magnet could come to mind. Orange Goblin surely made an impact on the band, that features Gaz from Stoner Doomsters Alunah, as well. They might not be a one of a kind band for sure. You can see their influences shine through and sometimes you might think you have heard this or that before. But what the hell...I have this feeling with nearly everything I have to review nowadays. And I grow tired of many bands these days.
Not so much with General though. Maybe because I do not listen that much to Stoner Rock nowadays. But General spice up their sound with a good dose of doomy and sludgy vibes and a singer with a nice pipe and a sense for a good vocal melody that make the band stand out, at least for me.
This album, produced by none other than Greg Chandler and mastered by Billy Anderson, is full of good fuzzed out riffs, catchy arrangements and vocal lines and if this thing does not make you rock, I have no clue why the hell you visit this website anyway. From the very first riffs of 'Better Dead' to the Wah-Wah induced shuffle of 'Bullet Train', from the slightly psychedelic and calm parts of 'Out Of The Sky' to the heavy groovy Doom in 'Blood Of The Pig', these guys have something serious going on. The second song is called 'Make Or Break Down'. I hope with this album the band better makes it than breaks down. It would be a shame if less interesting bands would get more attention than these guys.
(Thorsten Frahling)