SPACESHIP LANDING (s/t) CD
During the last years a lot of interesting heavy rock bands have emerged out of the German underground scene, and with SPACESHIP LANDING we have the next promising newcomer. It's their first full-length, which is rich on variety and ideas, what makes it to a very entertaining release. The band draw a lot of influences from the early 70's, without being a total retro outfit. It's nice, how they incorporated 'Sunshine of your Love' in 'Pann Backer', while 'Still Hangin' recalls The Stooges performing 'Funhouse'.
Even a sax appears in the track, while the hammond organ pushes it more in an Atomic Rooster-direction. Not only here, the group plays instrumental, but due to the liquid guitarwork of Steffen Peter Schneider and the dynamic rhythm-section, it works out very well. Beside all 70's influences, here are also songs like 'Black Taxi', which impresses me with its slow crushing heaviness, that reminds also to usual suspects like Kyuss. But this isn't the only songs, where SPACESHIP LANDING sounds like the former band of Homme & Garcia, but I'm glad about the fact, that they still have enough own ideas to step out of the shadows of Kyuss.
The band's sound can also be brute and more aggressive as in 'No Punk' and '1x im Prinzip' f.e., but they never lose their warm and tube-driven sound. 'Eric's Mom', which is the ninth and last track of the album, is an adventurous long sonic journey , that starts with a dark-sounding psychedelic jam and changes more and more into a sludgy and noise-drenched monster. They recorded this album in an analogue studio, and this was a perfect choice, because I can't imagine anything better for the band's own sound. While listening to the disc, I often had the illusion to be part of the recording sessions, because every intrument sounds very natural, upfront and organic. Especially 'Eric's Mom', a dark and psychedelic jam-session enfolds its hypnotic power in the most suggestive way, without becoming boring for a minute. All in all, this disc is a big positive surprise to me, and even when SPACESHIP LANDING haven't dicovered new ground, they are on the best way to work out their own identity as one of German's most interesting heavy rock bands. Highly recommandable!
(KK)