Small Stone
2007
It’s never a necessarily a bad thing to have strong influences, but ultimately it’s how you interpret those influences and what the performer adds to those influences. In the increasingly crowded realm of stoner rock it seems that you can’t throw a stone without hitting someone who has a huge Sabbath influence. That’s fine, but if nothing is added to that formula then it doesn’t take me long to think something like “oh, here we go again with the Sweet Leaf revival”. So many bands focus in on just the heavy, doom aspect of Sabbath and that can be limiting. Washington state’s Mos Generator seem to have realized that Sabbath were also capable of bringing some major grooves as well. That aspect ties into having a solid rhythm section and at times relying on them to lead as much as the guitar. This band brings a rather lively, but extremely busy take on some 70’s metal. I would say there is also a bit of Thin Lizzy present plus maybe even some pre Destroyer KISS minus the cheese factor. It’s a complex variation, but it is a little more upbeat maybe and I think it requires a strong grasp of rhythm and using variations that some bands might be afraid to use because it may make them less “metal”. Mos Generator grab the songs and then they twist, bounce and shake them around all the while staying cool and in control. They know how to control and manipulate fairly simple ideas and it really works for them. Sure, there are songs that work better than others, but overall they have taken a proven style and spiced up so it's seems fairly fresh. Not necessarily an album that's going to hit you with one play, but several spins helped me to realize how good this album is. They take some chances, but I appreciate the results.
http://www.myspace.com/mosgenerator
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