Clash of the album covers

Since it's April I decided to toss out some bunny album covers.



Beehoover-Heavy Zoo

vs.



Helloween-Rabbit don't come easy

***Which cover do you prefer?

Beehoover-Concrete Catalyst

Exile on Mainstream
2011

The duo of Ingmar Petersen (bass and vocals) and Claus-Peter Hamisch (drums and vocals) collectively known as Beehoover return with their brand of experimental doom/post rock noise. Some bands try to bring everything they can to their sound and sometimes that works and other times it's messy. Well, Beehoover go a different route and they always. That method is that they play a minimalistic style that works off simple patterns. Certainly not an idea that would work for everyone, but these guys have mastered it because they know to get so much out of what they do. Just when you think you have them pegged they throw in a curve ball and take off in another direction There is frequently a loose almost jam like quality to the music at times. Like instead of recording they are just getting together in a basement and pulling together all these ideas that have been brewing inside them. The swirling madness that focus around singular notes in "Oceanriver" is a prime example of this band's major strength. It's not always about being off the all either as evidenced by the simple yet deep cutting melodies on "Rocking Chair". Sometimes they are just out there with something like "Wild geese yell" which combines storm noises with acoustic fragments. The real masterpiece here for me is "Dragonfighter" which stands as a prime example of their mastery of accomplishing a lot with a minimum of pieces. With just drums and bass they create a gigantic wall of sound on this slow monster. Just a fine album all the way around and one I'll definitely be spinning over and over during the year.

Beehoover-Heavy Zooo

Exile on Mainstream/Southern

2008

Beehover are a bass and drum duo that play an offbeat style of heavy music. Now they adore some good, raw and heavy riffs. Most of their songs begin around their love a big, meaty riff. After establishing that they then slowly begin to venture of his other directions yet they never loose site of that riff. At first I took this approach as being somewhat repetitive, but I don't think that's fair. It's more like the main riff is their hive and the two instruments do at times leave that hive and go off in other directions yet they always return. Many of the songs start off in a very simple manner but they soon divide and bring different sounds and styles into the expanding mix. There is often a sense of subtlety because they know that they can amaze and astound your senses without having to beat you over the head. They were probably raised on equal doses of Budgie, Sabbath and ELP and they probably love TOOL and OM as well. They still manage to create their own addictive and bizarre interpretation of those influences. This band obviously love some down and dirty doom, but they embrace prog-rock as well. So they end up combining the two into an oftentimes uneven marriage of sorts that somehow manages to work. This is not an album for everyone because it does require patience because they are taking their own time about building these songs exactly as they see fit. However if you sit back and enjoy ride then you are in for bone-rattling, mind-numbing experience.