1. Hanged Man
2. Keep Watching the Skies
3. March of the Mule
4. Strange Love
I now draw attention to a psychedelic project with the involvement of a local friend, Seattle band Emeralds (NOT to be confused with the drone artist of the same name) who released this EP in 2009 through the funky alcohol and multimedia-infused label "ggnzla RECORDS". This short release manages to carve its own niche into the musical pantheon somewhere between Hawkwind and Uriah Heep, picking up from where the fantastical realm of 70s Heavy Metal and Hard Rock left off. From this vintage sound they expand upon new possibilities through more contemporary eyes, with heavier distortion, a more sinister energy, and an effortless shuffle thorough different flavors of fast and slow, good and evil, harmony and dissonance.
In The Hanged Man, the vocalist washes over the chaos, integrating as another instrument instead of taking spotlight; a hallmark of doom metal's extension from Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer. Yet it doesn't remain content with just being any one of these things, which becomes even more apparent with the second track 'Keep Watching the Skies': a short but energetic and melodically complex tune in which the keyboard plays off the backing guitar really well, and the lead guitar soars but for a couple of measures in regal ecstasy.
'March of the Mule' goes even heavier with the melodic distortion, charging onward to the steady but powerful marching cadence of the drummer, giving way into a psychedelic explosion of high energy that breaks down into a more spacious prog rock realm of "epic-epicness". The way in which the guitar, synth and bass integrate so perfectly with the ferocious beast of a drummer make this perhaps my favorite track on the EP.
The EP ends with the massive and atmospheric 'Strange Love'; a more psych rock oriented tune with verbed-out vocals that seem to channel a strange and mysterious fairy tale vibe. A suitable closer with a sense of both finality and the onward journey for cosmic truth. This EP manages to pack a lot of content for its short duration, and with a ferocious intensity that demonstrates a wide and proficient knowledge of psychedelic rock and roll.
