Holy McGrail — Collecting Earthquakes

Collecting Earthquakes is the solo album of one half of the organic-horror drone project Slomo. Holy McGrail has some help from some friends too, Julian Cope and Stephen O’Malley (Sunn0))), Khanate guest on a track a piece. Though it touches down briefly into Slomo’s eerier creeping ambience, it goes to lots of other musical places, across its three long tracks.

Lady Holle ( Holle of Horcum) opens up the album with a sort of rhythmic punked up groovy, doom vibe. With some nice touches of synthesizer work, but as the track develops the song structure, starts to stretch and drone more. The walls of sound build and build, become a dense wall of sound, which cries to be played very loud, so your windows vibrate. Towards the middle of the track, the beat drops out, and we’re just left with cosmic circles of guitar and synthesizer drone, giving a wonderfully euphoric feel, like your almost touching the sky.

Quake Appeal is a fire breathing demon of a track, roll in with massif banks of guitar feedback and droning waves of synthesizer, which makes up a superbly tense atmosphere. You’re never sure, when the guitar will erupt into another avalanche of crushing riff. The track exits with doomy riffing been eaten by feedback, then we’re just left with an eerier bell tone. Ur-Cow(Licks of Audhumla) finds as in more traditional ambient territory, the track gives up wonderful, circles of meditative sound, the guitar growing in power as the track advances, but never taking away from the chilled out air, it really has a great tranquil, calming feel after the last two tracks, making a great exit track.

Another interesting release from McGrail, not as mesmerising or chilling captivating as Slomo’s The creep, but never the less a worthwhile effort, that attempt's to put different angle's on the doom/ drone genre which must be applauded.