Like A Kind Of Matador - Halfway To Dangerous [Tumult - 2008]Halfway to Dangerous has the feel of melancholic 70’s celluloid bleak social commentary film or a bizarre yet barren 70’s horror movie with burst of very real violence bourn into audio form. With it’s mixture of mournful flute, flattening doom riffs, grim organ cinematic tone, accordion down swoops and waling female vocalising. On offer are three lengthy tracks all nudging towards the 15 minute mark & Opening up the mournful pack of three we have Sweet Mother of Pearl(Women are my World) which is built around descending bleak jazz tinged organ work, sudden 'sledge hammer to the head' doom riff risers and haunted/ desolate flute weaves. With towards the end females ahh’s coming out of the crashing/bleak audio sea like the voices of stoned sirens trying to flight free from death or desent. Next is Mambo Jambo which starts with a grim droning accordion swing and muffled female dammed hippie wail; with soon a boiling storm of guitar tone raging over the top. Before kicking into a fine 'n' nasty sounding midpace 'n' muffled doom riff-athron. Lastly we have the marvellously and bizarrely titled Wamba Amm, She eat Cheese which feel’s like a heavy ‘n’ muffled take on 70’s barren soundtracking end credits. You can almost see the anti- hero pulling up his collar and walking off into black and white winter scene or maybe slow motion footage of person falling and twisting to there ultimate demise just before the credits roll; As the track weaves out its path with chiming atmospheric guitar, flutes pained wail and a cloak of feedback and crashing cymbal heavey precussion fuzz. Sadly it seems this was the one and only album by this three piece; which is a great pity as they do have a distinctive, bleakly filmatic 70’s vibe to their take on doom. Certainly of interest to any doom heads or anyone who digs bleak 70’s soundtracking. Roger Batty
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