Yog-Sothoth — Hypnotic Crushery
“Hypnotic Crushery” is the bands first album( apparently they’ve done three full lengths in all)- it originally appeared on Yith Recordings in 2005, this is an ltd reissue. Line-up wise Strand plays guitar, bass and drums, and he is joined by Ben Zientara on guitars, bass & theremin, with Adam Lazlo adding some additional guitar. Sound wise I guess you’d say this it’s a mixture of mid to sometimes up-paced doom, a few more sludgy moments, garage bound psychedelic rock nooderling, and a touches of metal tinged indie rock.
The CDR offers up six tracks in all, and these last between just over the eight minute mark to just shy of the fourteen & a half minute mark. And these go from the opener “A Man Needs a firm Handshake” which sounded like a instrumental out-take from the early Sabbath influenced Smashing Pumpkins. To the slightly eastern tinged mid- paced riffing of “Umber-Hulf Gangbamg” with its fairly effective snake charmer like lead guitar texturing. To the indie/ grunge / doom gallop of “Mountain Moves”. Onto more rolling, lo-fi doom pound & swirling tentacle like lead guitar work & Theremin lashings of “The Fiercer”- which is one of the more promising moments here.
Sadly I found much of the album underwhelming, predictable, and often not very Lovecraft like in it’s vibe. The tracks mostly sound too familiar- been a mishmash of influences instead of standing on their own. The pacing often seems too plodding( in a bad way), and lastly the tracks often sound too buoyant & positive for their subject matter.
I really tried to like this, as I’ve enjoyed Strand’s other work a lot; but ultimately this sounds too much like a band at demo stage, with not enough focus on their own sound identity & too little composition flair present. I’d certainly give Yog-Sothoth another chance down the line, as there is some promise here in tracks such as “Umber-Hulf Gangbamg” & “The Fiercer.