Seemless - Seemless
Seemless's debut record could be classified as stoner rock influenced grunge. That may sound like an oxymoron but to me they're really two seperate styles. Grunge to me was not only the
heavy, part metal bands like Tad but also bands like Soundgarden that had a more expansive sound while remaining heavy much of the time. Stoner rock is really slave to the towering Sabbath
inspired groove with bands like Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Orange Goblin being prime examples of an equally heavy if more narrowly defined subgenre. So when I say Seemless sounds like stoner rock influenced grunge you could assume they have a knack for writing solid stoner rock riffs in the context of a larger whole that breaks out of the tight bounds of that genre.
The first thing you notice is the lead singer is a dead ringer for Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as are many of the songs. There's a couple on here that sound almost exactly like them but thankfully most of this album comes across as fairly original. Their sound is a bit heavier and more streamlined than the grunge bands of yore as they tend to rely almost exclusively on catchy stoner riffs to propel the songs forward while adding various tempo changes and atmospherics to keep it interesting. There's also the occasional slow grunge song, also in the vien of Soundgarden, but Seemless mostly keeps away from the alternately tuned lead guitar work (with the exception of one song) that sometimes made the Soundgarden tracks a tough listen. Instead they keep with the stoner rock formula of thick guitars and Sabbath like leads but at a slower pace. Naturally these songs don't have quite the same pull as the fast cuts but they're listenable.
On the whole, this a fresh and interesting take on grunge filtered through the prism of the later stoner rock movement. It's more straightforward than many of the old grunge bands and it's harder and more dynamic than many of the stoner rock bands out there. So if you like it hot and heavy and like any of the above mentioned bands you will probably enjoy this disc immensely.
The first thing you notice is the lead singer is a dead ringer for Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as are many of the songs. There's a couple on here that sound almost exactly like them but thankfully most of this album comes across as fairly original. Their sound is a bit heavier and more streamlined than the grunge bands of yore as they tend to rely almost exclusively on catchy stoner riffs to propel the songs forward while adding various tempo changes and atmospherics to keep it interesting. There's also the occasional slow grunge song, also in the vien of Soundgarden, but Seemless mostly keeps away from the alternately tuned lead guitar work (with the exception of one song) that sometimes made the Soundgarden tracks a tough listen. Instead they keep with the stoner rock formula of thick guitars and Sabbath like leads but at a slower pace. Naturally these songs don't have quite the same pull as the fast cuts but they're listenable.
On the whole, this a fresh and interesting take on grunge filtered through the prism of the later stoner rock movement. It's more straightforward than many of the old grunge bands and it's harder and more dynamic than many of the stoner rock bands out there. So if you like it hot and heavy and like any of the above mentioned bands you will probably enjoy this disc immensely.
