As we usher in a new year and new bullshit promises, one Swedish foursome is stepping forward by turning back. When Heavy Planet first featured Molior Superum as a 2013 New Band To Burn One To, the band was already piquing interest as a groovin' 70's throwback. Last week saw the release of a new four-track EP revealing a sharpened brand of MS stoner riff-rock, and it's as rollicking and galloped as anything in the band's catalog.
Electric Escapism clicks just under twenty minutes, but these songs get sweeter, stickier, and groovier as the seconds tick all too quickly. Bortom Livets Sjal is immediately swaggering, giving a jump via fret molestation and delivering rhythmic cavities. The classic rock sensibilities are thick and thunderous, but there's a clean, crisp edge that I can say I'm surprised I enjoyed. Molior Superum boast improved proficiency, and their honed talents complement one another to craft a whole greater than the sum of its parts. And those solos?! These dudes are workin' hard.
Continuing the riff fest is Eyes In Orbit. Drums take the early lead and funnel into guitar assaults, rutting with a juxtaposition of abandon and direction. The groove gets patchy and a little dirt starts to stick. When the guitar spirals, it's impossible to keep up. But wait... As we stagger into The Dream of The Fisherman's Wife, the cuts benefit from a bit of delicious patience. Envision Golden Earring's Radar Love glazed with stoner repetition, grinding and settling into a gash that digs deep. The cozy bass pool we drift into ultimately churns into a splashy jam, one where guitars echo off one another with self-assured beauty. These guys have found their identity, and it's a bold one.
But the closing track is the band's best example of backboned sneer. Forsummad opens on mossy, static licks that give way to a rough-hewn, hard rock blast of jams. The simple sing-along is catchy as fuck, and the psychedelic trail-cruise is an easy and hazy one. Settling into a Patrick Sweany Them Shoes-ish blues bounce, Molior Superum soon blister into an all-out flattening of expectation with storming drums, scorching guitars, and a descent of desperation on vocals. This track hits every mark.
How can you summarize all that? This IS an escape, but it's not a blind one. This is focused craft for a band that continues to climb that mountain. I can only hope this is an EP because they've got plenty more to offer on future releases. Electric Escapism honors influences with precise execution and added contemporary production. What's more important, though, is how well all four band members seem to find symbiosis. These four jaunts were the perfect way to open a new year.
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