EP Review: "Impending" by Black Tremor

The notes on this next band had the makings of a total disaster…A three piece instrumental psych/doom band from the wastelands of Saskatchewan, Canada consisting of a bass, drum and violin. Yeah, violin mf’ers. Here’s the thing, this whole sound totally works. Black Tremor have found the secret to their unconventional mix: time. Each song unfolds with multiple movements; each section tumbling and folding over itself as if replicating the formation of the funnel clouds on the EP’s cover photo.

There’s a desolation in the music that conjures up imagery of the dry endless wastes on the edge of the Canadian steppe where the band is from.  Each musical idea seeds in the dust and germinates over several minutes.  The best example of this metamorphic style is on album highlight “Markhor”. The droning middle-eastern melody sheds its skin as the landscape reveals itself; a tribute to the home environs of its “devil goat” namesake.  The drums stutter forward as the bass levels everything in its path in constant waves of drone and noise.  The violin is a picture of restraint in this song. It sometimes darts around the edges to give color only to give way later to the lead musical theme. A truly incredible sound.

If Boston area Narco-pop legends Morphine had a baby with ISIS, the result would sound startlingly like Black Tremor.   The echoes of several bands are found deep within Black Tremor’s massive sound, but in the end there really is nothing else that sounds even remotely like these guys. Highly recommended for high speed psychic (or actual) trips through the desert in your red Cadillac convertible.

You can check out the entire album on their bandcamp and Facebook pages. Awesome stuff.