LP Review - Take The Potion by ROMERO

ROMERO are a 3 piece hailing from Madison, WI, and with "Take the Potion", their debut LP, they come with 7 tracks packed with hugely pleasing and mightily infectious Stoner metal consisting of thick pungent riffs, low down doomy sludge, raw heavy rock energetics, passionately shouted post hardcore style vocals alongside harmonious outpourings and smart drumming played with a precision that drives the songs on here in a blazing fury of out and out Stoner metal mastership.

From the opening track of "Compliments & Cocktails" with its Torche inspired catchiness, balls-out riffage and drizzles of Hammond for good measure, ROMERO show from the outset that they are no noobz to the stoner metal game. With an entrance like this ROMERO make their presence immediately known making them impossible to ignore and I can only apologize to these 3 gents for not jumping on their brilliant album sooner.

Following is "Couch Lock" with a trad-doom nod and post hardcore vocals adding an element of freshness to their sound but soon enough the heavy rock is added to the furnace leaving this track oozing with a blend of smelted white hot metal.

"One Means Four" is a near post-metal monolith from the off but soon develops into an anthemic riff laden Stoner metal monster without losing a touch of a Neurosis tinged organic mysticism and solemn introspection that this track delivers in thick waves of spine tingling pleasure.

The album's title track of "Take the Potion" falls upon you in a fist clenched and air punching Clutch-like barrage of groovy riffs that are broken up with melodic sections that don't dwell too long before a continuous amping up of the riffs hit you full force in the chest leaving you breathless.

"Distraction Tree" brings us back to a Torche inspired sound showing that ROMERO are big fans, but they are by no means imitators. Plunging down-tuned sludge metal digs around the depths before another anthemic monster surges forward at a tearing pace to bring the track into a many levelled slice of audio art which is my favorite of the 7 tracks on offer.

"Wheeling Deervish" continues with a nod to Kyuss and a spaced out desert groove mixed with growling sludge and howled vocals. The Hammond is wheeled out again towards the end of the track adding some welcome funk to the sludge.

Last is "In the Heather" that lays on a jam that reminds me of Colour Haze at the beginning but soon turns into the baked riffs of Sleep that build to yet more anthemic and blinding Stoner metal brilliance leaving me gasping for air and desperate for more.

This is a truly epically solid debut album from ROMERO and it is available now from their bandcamp, name your price for the digital download, $6.66 \m/ for the CD and $16.66 for the vinyl.

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Zac's "Double Dose": Aquanaut / Romero

Aquanaut: Sunken Ark 


Aquanaut is a pschedelic doom "juggernaut" from the Pacific Northwest town of Vancouver, British Columbia. Their release Sunken Ark dropped at bandcamp this April (2012). The quartet use a combination of slow and mid paced-tempos, trippy keyboard frequencies, and and plenty of distorted thrash style guitar solos. The use of vocals are kept to a minimum, usually arriving late in the ten plus minutes tracks, but always intense. I would describe them as a mix of hardcore shouts and sludge growls. Sunken Ark runs approximately forty five minutes with seemless transitions between the sonic soundscapes to crushing sludge and back. I recommend checking out the second track Flying Fortress, below, during a thunderstorm (the ambience and energry fit quite well together). By the way, Aquanaut is offering this as a free download... why shouldn't you give them a closer listen?

 

Members: 

 Bloody Al - Drums 

David R - Guitars / Vocals 

Jamie Quast - Bass 

V.Vecker - Organ

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Romero: Couch Lock Single 


With a plodding pace and visceral shout Romero are off, dragging your bruised skull steadily through their mix of punk, doom, and sludge. Romero's latest release Couch Lock Single, is made up of two killer yet diverse tracks. The first, the title track, Couch Lock stays within the realm of doom meandering along a bassline for two plus minutes. At that point a fierce scream turns the depressive gloom into a sludge nightmare. Soon after we find ourselves riding a stoner riff like a wave. The almighty riffage continues to carry us, although at a groovier pace than previous, with In The Heather. The vocals are sung much cleaner here, with Baroness-esque shouts of "Whoaaaa-ooohhhh!". The rhythym steps the beat up and carries us through the remainder of Romero's single. Check out these two tracks at Romero's bandcamp and remember...

"ROMERO spreads like a weed."

Members: 

Ben Brooks - Drums / Vocals 

Jeffrey Mundt - Guitars / Vocals 

Steve Stanczyk - Bass

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New Band To Burn One To-Romero

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is Romero.

Romero's Jeffrey Mundt spent most of the 90's behind the drum kit for a variety of bands including Bovine Records' THUG & punk legends, NAKED AGGRESSION. A long-time guitar player & songwriter, he often dabbled in fronting a band, but never pursued it seriously. Enter: a move to northern WI, a random Craigslist ad from bass player Josh Stanchik, a casual 8 month writing and recording session (with Mundt handling vocals, guitar & drums!) & Romero was born! Intent on creating a demo to locate & convince a drummer to work with them, Mundt & Stanchik were about a month from completion when... a drummer found them! Rumors of the project peaked the interest of PONEY drummer & vocalist Ben Brooks and he gleefully volunteered before even hearing a single note. Good thing he eventually liked what he heard!


ROMERO started playing live immediately. Very often. First, locally...then regionally...now, nation-wide! They have already shared the stage with the likes of Jucifer, Weedeater, Clutch, Black Label Society and other dyed-in-the-wool heavyweights.

ROMERO spreads like a weed.

HEAVY - LOUD - VERY, VERY HIGH...

Romero hailing from Wisconsin, sludges through the frozen tundra with a thick bottom heavy stoner groove. Their sound is angry, immense, and heavy as hell. The band has a 7" vinyl single available for purchase through this link. Only 500 copies are available so get yours now! I can not wait to hear a full-length from this band.



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