Eternal Season

French act, Glowsun, belt out their first release for a relatively large label, Napalm Records, with their second full length album, “Eternal Season”. Glowsun are not really firmly rooted in any camp, but seem to take bits and pieces from all of the slower sub-genres of heavy music: sludge, stoner rock, doom and even hints of drone. The band focuses on catchy instrumentation and creating borderline trance inducing rhythms and patterns, rather than keeping the focus on vocals and choruses, as is the norm with a lot of acts in the doom and stoner realms.

“Eternal Season” is like a modern trip back in time. I say a modern trip because the production is excellent. Everything is audible, and, while there is a definitive psychedelic feel to the music, the fuzz and reverb does not overpower everything else like many acts that harken back to the glory days of rock. The music really takes center stage, with the rhythm section absolutely stealing the show. Thick rolling bass lines merge with a ritualistic, driving drum beat to produce an almost drone like trance.

Maybe it's the substantial lack of vocals that helps contribute to the trance inducement, but when the bass and drums plod away to no abandon, it really begins to suck you in and refuses to let go. Glowsun throws in a lot influence from the early days of metal as well as some straight up rock. The biggest rock influence is present in the blues infused lead guitar lines, calling to mind the past few Clutch albums (read “Robot Hive / Exodus” and “Blast Tyrant”).

To get the gist of the music though, you have to look at the whole picture. While much of “Eternal Season” is VERY within the realm of stoner rock and psychedelia, the doom influence will convince you that, indeed, Glowsun is, by all stretches of the imagination, a metal band at heart. Thick, fuzzy and distorted guitar lines merge with the pounding drums and walking bass lines to give homage to Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, while keeping modern production values.

The occasional vocals really remind of King Buzzo of Melvins fame, invoking a bit of that nostalgic grunge feel, with clean to shouted (yet still clean) sections. The fact that the vocals are used so infrequently really keeps the ritualistic, psychedelic feel of the album constant.

While the band members aren't reinventing the wheel and no one is showing off the skills of a prodigy, the music is well played and extremely catchy. After extended listens, all of the songs have a tendency to blend together, but rarely does “Eternal Season” get monotonous, which is quite a feat considering there are very little vocal lines and the tempo remains fairly constant for the entire playtime.

Glowsun's music isn't anything new. Every note has a very nostalgic, psychedelic feel to it. Where Glowsun succeeds is in presenting an almost trance inducing, rhythmic album with plenty of fuzz and distortion where it counts. The same thing that makes this album so enjoyable for some might kill it for others. The ritualistic, trance inducing music may be a little repetitive for some, as the thick bass and driving drums keep going and going and going.

If you dig modern psychedelia coupled with stoner rock fuzz and reverb, the Glowsun might be for you. While, not quite the throwback act that Witchcraft is, those who enjoy the seventies should find enjoyment here. Trance-like rhythm sections and blues infused guitar lines building into driving sludgy doom section is what you'll find. If you can't stand any type of slow metal, then steer clear. Otherwise, if a modern, slightly heavier, take on psychedelia sounds good to you, then by all means check this out.